Thrasher PTA collecting books through Oct. 14

photo Thrasher Elementary second-graders Reade Smith, Mason Lewis and Ellie Smith, from left, are among the students who will benefit from the Stock the Classroom Shelves Book Collection organized by the school's PTA and running through Oct. 14. Donations can be dropped off in the carpool line Oct. 5-6 or in boxes located in the school lobby until Oct. 14. Contributed photo

The Thrasher Elementary PTA is working to expand reading options for students with its Stock the Classroom Shelves Book Collection continuing through Oct. 14.

"Students benefit when the diversity of books in their classrooms increases," said Laynee Lewis, publicity director for Thrasher PTA. "We want to give our teachers access to more resources in their classroom libraries."

Volunteers will be collecting books in the morning drop-off line Wednesday, Oct. 5 and Thursday, Oct. 6, and book donations can also be placed in a bin located in the school lobby until Wednesday, Oct. 14.

The school is in the process of building a leveled text library, which means more books written at different reading levels are needed.

"A leveled text library encourages reading success for all students, because not all students in the same grade read at the same level," said Lewis. "Teachers are able to go to this leveled text library and check out books matched to [the student's] individual reading level, so the student can focus on comprehension instead of struggling through difficult words."

The greater the variety of books the teachers have access to in their classrooms, the more reading options students will have which are written at their personal level, said Lewis.

At the conclusion of the drive, donated books will be sorted and set out for Thrasher teachers, who are invited to come "shop" for the books they need in their classrooms, she said.

Any books in reasonably good condition will be accepted, said Lewis. Those not appropriate for students at Thrasher will first be offered to Signal Mountain Social Services, and remaining books will be traded at used bookstores for texts in high demand, she said.

Contact Laynee Lewis at laynee03@yahoo.com.

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