Reading aloud - online - helps Mundelein teachers and students connect

So why did that old lady swallow a cow?

The answer to that and many other questions can be found in an expanding number of books in a new online video feature launched by teachers in Mundelein Elementary District 75.

Popularity has grown rapidly in the short time the videos have been available. As of Tuesday afternoon, "District 75 Teachers Read Aloud" on YouTube had a virtual library of 49 videos with 2,007 views.

Offerings range from simple books such as "There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Cow" for younger students to more expansive multisession efforts, like "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

Viewing isn't required, but it's intended as a fun way to keep students reading and connected to school.

Weeks ago, with school closures looming because of the coronavirus, educators in the Mundelein-based district began brainstorming.

"We were trying to figure out a way initially to get some recordings out there so kids could be connected with their own teachers," said Patience Bertana, one of the district's instruction coaches and part of the teaching and learning team.

"It's one of the things as teachers we know is so important and it's a way to keep connected to students even though it's a one-way platform," she said.

Janet McMahan, special education teacher at the Washington Early Learning Center, said the feature is one facet of the district's extended learning opportunities for families.

"It gives the teachers an opportunity to connect with the students in a meaningful way by reading to them," she said.

Because viewers can pick a title or a teacher to view, the program is applicable to students across the district, McMahan said.

"This was to keep them engaged. With our students, the important thing right now is that they're reading every single day," she added.

Bertana said it's good for teachers, as well.

"This happened so quickly, and our teachers needed to feel they could do something," Bertana said. "I have some teachers who record a book a day. It's a powerless feeling right now."

Diane Bischoff, a second-grade two-way immersion teacher at Washington Early Learning Center, read the "Harry Potter" books growing up and saw all the movies when they came out. So far, she's read and posted four of the 17 chapters in the first book, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

"I just wanted to share some of the magic with my kids," she said.