Book Love at Sunbury West School
Before the break, I had a wonderful morning out at Sunbury West School in Fredericton Junction watching a grade 8 class get very excited about new books for their classroom library. English Language Arts teacher and vice-principal, Melanie Charlton, along with principal Heather Lyons, came up with the fabulous idea of purchasing books for each student, wrapping them up, then letting them choose one (or steal-there was a Yankee swap element involved, too!) that spoke to them.
To help the students decide which book they connected with the most, each package had hand written notes/quotes/summaries on them as a teaser. This really helped the students choose a book that spoke to them and created a sense of anticipation over what was under that brown wrapper. Before it was even opened, other children were calling out to read it next and this reminded me how instrumental we are in creating book buzz in our classrooms.
Needless to say, the students loved it! The feeling in the classroom when the students unwrapped each book was unreal and a lovely reminder to us all that current, new books create instant engagement and excitement in the classroom.
Thank-you again to Heather, Melanie and the grade 8’s for letting me be a part of your day!