A Literacy Luncheon
By Diane McCarty

Wartburg students Angie Althoff and Tera Anderson read the ABC books they created to some very attentive kindergarten pals.

As part of a class assignment, each of my early childhood education students at Wartburg College in Waverly, IA created an ABC book that would fit into a unit of study they would create later in the course. Every author needs an audience, so we decided the best way to "test" our books would be to invite five-year-olds to listen and respond to them.

This is how the idea of the Literacy Luncheon was born. My 15 college students would be able to judge the success of their ABC books as they read them to 52 kindergartners from Longfellow Elementary School (in Waterloo, IA) over a relaxed bag lunch.

Dig in! On the day of the Literacy Luncheon, the Longfellow kindergartners arrived by bus. Each of my students worked with a group of 2-4 kindergartners – the groups had been created with the help of the kindergarten teacher, who knew which students worked well together and which students should be separated from each other.

Lunch is even yummier when you've got a good friend and a good book to share it with!

The kindergarten groups ate their bag lunches (provided by their school) with their "big" friends (whose lunches were provided by campus food services). These kindergartners normally ate lunch an hour earlier than our Literacy Luncheon, so we had lunch first. That way, everyone was be able to concentrate on the books, without being distracted by a rumbling stomach.

Sharing books. After lunch, it was time for reading to begin. The children's eyes lit up as my students read their ABC books. The kindergartners leaned in to get a better view of the illustrations, and their responses were spontaneous and enthusiastic. My students felt that the hours of hard work they'd put in on their books were worth it.

Once the ABC books had been presented, it was time for the kindergartners to present books to the college students. The Longfellow kindergarten teacher had made sure each of her students arrived at Wartburg College with a favorite book tucked away in their backpacks. The youngsters then shared the books with their group. The discussions were wonderful to hear as the college students and kindergartners learned from each other.

"We had a good discussion," one of my students commented. "I got to see books from the kids' point of view."

The gift of literature. There was still more in store for our kindergarten guests. One of the activities in which my education students participate is buying books for eventual use in their personal classroom libraries. My students order reasonably-priced paperbacks from a quality book distributor, just as working classroom teachers do. As my students spent money on books, they realized they were gaining "bonus points" from the distributor that could be used to obtain additional books. We decided to order extra books and give two to each of the kindergartners who came to our Literacy Luncheon.

Every child received Kindergarten ABC by Jacqueline Rogers (Cartwheel Books, 2002) as well as another book appropriate for primary students. The kindergartners' reactions were striking.

"One boy asked me if he could take the books home," one of my students reported. "I told him they were his to keep forever, and I showed him that I'd written his name inside the books. His eyes grew wide and he couldn't stop grinning."

Another of my students said that a few children in her group were so excited, they insisted that the student read the books to them right away. What a wonderful way to promote literacy, by giving books to each child and building their library of materials.

Wartburg students take their new kindergarten pals on a tour of the college's campus.

Campus kids. We ended our time with our young friends by taking them on a tour of the Wartburg College campus. We split into two groups that went in opposite directions on campus, and managed to complete a tour of six or seven campus highlights in about 25 minutes.

The children were fascinated by what a college is, and asked many questions of their hosts and hostesses. They even got to meet the president of the college. A fitting finale to the tour was a stop at the Wartburg College library, which is a very modern facility.

"We get to see your library!" one kindergartner yelled. "I love to read!"

A special day. The day was very successful. My students were honored to have had a positive impact on young students, and the kindergartners had fun with books. I hope that future and veteran teachers take this idea and apply it to their own classrooms. If you're looking for a way to make literacy a paramount learning experience for young students, holding a Literacy Luncheon is one way to do it.

Dr. Diane McCarty is an associate professor at Wartburg College in Waverly, IA. Students in her "Curriculum Guidance of the Young Child" class assisted in writing this article.