Rotary Club of Madison County, North Carolina

Third grade students in Madison County Schools were recently given the gift of a dictionary by the Rotary Club of Madison County. The Club has participated in The Dictionary Project since 2004 and to date, has provided over 3,700 dictionaries to Madison County students. Hot Springs Elementary third grade teacher Earl Lynn Allison said her students look forward to the dictionary project each year. “They were excited they were going to get (a dictionary), I think it’s great. The kids get a new tool so they can learn their vocabulary skills, and one you can actually hold. Everything’s digital now, so when they get something they can actually touch and feel and look through (they enjoy it).” She has taught at Hot Springs for 21 years and indicated that her students get a lot of use out of the dictionaries. “They’ll be able to use it when we’re reading our chapter books, or doing our novel studies – they’ll be able to find out what the words mean. It’ll help build their vocabulary skills,” she said. “As everyone knows, vocabulary makes you a better reader. The more vocabulary you know, the better a reader you will be. I’ll have them keep them in their desk, and they’ll use them throughout the year.”