Granite, chatter, royal, blacksmith, and kiln. These are some of the vocabulary words that Cheryl Daniels’ first grade students are learning. Cheryl is a teacher at James R. Ludlow School in Philadelphia—and the 2024-2025 Book Trust Teacher of the Year.
She received the award in recognition of her creative use of the Book Trust program, including taking students on literary vacations. This week, her students are traveling to Zimbabwe.
In the back corner of the classroom, Cheryl decorated a bulletin board with the country’s colors and name. A flag, map, and photos are pinned to the board and books about Zimbabwe are lined up underneath the display.
The literary vacation starts with a short lesson so students are prepared for what they will encounter on their journey. They learn where the country is and what the colors on the flag represent. Then they review new vocabulary that will appear in the book they’re going to read.
Once students are ready for departure, the whole class ventures across the room for a read-aloud. Cheryl has set up a granite background under the SMART board and has a bag of props ready to go to make it a truly immersive experience.
As she reads Prince Mutota and Friends: A Great Zimbabwe Adventure aloud to the class, Cheryl encourages students to discuss plot points with a partner and act out movements described in the story. She even uses an echo microphone when reading Prince Mutota’s dialogue.
Once story time comes to an end, the students are sad to leave Zimbabwe and return to their desks, but excited to take out their decodable books and practice reading. With the flexibility of the Book Trust program, teachers like Cheryl can use Book Trust books and resources to complement their school’s literacy curriculum, making reading a joy-filled adventure.
“The books inspire the children and a love of reading,” says Cheryl. “Reading can take you to far places.”
Experience highlights from their journey in this short video!