Liz Soltys has worked in education for more than 16 years. Throughout that time, she’s seen programs for students come and go. In 2010, she learned about Book Trust and ever since, has been a champion of the program at Crawford Elementary School in Aurora, CO.
The program started with a focus on first graders selecting books to build their personal libraries. Years later, the program serves the entire school population, pre-K through fifth grade.
A Literacy Program that Evolves with the School Community
Liz has seen the Crawford Elementary School community evolve over the years and is grateful to have a partnership with Book Trust that also evolves to meet their needs. When she began teaching at Crawford Elementary, the school community was predominantly Hispanic. Within the next five years, the school welcomed refugees from Africa and Burma and more recently from Congo, Afghanistan, Nepal, Burma, Bhutan, Rwanda, Eritrea, El Salvador, Columbia, and Venezuela. “Currently our students speak over 23 languages, are 100% free and reduced lunch… and about 75% multi-language learners. Out of that 75%, 52% of the kids… have very little English language.”
Several times throughout the school year, Crawford students receive a stipend and choose books from a catalogue curated by Book Trust and distributed by Scholastic. The books are culturally relevant and reading-level appropriate.
“Many of our students… have access to an equitable education as soon as they step through our doors,” explains Liz. “One way some of their literacy needs are met is through the Book Trust program… This can equate to about 10-18 books per year that get into our students’ homes!”
Liz recognizes the importance of building a culture of literacy at her school. Frequently, her students don’t have the print concepts—like understanding parts of a book, the alphabet, letters, and words—needed to be successful in reading when they start the year. Liz elaborates, “I realize how important it is to quickly get books into the hands of my students that they will love and cherish. It is amazing to see the progression of my kids.”
Weaving Book Trust into the Fabric of the Classroom
Over the years, and with the help of Book Trust resources for educators, Liz has integrated book choice and celebration into her classroom culture. This includes creating book boxes, reading with book buddies, building book-reading forts under tables, and more.
She observes the program’s impact on literacy and beyond on a regular basis. “While the Scholastic books from Book Trust have made a tremendous impact on student reading in my classroom, it is also clearly seen how the program is integrated into all subject areas in my classroom,” explains Liz. “We write thank you notes and talk about our books. We write about our favorite parts and use the books for interactive reading and writing research… We find fiction and non-fiction books and preview them to help students be successful in their reading.”
Building Personal Libraries and Seeing them in Action
By partnering with schools to increase book access, choice, and ownership, Book Trust creates the conditions to foster engaged readers at school and at home. Crawford Elementary School’s culture includes home visits where educators and administrators meet with families and engage with their students in the community setting. This is a unique time for students to showcase the libraries they build through Book Trust. “It is also very special when my kids show us their Book Trust selections when we go on home visits… I can see how used and loved they are at home,” notes Liz. “All we could say is ‘thank you’ for giving our students the resources and opportunities to love reading and have a passion for literacy.”
