Leave a literature legacy

Jacqui Douglas, Head Teacher Librarian, Junior School Kew

Here in the Junior School library, we have been on a mission to enhance these valuable classroom literature collections. In every Junior School classroom we endeavour to provide a wide range of fiction and non-fiction literature catering to all interests and reading abilities. A good classroom collection will have enough high quality books for students choose from to satisfy even the most avid young readers.

While the Junior School Kew classroom collections do provide a healthy range of interesting material, in order to get the most engagement from our students, we need to continue expanding them year on year. Extensive research has been conducted into the benefits of readily accessible classroom resources. Evidence shows that students who have immediate access to a range of literature in the classroom are more motivated and engaged in reading, borrow and read more, and achieve higher outcomes in all aspects of their schooling. The classroom collections will also support reading instruction for Prep to Year 6. Well established classroom collections support students to learn how to self-select appropriate material to read depending on their purpose.

In early August, together with the Junior School Parents Association, we hosted a wonderful evening for parents to come and peruse an extensive range of non-fiction literature. Parents had the opportunity to purchase books in their child’s or family’s name to feature a personalised bookplate, complete with a current photo of the children. The parents carefully selected texts that suit their children’s interests to be added to classroom collections across the school, leaving a literature legacy for future generations to enjoy.

The evening was a fantastic celebration of all aspects of literature and a great way for parents to connect with each other and the Junior School Library. We are truly grateful for the incredible generosity from the community across Junior School Kew and for the amazing support of the literature program.