Dallas ISD News: A new way to advance literacy in early learning

DALLAS - Eddie Bernice Johnson STEM Academy student Clarissa Alejandre-Carrasco tried out her school's brand new book vending machine on Tuesday, thanks to a generous donation from Atmos Energy to the Dallas Education Foundation.

Sheena Morgan, Manager of Public Affairs at Atmos Energy, is proud to support Dallas ISD students, "The book vending machine is an example of our continued investment in education and literacy programs by providing books to elementary students and encouraging a love of reading."

Rather than a typical snack or drink dispenser, the book vending machine sparks a different kind of excitement for teachers and students - advancing literacy from a young age. To activate the machine, teachers will hand out tokens to their students as a reward. Rufus C. Burleson Elementary School was also gifted with its own fully stocked book vending machine this week.

"This vending machine and the one at Burleson reinforce in our young students that reading can be and is fun. They represent opportunities for our early learners to choose a book for their own collection and most importantly, to succeed," Victor Vital, Dallas Education Foundation board president, said.

"Literacy is extremely important to my students because they're at the beginning of their reading journey," said Janese Gilyard, a second-grade teacher at Eddie B. Johnson. "They're excited about knowing how to read, they want to read at home and they have to read every day. It's a very crucial time for me to foster the excitement and water the seed that's already there so they can have a lifelong love for learning."

Director of Early Learning Debbie Murillo and her department curated an initial set of books, ones they found particularly engaging for students' first experiences with the machine. This gift is a gateway for positive association with reading and learning for students, especially those who do not have access to books at home.

Eddie B. Johnson Assistant Principal Jessica Walker is looking forward to seeing young readers have the opportunity to self-select things they're interested in. Being able to see the titles in the display and share what they choose with their friends will ignite a passion for reading, she said.

"If a student isn't literate, then the opportunities they have are limited. We want to make sure that our students are literate when they leave our campus so they can be good, successful students in the community," Walker said.

Spanish story:

DALLAS - La estudiante de la Eddie Bernice Johnson STEM Academy, Clarissa Alejandre-Carrasco, probó la nueva máquina expendedora de libros de su escuela el martes, gracias a una generosa donación de Atmos Energy a la Dallas Education Foundation.

En lugar de un dispensador típico de bocadillos o bebidas, la máquina expendedora de libros despierta otro tipo de entusiasmo para maestros y estudiantes, promoviendo la alfabetización desde una edad temprana. Para activar la máquina, los maestros entregarán fichas de recompensa a sus estudiantes. Rufus C. Burleson Elementary School también recibió su propia máquina expendedora de libros completamente surtida esta semana.

"La alfabetización es extremadamente importante para mis estudiantes porque están empezando a leer", dijo Janese Gilyard, maestra de segundo grado en Eddie B. Johnson. "Les entusiasma saber leer, quieren leer en casa y tienen que leer todos los días. Es un momento crucial para mí en el que tengo que fomentar y regar la semilla de la lectura para que desarrollen un amor por el aprendizaje de por vida".

La directora de aprendizaje temprano, Debbie Murillo, y su departamento escogieron un conjunto de libros, que fueran atractivos para las primeras experiencias de los estudiantes con la máquina. Este regalo abre las puertas a que los estudiantes vean la lectura y el aprendizaje como una experiencia positiva, especialmente aquellos que no tienen acceso a los libros en casa.

La subdirectora de Eddie B. Johnson, Jessica Walker, espera ver a los jóvenes lectores tener la oportunidad de seleccionar los temas que les interesan. Poder ver los títulos en la pantalla y compartir lo que elijan con sus amigos va a crear una pasión por la lectura, dijo.

"Si un estudiante no sabe leer, sus oportunidades son limitadas. Queremos asegurarnos de que nuestros estudiantes sepan leer cuando salgan de nuestra escuela para que puedan tener éxito en el resto de su educación y en la comunidad", dijo Walker.

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