Each week for six weeks, the Brushy Creek Elementary School library accommodated 14 first-grade girls for a lunch time book club. The students read “Amelia Bedelia Means Business,” a story about a girl who opens her own lemonade business to earn money to purchase a new bike. The book is the first chapter book in the Amelia Bedelia series.
Brushy Creek Librarian Laurie Kent selected the book as an opportunity for many of the participating students to read their first chapter book.
“Book club is an occasion for students to get more involved in the activity of reading, explore a love of reading and talk meaningfully about the story,” Kent said. “I saw a great opportunity to get these young ladies thinking about what it means to be in business.”
Teachers selected two students from each first-grade class who they thought would benefit the most from being involved in a book club conversation.
“I’ve read every book in my teacher’s library,” first-grader Isabella Johnson said. “I never got to eat lunch in a different place other than the cafeteria while reading.”
At the conclusion of the six-weeks, Kent made a literary real world connection by inviting the local business owner of Community Impact Newspaper, Jennifer Garrett, to be a guest. Students came up with interview questions to ask Garrett what it was like to run a business.
Designated as the interviewer, Isabella said she felt excited when Kent asked her to do the job. “The librarian said, I’m trying to use a big word, that I’m real articulated (articulate),” Isabella said. “I was so excited because not everyone got to do it. I picked my outfit and practiced asking the questions.”
Kent organizes a Fall and Spring book club each year.
“I hope the girls feel like they can do anything they want to do. There are no limitations. If there is something they want to do, they can do it,” said Garrett.
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