GORDONVILLE STUDENTS PUT SPARE TIME TO GOOD USE

GORDONVILLE -- For the first time in the school's history, students at Gordonville Attendance Center are benefiting from an on-site library center.

Third grade teacher Brenda Crain wrote a successful grant last fall for Literature Works, a program designed to help students improve reading proficiency, create positive reading attitudes, increase recreational reading and build parental involvement with children while they read.

The $20,000 grant provided the school with enough money to purchase some 1,000 books, literary videotapes and cassettes, as well as classroom computers, software and printers. Winning the grant means the 65 students have access to books before or after school, during recess, or any other time of day they want to read or check out a book.

"This has been a big boost in promoting books at Gordonville," she said. "Before we won the grant our librarian would come to the school once a week for each class with a box of books and do special projects with the kids. This has also been nice for her because she no longer has to bring that box -- we already have many of the books she needs right here."

The building houses one class each of first-, second- and third-graders. Although not a library in the traditional sense, a portion of the cafeteria was set aside as an area to put the books and other supplies on display.

Books are not shelved in the traditional manner, either. Instead of searching for a book by catalog number or grade level, students need only to look for a colored sticker to know if they can read the book or not. Color-coded stickers categorize the books as easy, average or challenging reading so that students don't feel obligated to "stay in their area," Crain said.

"We don't want our kids to feel they have to stay at their grade level, or to feel bad because they may not be reading at that level consistently," she said.

Crain said students have benefited from having an on-site resource center in several ways. They have developed a real enthusiasm for recreational reading now and are checking out books sometimes daily, she said.

More recreational reading also means Gordonville students have a fun and quiet way to spend their time while they're waiting for school to begin in the morning or for buses to come in the afternoon, she said. Students at Gordonville have longer wait times before and after school than other students in the district.

"These kids get here at 7:30 in the morning and sometimes they have to wait for their buses until almost 4 p.m.," she said. "Now we have them choose a book they want to read and practice sustained silent reading while they wait. It's exciting when you see them really start to enjoy reading."

Students also are developing a good sense of honor and responsibility as a result of the resource center, said Crain. They are on the honor system whenever they check out a book, which means they choose the book they want, fill out the check-out card, and place it in a special folder beside their name. When they return the book, they pull the card and re-shelve the books themselves.

Incentive parties are another plus students look forward to, she said. Teachers help students set reading goals using the resource center, then once a month, incentive parties are held for all students who met their goals. It's a good way to get reluctant readers involved, she said.

"It really helps that the kids want to make the party," said Crain. "We give them parties with different themes: We've had a candy kiss and video party, gummy bear and lemonade party, and even a hot chocolate and doughnut party. They love to get these as a reward, and we don't mind giving them because they are furthering their goals."

Crain's ultimate goal is to help students develop a genuine love for reading. There are many nonliterary distractions available for students today, but none of them are as beneficial as reading, she said.

"We're trying to teach kids there is an alternative to video games and TV," she said. "It's really been a joy to see the kids reading before and after school, and I know they're also reading at home because the parents are signing slips to verify it. It's just an awesome thing."