Yesterday, students and staff at Maple Dale participated in the opening of the Annual One Book One School program. Students listened to a presentation from Mrs. Smith, our Media Specialist, on the "real" Ivan and the true story behind the fictional account in our book, The One and Only Ivan.
We watched a video of the real Ivan in his shopping mall enclosure. This segment was part of a documentary aired in the 1990's. At that time, the reaction to the film spurred a grass roots effort to win Ivan's release. He was eventually relocated to a zoo in Atlanta. This is where he lived his final years. Ivan passed away at age 52 in 2013.
While the program continues, we will be asking that students bring in any old cell phones to donate to the Cincinnati Zoo. We will also be collecting small change in each classroom. We will present the money raised to the zoo to help with efforts to held endangered species in the wild.
We hope your students love this book and that it becomes a special event for your family to read this wonderful story together each evening. The link below will take you to the pacing guide for your reading. Enjoy!
