Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Jemison Elementary School students in Macey Thompson’s first-grade class will be learning about story structure and reading in new ways thanks to a Bright Ideas grant from the Central Alabama Electric Cooperative.

Thompson received $750 to purchase the Rooted in Reading program, which provides four books per month of the school year and printable resources specific to learning about story elements, such as the setting.

Thompson said the resources will help students develop good reading comprehension skills.

“I think it will help them better grasp these concepts that we are learning already, like characters, setting and theme,” Thompson said.

She said the resources could be used in small groups or for the entire classroom.

Many of the books have already arrived, but Thompson is waiting until she receives the entire set to begin using it in the classroom

Thompson said this is her first year teaching, and she was surprised to be approved.

“I was really excited … This is my first year teaching, so I wasn’t really expecting to get it,” Thompson said. “It was a nice surprise.”

She first heard about the program from flyers given to teachers at the school.