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Sherrill credits Fairview's administration with creating a climate that allows teachers' creativity to flourish.
"It takes leadership. "(Assistant Principal) Thurza (McNair) has been working closely with the state department, and (Principal) Sue (Nations) encourages teachers to look at new programs and do new things. Fairview's staff development is aimed at looking at research and learning what makes schools work."
Fairview's reading program revolves around literature studies, which means students read what are knows as "trade books" rather than traditional "reading" books. A key element to the program's success is student choice. Teachers provide several different books, and students are placed in reading groups according to which book they choose to read rather than by reading ability.
At Fairview, teachers begin early to teach their pupils to think critically about books. As early as first and second grades, teachers discuss concepts like "author's craft," and start the children thinking about questions like "Why did the author write it that way?"
"We like for our students to know authors," said first-grade teacher Joyce Dyer, who co-authored "Talking About Books Right from the Start: Literature Study in First, Second and Third Grade" with second-grade teacher Angie Lovedahl and third-grade teacher Tina Conley.
The teachers and students have what they call "book talks," during which they share experiences, and talk about what a book means to them and what memories of other books and authors a particular story might trigger.
Students are encouraged to "read like writers and write like readers," Conley said. By that she means that students are helped to see the interconnections inherent in reading and writing.
"We do an 'author's interview' and tell the children about the author's experiences. We help the kids see that writing grows from reading, and the more you read, the better you write," Conley said. "The kids learn it's a big cycle, and when they write, they begin to think about how it will sound to the person who reads it."
"We see the results when they come back from the library - they're so excited every week," Lovedahl said.
Through reading "real books" as opposed to basal readers, McNair said, children get a richer experience.
"Often selections are condensed, or the readers only contain a portion of the story, and they rarely include original illustrations," she said.
Sixth-grade teacher Kathleen Burda, who wrote the article "Living and Learning: A four-year Journey into Literature Circles," remembers her own shock in grade school when she encountered only a portion of C.S. Lewis's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" in her reading text.
"I had already read the book and loved it," Burda said. "I thought what have they done to this book?"
"There's also something about having a book that's a manageable size, that's easy for a small child to hold in his hands," said Principal Nations, who co-wrote the article, "Final Reflections: How Fairview Became a School Where Literature Circles Could Thrive" with Assistant Principal McNair.
Teachers and students work together to make the program a success. For example, one third-grade class has a special partnership with a sixth-grade class.
Each sixth-grader is paired with a third-grader to discuss books and share writing. Teachers visit other classrooms often and learn from each other as well.
The entire school has developed a common vocabulary with regard to their literature studies, Nations said. Everyone knows about "author's craft." Teachers and administrators read and discuss books together as part of staff development and call their sessions "book talks" just as the first-graders do.
In a time of emphasis on ABC-accountability and concern over state test scores, Fairview scores have reflected exemplary growth for the past four years.
"As part of our School Improvement Plan, we have to address reading and writing goals," said Nations. "(Reading based on literature study) is a very good way to teach kids to think. The challenge is to teach kids to think and maintain a love of learning and not kill it with testing."
Research indicates that Fairview's program is on the right track, McNair said.
"If you study the research, our reading program follows right along," she said. "The best way to improve reading scores is through non-fiction reading." In addition, McNair said, the state's recent language arts course of study includes many of the things that are already happening at Fairview.
"We're right there," McNair said.
The Fairview teachers also use newspaper articles and non-fiction in their classrooms, which gives them a chance to include more science and social studies, Nations said.
Fifth-graders in Lori Gilbert's class recently wrote alphabet books about the states they were studying.
"They researched their state and came up with something about that state for each letter," Gilbert said. "Instead of writing a report, they wrote a book that incorporated reading, writing and social studies." A second-year teacher, Gilbert wrote "Getting Started: Using Literature Circles in the Classroom" for the recent Primary Voices issue. Special education teacher Terri Hollifield added "Reflections from an Inclusion Teacher" to round out the Fairview contribution.
In their concluding article, Nations and McNair draw parallels between the "evolving cultures in the classrooms where literature circles are occurring" and Fairview's "becoming a learning community."
"Just as books are the vehicles for learning in literature circles, books have become our vehicle for personal and professional growth," they write. "We believe in the importance of literature, talk, choice and personal responsibility, and we have tried to make Fairview a place where these beliefs are enacted."
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Herald photos by Lynn Hotaling
