FLETCHERS LAKE: The students in Nicole Legrow’s Grade 5 class at Holland Road Elementary School have turned something that many view as a negative into a positive, through the reading graffiti wall.
A reading graffiti wall is a place on the wall in the classroom where students can write powerful quotes that they find in the books they are reading.
Piper Morrison; William Isenor; and Julia Lace were three of the students who spoke to The Laker about it as their fellow classmates listened in on Nov. 13.
William, who calls Fall River home, said the wall inspires him and his classmates.
“If we find something in the books,w e can write it on the wall and if other people are sad they can look at it,” said William. “It’s like a positive boost.”
Piper, of Lakeview, said it’s a way to feel welcomed into the classroom.
“It’s nice to read positive things out of books,” she said. “I think sometimes you can read books and they can be weird, but these are positive messages.”
Julia said she feels encouraged by reading all of the positive messages up on the board.
“It’s good to know that a lot of the books we’re reading have inspiring messages,” she said.
Teacher Nicole Legrow explained where she got the idea to bring the learning tool to the classroom. She went to a conference on literacy in 2017.
“I saw it on Pinterest and thought what a great way to take what were reading and put it into the classroom as a way to inspire the kids,” she said.
She said the point is that all the quotes are positive messages.
“There are things that when you want to give up the messages inspire them,” said Legrow. “The kids are really excited when they find a really great quote.”
The reading graffiti wall can also help the students chose what book they may want to read next.
“If you like the quote, you can see what book it is from and go pick that book,” Julia, who lives in Fall River, said.
Piper said when she can’t concentrate she looks at the reading graffiti wall and it helps her.
“I just remember how much work went into putting those positive messages in the books we’re reading and how it can help me concentrate,” she said. “That’s why I like the whole point of the wall.”
Why a graffiti wall? William explained the point of it.
“Some people that do graffiti on buildings, people think it’s bad but we did this so we could make it good,” he said.