Music Video Inspires Students To Read
CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (CBS) -- A catchy new music video has just been released on YouTube, and it's earning praise from educators.
As CBS 2's Susan Carlson reports, students at North Elementary School in Crystal Lake have finished a nearly semester-long, school-wide video project. Now, they're putting themselves on the map for tis message.
You will recognize the melody from Miley Cyrus, and the production quality could pass for a real music video. But the pint-size participants are all students at the school at 500 W. Woodstock St. in the northwest suburb.
The student sent months rehearsing their video version of the Miley Cyrus hit, "Party in the USA."
But replace the references to Jay-Z and stilettos with books, and it's a smarter version. Two teachers rewrote the lyrics of the song to make it, "Reading in the USA."
Back in early October, the students started practicing their song in their music classes.
"Hopefully by tying the reading video to the popular song, students will forever associate 'Party in the USA' to reading and literacy," said fifth grade teacher Jim Pomis.
The school even put together a documentary about their efforts, which is also now on YouTube.
"It made me read more," one little girl said.
Each student was told to bring his or her favorite book for the video shoot, and now, they've gone viral. And maybe students well beyond Crystal Lake will soon be waiting to put the Britney song on until afer they've finished "The Lightning Thief" or "Children of the Dust Bowl."
