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FRUITPORT, Mich. (AP) — A kindergarten class at Edgewood Elementary School and two third-grade classrooms at Beach Elementary School will receive books for each student stemming from the Michigan Department of Education's Culture of Reading program.
The three local classrooms are among 115 Michigan elementary classrooms and early childhood programs to receive copies of "Acoustic Rooster and his Barnyard Band."
Overall, the state's education department received about 740 applications asking for more than 23,000 books, according to the Grand Haven Tribune ( http://bit.ly/1FOIW3Y ).
In order to qualify, classrooms had to meet criteria that include a plan on providing students with evidence-based reading instruction and activities focusing on family engagement with literacy.
Ann DeWitt said she was surprised when she learned her classroom received the grant, because of the length of time that had passed since the application process. The third-grade teacher at Beach said she plans to use her classroom's books to help make reading fun by suggesting activities for families. Parents can work with their children by changing the story's ending, creating a sequel to the book or acting out their favorite scene.
DeWitt said she's appreciative of the Department of Education for the award because it's a way to get more books into the hands of students.
"It gives everyone the chance to read," she said.
Edgewood Elementary School Principal Amy Upham said they plan to use the books as a way to work with parents on reading with their children by providing them with different strategies — such as walking through the pictures, using images to make predictions what might happen, and hunt for words.
"It doesn't just mean reading the words," she said.
The recent grant ties into efforts by Fruitport Community Schools and the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District for the "Read Early, Read Often" initiative, Fruitport Superintendent Bob Szymoniak said. The goal of the initiative is to ensure students are ready for kindergarten by reading to them each night, which will also help increase the child's vocabulary.
Beach Elementary School Principal Julie VanBergen said her school is expected to receive about 52 books for its two third-grade classrooms. She said teachers will incorporate the books through their strategies of shared reading, in which students are encouraged to take books home to share with their families.
Given the state of school finances, VanBergen says she tries to help by forwarding grant possibilities to all of her teachers in hopes of providing additional opportunities to the classrooms.
"Every dollar makes a difference," she said.
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Information from: Grand Haven Tribune, http://www.grandhaventribune.com
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