Tennessee parents can order free reading resources for students

TENNESSEE — The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE), in partnership with Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (GELF), is giving parents the opportunity to order free at-home reading resources this winter for any of their children in grades K-2.

Through this partnership, TDOE and GELF want to encourage at-home reading practice to help young learners become stronger readers outside of the classroom, according to a release from TDOE.

Based on if a child is in kindergarten, 1st or 2nd grade, they will receive seven At-Home Decodable Book Series, which contain 20+ exciting stories full of sounds and words to practice, and age-appropriate, high-quality books from Scholastic.

All Tennessee families can order one booklet pack for each of their kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students using this site.

“We know early literacy is incredibly important and sets the foundation for a child’s education and life after graduation,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “Thanks to partners like GELF, Tennessee families can easily order free books and resources to make reading fun this winter break and help their children become excellent readers.”

This launch is part of the family component of the state’s Reading 360 initiative to help boost strong reading skills amongst Tennessee students, the release said.

A decodable is a book or story carefully sequenced to include letter sounds and words familiar to readers that allow them to practice important phonics and decoding skills at their grade level. Families can read decodables at home with their children to help them sound out words and build their reading skills.

“Caregivers hold so many roles and responsibilities, and the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) is here to support families in giving their children the brightest future,” says James Pond, GELF President. “Through this partnership, we aim to strengthen early literacy by promoting a culture of reading and learning outside of the classroom. When children are on holiday break from school, we encourage families to take a break from the screens and read together with these resources. Books build learners; books bond families.”

©2022 Imagicomm Memphis, Inc.