Deep Dive into Looping Literacy Together!
From a community effort, program brings fun, art to reading for early learners
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On a chilly afternoon in Savannah, a short-lived hush settles over the 20 or so vivacious four-year-olds at Robert W. Gadsden Elementary School. They’ve been given a fun task by Mr. Ke’Shawn, a program specialist with Loop It Up Savannah, to reinforce December’s reading of Alpha Oops: The Day Z Went First.
“Each one of you will get a piece of construction paper with a letter written on it,” he patiently explains. “And then – everyone listen to me! – I will be passing out clay for you to use.” The hush simmers into a manageable roar as the children get excited about having such a prized art supply at their sole discretion. Alpha Oops, the story their art project is based on, sometimes mirrors their own classroom with its comic confusion and rowdy behavior. Mr. Ke'Shawn clarifies. |
“Do not throw your clay! Hold onto it and roll it between your hands until it looks like a snake and then trace your letter,” he instructs. “When you’ve finished that, take a marker and draw something on your sheet that starts with that letter.”
The teacher, parapro, and Mr. Ke'Shawn all float around the classroom helping students finish rolling out their clay, tracing their letters, and identifying something that starts with their letter.
One bright-eyed girl excitedly exclaims that “elephant” starts with her letter, E. Mr. Ke'Shawn hands her a marker and encourages her to start drawing. As the children begin scratching out their masterpieces, the roar settles back to a hum.
The teacher, parapro, and Mr. Ke'Shawn all float around the classroom helping students finish rolling out their clay, tracing their letters, and identifying something that starts with their letter.
One bright-eyed girl excitedly exclaims that “elephant” starts with her letter, E. Mr. Ke'Shawn hands her a marker and encourages her to start drawing. As the children begin scratching out their masterpieces, the roar settles back to a hum.
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This may look like just a fun reading and art activity, but it is so much more. It is part of Looping Literacy Together, a program developed by Loop It Up Savannah to enrich pre-K and kindergarten students’ literacy skills. According to the National Literacy Trust, literacy is defined as “the ability to read, write, speak, and listen in a way that lets us communicate effectively and make sense of the world.”
While many people associate literacy with early childhood education, gaining proficiency in reading and writing has positive impacts throughout all stages of life. |
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This is precisely what led Selina Ruth-Gillans, now executive director for Savannah-Chatham County Public School System’s Learning Support Services, to come up with the idea for Looping Literacy Together in 2018. At the time, she was principal of Brock Elementary School, a school identified as the lowest-performing school in the district where 98 percent of the students receive free and reduced lunches. A conversation with Loop It Up’s founder and Executive Director Molly Lieberman started the ball rolling.
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“Loop It Up had been working with our 21st Century after-school program leading arts programming and had just finished a mural in our cafeteria,” Ruth-Gillans recalls. “Molly asked me what my biggest concern was – and it was, of course, literacy. We put our heads together and Looping Literacy Together was born.”
The program, according to Ruth-Gillans, started out with simply reading to students but soon evolved into volunteers helping teachers with small groups. Eventually, the Loop It Up Savannah Curriculum and Programs teams developed a monthly arts-integrated literacy curriculum for the program. Each unit is based on the Georgia Standards of Excellence and the Georgia Early Learning Development Standards. Educational units are organized around a book and feature a month’s worth of engaging activities that expand children’s sight, word, and sound recognition as well as their visual, comprehensive, and sequencing skills. Today, Looping Literacy Together is in 11 schools and early learning centers serving 62 classrooms each week and more than 1,200 students. “Looping Literacy Together was collaboratively created, and it is now part of a community-wide literacy movement,” Lieberman said. “The goal is to support students with different language development skill levels by linking language and vocabulary with social emotional learning.” |
Selina Ruth-Gillans, Executive Director
SCCPSS Learning Support Services |
Kristen Dixon, a pre-K teacher at Brock Elementary acknowledges that such an approach is indeed effective.
