Caston Elementary School first grade teacher Angel Elliott’s students show off the new books their classroom got due to Elliott getting an Indiana Retired Teachers Association grant. Elliott also used grant funds to buy students a book of their own to take home. In the front row from left are Tessa Foster, Takota Arwald and Everett Zartman. In the middle row are Hudsen Whitt, Aiden Barton, Raiden Loftis, Charlotte Hotsinpiller, Joreen Santillana and Azalea Martir. In the back row are Elliott, Talia Kitts, A’Briella Nicoson, Jaxon Williams, Sadie Elza, Aurora Mims and Paisley Baldwin.

Text and Photos
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

FULTON — Students in Angel Elliott’s first grade class got some gifts before Christmas this year.

Elliott presented each student with a book and purchased a number for her classroom thanks in part to an Indiana Retired Teachers Association grant.

The $500 from that plus rewards Elliott got meant she obtained $800 of books.

Her class got to unbox the schoolroom books Thursday, Dec. 21.

“They each chose their own ‘School of Monsters’ book, and so they got that for Christmas, or some of them chose a phonics book,” said Elliott of the books she gave students individually.

Elliott talked about the importance of the kids having books at the first grade level.

“We are reading everyday in class,” she said. “I would say we have 30 minutes of specific fluency passages that they’re reading. I am reading a picture book at least once or twice everyday.”

She noted study has shown that reading for just 20 minutes a day “makes children more likely to score in the 90th percentile on standardized tests” in addition to expanding their familiarity with numerous words.

“So this is really important not only for them to get it during the day, but then at home,” said Elliott.

“That extra time at home is helping them as well,” she said. “It’s helping them with fluency, learning how things are pronounced and learning correct language skills and things like that.”

Elliott said she offers the school’s reward coupons to the children if they do extra reading at home.

“From the beginning, I’ve talked to them about how important reading is and how much I love books, and I enjoy reading to them,” she said. “They like to have me reading the actual book instead of putting it on YouTube.”

“And it’s something that I feel like because I’m excited about it, they’re excited,” said Elliott. “I’m glad that I was able to get them a book for Christmas. I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own, so this grant was truly a blessing for us.”

Students in Elliott’s class check out the new books.

Arwald shows off new word cards.