News : Dictionary Project: Kiwanis donate to VS 3rd graders

Teacher Tracy Rodman's students discuss some features of the new dictionaries with her.

Local elementary third-graders laughed together on Thursday, as they tried to read the longest word in the English language, a 1,900-letter chemical compound. They also learned a bit about sign language, the history of Iowa and other topics -- all from one small book that fits in their hands.

For a few years now, the Vinton Kiwanis Club has been bringing dictionaries to the third graders as part of its participation in the Dictionary Project.

Club members pay for the dictionaries, which also include information about states, some basic sign language and many other reference items.

Lexa Speidel, accompanied by her daughter and one of her friends, passed out 76 dictionaries at Tilford and another 20 or so at Shellsburg Elementary.

About the longest word: For the organic chemists, this is an enzyme with 267 amino acids. This enzyme has 1,289 Carbon atoms, 2,051 Hydrogen atoms. 343 Nitrogen atoms, 375 Oxygen atoms and 8 Sulfur atoms. So, displayed in a chemical notation, it looks like THIS

See more photos HERE.