Impact Stories

Read a Difference Teacher - Teri Webb

Teri Webb has always been passionate about sharing her love of reading with her students. As a fourth-grade teacher at Springside Elementary School in Saratoga Springs, UT, she reaches students at a pivotal time in their reading journeys.

“There is a window, from third to fifth grade where we tend to lose kids in terms of readers,” Webb said. “By fourth grade, there is a switch from learning to read to reading to learn. That comes with the introduction of a lot of informational text. But many students would rather read fiction. So, the challenge is balancing the informational reading with what the kids want to read so that we keep their love of reading alive.”

Webb made this balancing act a priority and tried to find different ways to reach individual students. She attended Utah Valley University’s (UVU) For the Love of Reading Conference, where she found out about the Read a Difference fellowship. Webb joined forces with the other fourth-grade teachers at Springside to complete the two-year program, which included additional resources for encouraging literacy, free admission to the conference, and monthly professional development programs focused on innovative and engaging strategies for students.

“Our standard curriculum has a reading component, but I wanted my classroom to have a more authentic model,” Webb said. “What we learned through the Read a Difference program validated my beliefs and gave me new ideas and perspectives to make sure my students left my classroom as engaged readers.”

The fellowship also included a $250 stipend for each teacher to spend on books. Webb knew the importance of exposing her students to all kinds of literature and had, over the years, added many books to her classroom library.

“But I always used my own money,” Webb said. “The extra money to expand my collection was an incredible gift.” Webb asked her students to write persuasive essays about what book they wanted to buy. “When the shipment arrived, it was like Christmas morning.”

The Read a Difference program gave Webb and her colleagues the chance to work closely as a team to make reading a priority for fourth grade students. At the end of the academic year, the teachers banded together to make the book the whole grade was reading – “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl – come to life. They turned their school library into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, complete with candy giveaways, a showing of the movie, and a new Roald Dahl book for each student to take home.

The two-year professional development program, For the Love of Reading Conference, and extra funding allowed Webb and her team of teachers the creative space, support system, and resources to make reading an exciting adventure for their students.

“I use what I learn from the fellowship every day,” Webb said. “Everyone at our school knows, the fourth-grade loves to read!”