Project introduces dictionaries to digital-minded students

COLUMBUS, Ind. (AP) - Retired teachers in a central Indiana county are trying to keep printed dictionaries at the fingertips of children who've grown up with computers.

For 12 years, the Bartholomew County Retired Teachers Association's Dictionary Project has been distributing dictionaries to third-graders - 14,000 overall.

Retired teachers make a short presentation at each classroom on the proper way to use a dictionary, including how to scan pages and use guide words, the (Columbus) Republic reported (http://bit.ly/1YKCo0O ).

"The goal is to improve literacy skills by encouraging children to expand their vocabulary, improve their reading skills and understand how to use a dictionary to find words and accurate spellings," said Marsha VanNahmen, assistant director of the center for teaching and learning at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus, which coordinates the administrative side of the project.

While printed dictionaries might seem outdated in the smartphone age, those involved say students still need a book of words to tote around.

"We do use them," said Kim Kennedy, a Columbus Signature Academy teacher. "They don't just sit on the shelf."

The students say they like the gifts. "I'll use mine to look up words," said third-grader Kyleigh Wolf. "This is my first dictionary."

Beyond basic reading and spelling skills, dictionaries have a wide range of uses.

"I can remember as a child that when you open a dictionary and you're searching for the right word, you invariably look at other words," VanNahmen said. "It's a default method to expand vocabulary, even if that isn't the original intent."

The project also helps students in the Flatrock-Hawcreek School Corp. in Hope, as well as parochial schools and even home school programs.

The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County's Heritage Fund provides $2,000 a year for the purchase of the dictionaries, according to Kristin Munn, Heritage Fund community grant and outreach manager.

"The kids like them, and they send us notes with fun little words on them, so that part is cool," she said.

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Information from: The Republic, http://www.therepublic.com/