Adam Abdulle Academy Hosts Book Night, Book Fair
Families packed the gym to hear an author read a Somali folktale at Adam Abdulle Academy on Wednesday, March 21. Said Salah Ahmed read The Lion's Share in Somali and English to an audience of about 110 people of all ages.
Said Salah Ahmed is an established poet and writer who lives in Minneapolis with his family. He is also a lifelong educator and several people present knew him as a former teacher or someone who taught their children.
As another part of the family book night, parents watched a video about the upcoming book fair, to be held during parent-teacher conferences on Wednesday, March 28 and during the school day from Tuesday, March 27-Thursday March 29.
While parents watched the video and talked to the author, students did craft activities in the gym, including making bookmarks and lion masks. All four Rochester AmeriCorps READS Initiative Service members, as well as teachers and other volunteers from the community, were on hand to help with the craft.
The school's nurse and dental hygienist was also present to get the word out to parents about upcoming vision and hearing screenings.
Refreshments were provided at the end of the evening as students lined up to receive copies of The Lion's Share.
Through the Somali Bilingual Book Project, students of the school received free books. Sixty-six of the school's approximately 120 students were present at the event.
The event was filmed and will be broadcast.
The Somali Bilingual Book Project is a component of the Minnesota Humanities Commission's Bilingual and Heritage Language Programs. These programs develop families' English literacy skills while recognizing and supporting the role of families' home language in early literacy development. Reaching out the K-6 teachers, parent educators, early childhood educators, librarians, social service providers, and other literacy professionals, Bilingual and Heritage Language Programs develop materials and training to fill existing gaps in culturally and linguistically appropriate resources. The Somali Bilingual Book Project initially includes publication of four traditional Somali folktales: The Lion's Share, The Travels of Ingal Shidad, Wiil Waaal, and Dhegdheer.