“At this age, anything you do is educational,” she says. “In the Looping Literacy Together program, we always have a book and that’s transformational because some of our kids do not have books at home. They read each book several times and there’s an art activity. They’re not only learning about reading, but also about holding a paintbrush and staying seated and waiting their turn to wash their hands. It’s all enrichment.”
Dixon also praises Loop It Up’s attention to cultural diversity, something that she views as critical for her students, as well as their ability to respond to individual schools’ needs.
“At this age, anything you do is educational,” she says. “In the Looping Literacy Together program, we always have a book and that’s transformational because some of our kids do not have books at home. They read each book several times and there’s an art activity. They’re not only learning about reading, but also about holding a paintbrush and staying seated and waiting their turn to wash their hands. It’s all enrichment.”
Dixon also praises Loop It Up’s attention to cultural diversity, something that she views as critical for her students, as well as their ability to respond to individual schools’ needs.
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“First of all, the kids see themselves in the books they are reading. That’s very important,” she says. “But also, Loop It Up is always taking our suggestions as to what will work better. We had an activity last year that was a little difficult for our students to do, so Loop It Up suggested approaching the activity a different way. Not only does this cater to our students, but also lets the teachers know they are being heard.”
Lizann Roberts, executive director of the Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition, agrees that Loop It Up’s adaptability is one of its strongest assets. “In my role, I work to improve the well-being of children and families by engaging diverse partners to develop strategic priorities that guide policy, programs, and resource allocation. We all need to be thinking about literacy and language development,” she advises. “In its work on literacy, Loop It Up’s mission has stayed consistent but they can adapt to fulfill needs in the community.” |
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Roberts notes that Loop It Up’s work is so impactful in this area that the Georgia Family Connection Partnership – a statewide network dedicated to the health and well-being of families and communities – invited Loop It Up’s Lieberman to be part of the team for the Get Georgia Reading Summit. Get Georgia Reading brings together hundreds of private and public leaders from across the state to focus on the big picture items that impact literacy, such as language nutrition, access, positive learning climate, and teacher preparation and effectiveness. The ultimate goal? To have every child in Georgia become a proficient reader by the end of third grade, paving the way to improved outcomes throughout school and life.
Together with other community partners, members of the Looping Literacy Team recently participated in a Language as a Missing Link workshop led by Dr. Emily Rubin, director of Communication Crossroads Inc. The training focused on how to notice, monitor, screen, and enhance language and literacy skills in children from birth to age 8.
Ruth-Gillans, for one, knows that a cross-community approach that reinforces and augments the school system’s curriculum is the key to success. In December 2022, Brock Elementary was identified by the state of Georgia Department of Education as needing Comprehensive School Improvement (CSI), a designation that was reversed by January 2024.
“I’m always looking for ways to keep literacy in the forefront, engage our parents, and give our students a different perspective on reading. Not only is reading enjoyable, but it is the key to success, poverty notwithstanding,” she says. “Education is the passport to anything they want to do. If they get a good, strong education, they can go anywhere and do anything.”
Written by Nancy Fulbright of Chickadee Communications for Loop It Up Savannah.
To support Mindfulness Zone and Loop It Up's other core programs, click the link below.
Together with other community partners, members of the Looping Literacy Team recently participated in a Language as a Missing Link workshop led by Dr. Emily Rubin, director of Communication Crossroads Inc. The training focused on how to notice, monitor, screen, and enhance language and literacy skills in children from birth to age 8.
Ruth-Gillans, for one, knows that a cross-community approach that reinforces and augments the school system’s curriculum is the key to success. In December 2022, Brock Elementary was identified by the state of Georgia Department of Education as needing Comprehensive School Improvement (CSI), a designation that was reversed by January 2024.
“I’m always looking for ways to keep literacy in the forefront, engage our parents, and give our students a different perspective on reading. Not only is reading enjoyable, but it is the key to success, poverty notwithstanding,” she says. “Education is the passport to anything they want to do. If they get a good, strong education, they can go anywhere and do anything.”
Written by Nancy Fulbright of Chickadee Communications for Loop It Up Savannah.
To support Mindfulness Zone and Loop It Up's other core programs, click the link below.
