"Rollin' Library Project"

The Challenge: Most of Ms. Jew's 19 first-grade students were English language learners who met the guidelines for the reduced-cost lunch program. Often unskilled readers will repeatedly choose the same type of book because it is safe. By reading a variety of genres and authors, children become aware of and comfortable with different book choices. The goal was to provide a challenging, take-home and level-appropriate reading program that would encourage students to write about the books.

The Solution: Ms. Jew created a program she called the Rollin' Library. Placed within a manila envelope were books of the students' choice along with activity sheets to share with their families. The book selection included easy readers, chapter books and same author books; genre books included science, art, poetry and jokes/riddles. This book collection traveled back and forth from school to home with the added benefit of helping young learners cultivate a sense of responsibility in caring for their books. The students gained literacy confidence, communication skills and an enthusiasm for reading to become lifelong learners.

Accomplishments: The entire class achieved the exiting DRA score of 16 with 85 percent scoring higher. Parental feedback was enthusiastic, as there was a high degree of family participation. One parent stated, "My daughter enjoyed the reading but not the writing part, which was hard at the beginning. But thanks, partly to this program, her writing improved over time." Another parent said, ". . . the (book) selections were excellent, offering a . . . variety of topics." Two-thirds of the parents reported assisting their children very early in the semester. Another teacher replicated the project utilizing a cloth book-bag.