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Literacy Task Force
Garcia Elementary opens new literacy book room
Posted on 12/03/2018
This is the image for the news article titled Garcia Elementary opens new literacy book roomAfter Canutillo ISD academic leadership created a literacy task force last year, one Garcia Elementary teacher went straight to work on a task force at her own campus. Second-grade, dual-language teacher Mrs. Alma Moreno established a literacy task force to help prepare her campus for what was to come.

One of the District’s top 2018-19 improvement goals is that 90% of all first and second-grade students will be reading at grade level. In order to help meet that goal, part of the task force’s mission was to create a teacher book room filled with all grade level books where teachers can check out book sets for guided reading.

Moreno and the task force of teachers, the principal, and even the office manager spent time after school and several Saturdays preparing the book room. And, thanks to a $3,000 grant from the Dollar General Youth Literacy Grant, Garcia Elementary opened the book room November 14.

“About a year ago we had a vision and a dream and it happened this year,” Moreno said. “We were hoping to go guided reading or balanced literacy. We did not have a balanced literacy room at that time. Through a lot of teamwork and collaboration, we put the level room together for our students.”

The Youth Literacy Grant helps schools help students who are below grade level or having trouble reading. Grant funding is provided to assist in areas such as implementing new or expanding existing literacy programs and purchasing books, materials, new technology or software to support literacy initiatives. Garcia Elementary principal Jesica Arellano said that the grant monies were used toward the purchase of leveled books for the new teacher book room.

“The level books will be utilized by all Garcia Elementary teachers to use during their guided reading small group instruction,” Arellano said. “The goal is to show student growth, in reading levels, especially in the primary years.”

Additional supporting funds came from the Canutillo ISD Academic Languages Department to expand the Spanish book library for their dual language program. Moreno added that teachers can check out books and teach their students, not at a frustration level but at their actual level of reading.

“We are so excited and thankful for the betterment of our school,” Moreno said.