APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The pandemic threw elementary teachers for a curve ball when it came to reading.
Now, students are back in the classroom, and some need a little encouragement to improve in the subject.
Appleton’s Ferber Elementary 3rd grade classmates have come to a consensus.
The brand new book vending machine is the perfect addition to their library.
“I was really shocked when I saw it because it was humongous and it had all the books I liked,” said one third grade student.
Library and media specialist, Sara Wayland, says the vending machine is simple to use.
“Students earn gold tokens for to be able to get a book then be able to keep it,” said Wayland.
Wayland says the students earn the gold coins in class with good behavior, attitude and hard work.
Third grade teacher, Jennifer Chan, says she already sees the vending machine benefiting her classroom.
“That just made the rest of my class work extra hard because they want to be next,” said Chan.
Chan says she’s seen students lose interest in reading amid the pandemic — especially when they were learning virtually from home.
“I for sure did, especially just being able to sustain their attention long enough to read,” said Chan.
A spring 2021 Stanford University study found reading fluency was lagging by almost 30 percent during the pandemic.
“Such a great incentive for kids, you know literacy is power,” said Paola Sarli with Fox Valley Literacy.
Sarli says she has seen an improvement in reading.
She says finding an interest in reading early in life can open a lot of doors.
“They are going to see that once they start reading they can explore many worlds through the words and the power of reading,” said Sarli.
Wayland says she finds so much joy in seeing kids crowd around the vending machine as their classmates pick out books.
She hopes this can be a new chapter for Ferber Elementary – when kids choose books first.
Students earned the vending machine from a Read-A-Thon fundraiser.
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