Godwin Heights — Second-grader Yanni McKinney said she loves the “Magic Tree House” book series by Mary Pope Osborne because they are “magical and cool.”
Classmate Ariana Gonzalez said her favorite is the “Stella Diaz” series by Angela Dominguez, because the books have both Spanish and English.
Edward Lucas jumped in to say he enjoys the “Press Start” series by Thomas Flintham because “it’s like a video and it’s adventurous. I also like the bunny, Super Rabbit Boy.”
No matter which book the 22 students in Kelsey Berry’s West Godwin Elementary class like, chances are they are going to find it in their new classroom library, funded by TalentFirst’s Adopt-a-Classroom Library program.
TalentFirst is an alliance of West Michigan leaders focused on making the 13-county region a top destination for attracting, developing and retaining talent. One of its programs, Adopt-a-Classroom Library, provides a new teacher with $2,000 to purchase about 200 books for a classroom library and a $200 Amazon gift card to create the library space. The program partners with Barnes & Noble, which provides a 35% discount to the teachers.
Berry qualified for the grant as a first-year second-grade teacher. She has been teaching for three years, her first two as a kindergartner teacher at West Godwin.
“I’ve been going to library book sales to buy age-appropriate books because you can get a stack for just a few dollars,” Berry said, noting it’s been challenging to gather enough for her classroom.
Berry learned before winter break she was one of seven — and the only Kent County teacher — to receive the grant. She used the money to order a diverse collection of books from various authors.
“It’s important for the students to be able to see themselves and see others and be able to immerse themselves in different cultures through the books,” Berry said.
She said she follows Professor Rudine Sims Bishop’s “mirrors, windows, and sliding-glass doors” concept that emphasizes the need for diverse books in a classroom and library.
Building a Buzz for Reading
Berry spent winter break organizing the classroom library to resemble what students might see in a school or community library, with bins for popular series, such as “Press Start” and “Stella Diza” and others based on topics of interest such as “friendship, family, food, sports and countries.”
The cozy library area, located near the classroom windows, features pillows for readers, a book recommendation section and a “book hospital” because, as Berry noted, “accidents happen.”
Students were able to access the library upon returning from winter break. To reduce crowding, they are assigned “book checkout” days — a specific day of the week they visit the library.
On Feb. 10, the class, along with TalentFirst representatives including Kent ISD Superintendent Ron Gorman, had a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the classroom’s new library.
“It means a lot to have new books,” Berry said as the students scrambled to show off their favorites. “They are constantly reading and sharing. They are excited about reading.”
Itzayana Lopez-Colin was quick to offer a tour of book selections, showing off “Yasmin” by Saadia Faruqi and “Dog Man” by Dav Pilkey.
Zion Hines liked “Dog Man” as well but was enjoying “The Good Egg” by Jory John because of the funny pictures, he said.
Meanwhile, Joaquin Gallarzo was reading “Baloney and Friends” by Greg Pizzoli.
“I like reading about Baloney and his friends and the friendships they have,” Joaquin said.
Read more from Godwin Heights:
• Coats, colors and big smiles at North Godwin
• Exploring, learning, loving it: Zero Hour in action
