Public Library

Introduction

At the beginning of the year, I spoke to my students about having books at home and realized that many of my students had never visited a public library to get books. I explained how I get many of the books that I read to them from the public library, and about how the library is a free way for people to access books and other resources like free technology. By show of hands, about a third of my students said they had been to the public library before. One of my students asked how they could go to the library too, and I explained how they could visit with their families and checkout books on their own with a library card.

At my students request, I invited a public librarian to visit our class. My goal was to inform my students about the importance of public libraries and also to explain the variety of resources these libraries possess that could support my students and their families. I wanted to ensure that all of my students could have a library card, and understand the importance of being able to read at a young age.

Purpose

As mentioned previously, my students are considered at risk of falling behind in literacy even before they begin formal schooling, in part because of a lack of access to resources. I wanted to ensure that my students not only gained access but also understood the importance of these resources so that they could speak and articulate on why all kids deserve literacy materials. This helps my early childhood students learn how to recognize injustices in order to advocate for themselves and others.

I decided to have a librarian visit our campus so that my students could partake in a memorable experience that encourages foundational reading skills, something they are less likely to have due to their socioeconomic background (Buckingham, Wheldall, & Beaman-Wheldall, 2013). For my students to become enthusiastic readers, they need to think of literacy activities as fun and engaging. The purpose of this visit was to bring that sense of joy from literacy to my students and their families while informing them of the public library's many relevant resources.

Planning

Planning how to introduce my students and their parents to the opportunities the public library offers included considering library locations and organizing a librarian visit to our campus. Inviting a librarian visitor was an idea that my students brought up when we first talked about libraries. They wanted to know more about the library, and by bringing a professional in to give them more information as they requested, I helped them understand that their voices and opinions have power to influence what happens in our classroom and beyond.

My school had never had a librarian visit before, so I also helped ensure that all kindergarten students were able to have this opportunity by arranging for the librarian to visit each classroom and sign all interested students up for library cards.

To ensure that my students understood the importance of the library as a resource, I spoke with them about why reading is important, how access to books and library resources helps us read, and the real-world problem of being illiterate. This helped them develop an informed opinion about injustice and learn why it is important for to speak up for yourself and defend your right to resources. I operated under the assumption that my students and their families may not know how important early literacy skills are or that the achievement gap can form in kindergarten and first grade due to lack of exposure to literature. They may think of the library as a resource intended for older children; I wanted to make sure that they understood how they could benefit as young learners as well.

To begin this conversation, I led a discussion where we talked about why we learn to read at school, how books help us read, and why reading is important. Below are a few verbal responses my students gave for why reading is important and what would happen if they didn't have books or couldn't read. The following verbal and written responses demonstrate my students' real-world understanding of the problems caused by illiteracy:

Student verbal responses:

• "If I couldn't read, I wouldn't be able to read stories like the Three Little Pigs."
  • Student made a connection between being able to read and the content we were reading in class. Being able to read allows them to engage with stories.
• "If I couldn't read, I couldn't have a job."
  • Student made a connection that being able to read helps you be employed and be able to handle adult responsibilities. Student understood that most jobs involve literacy.
• "If I couldn't read, I wouldn't know what signs say."
  • Student made a connection that reading can also mean reading environmental print, which helps them understand their surroundings.
• "If I couldn't read, my mom would be sad."
  • Student made a connection that reading is a valued skill in society and that it is important for being able to interact with family members. Learning to read is a sign of responsibility.
• "If I couldn't read, I wouldn't know what was happening in the world."
  • Student made a connection that reading helps people process information such as from books and newspapers.

After writing about the importance of literacy and the library as a class, we then discussed jobs that require reading, like being a teacher, working in an office, being a doctor, or being a librarian. Through this conversation, my students began to understand that being able to read well opens doors to other opportunities, and that having more books from the public library will help them learn how to read faster.

Implementation

In October, a representative from the Jefferson Parish Library came to visit our class. She read two books to my students, both of which focused on growth mindset, spoke with them about things that they could do at the library, including attending story times and using the computers, and completed an activity with them using scarves. This story was about a tree shedding its leaves and the scarf activity involved students acting out the movement of leaves falling.

At the end of the visit, seventeen out of my twenty-four students went home with their new library cards. The other seven students' parents reported that they already had cards. Every student also went home with a packet of resources outlining what was available at their local library so that parents could learn about more of the benefits of visiting their local library as well as using sources that could be found online.

Conclusion

My goal with this activity was to increase my students' interest in literacy from a young age so that they felt empowered to read and understood all of the resources available to them and their families through the public library. This was part of how I as a teacher advocated on behalf of my young students to ensure they had educational materials available for free at home. I believe I achieved this goal by having a librarian visit our school and sending the majority of my students home with a library card and information packets on resources.

When students learn how to read fluently from a young age, they are less likely to struggle academically in the future. Increasing student access to books, and parent understanding about literacy resources and the importance of early childhood literacy, can help students learn to love reading and feel confident in their ability to succeed. My students learned through this experience that their voice matters, since it was their interest in learning more about the library that encouraged me to arrange this visit. They also had an opportunity to reflect orally and through their writing about the importance of being able to read and why they deserve to have the necessary resources to learn this skill. Thinking about this real-world problem and how they have the power to combat it will encourage my students to advocate on their own behalves at school and at home in the future.

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References

Buckingham, J., Wheldall, K., & Beaman-Wheldall, R. (2013). Why poor children are more likely to become poor readers: The school years. Australian Journal of Education, 57, 190-213. doi:10.1177/0004944113495500