I do a quick booktalk review of each book before they vote. I copied
the covers and have them up on the wall so they can look at the covers
for reminders about the book. As I am doing the booktalk review, it is
really more them retelling the story to me. One of the standards (hey
we have to be sneaky, don't we)?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We started in the fall & just finished voting a couple of weeks ago. I
do only one book per week with the K-2 kids. Before reading the book of
the day, we do a brief review (with plenty of audience participation) of
all VAYR read previously. (Yes, it does get to be a handful by the time
we're at books #8, 9, & 10, so I can't recommend group participation
highly
enough!) The week that we vote, I read nothing, we just review all 10
books, and then vote.
Something I did this year that really helped the little ones
remember- I had a bulletin board (the one right over my head when I sit
in my rocker to read) with 10 big stars, a picture of a VA Young Reader
in each one. Each week I would add a "reminder" to the board for the
book we read that week. For THE MAGIC HAT, it was a little doll's hat
on an elastic which I had "moved like this & it moved like that & it
spun through the air & landed on..." to dramatize the story. For
GRANDMA WOLF, it was a friendly-looking wolf puppet with no teeth
(actually she was one of my son's funny golf club
covers.) For WAITING FOR WINGS, the kids made butterfly life cycles
using Kidspiration & I hung those up. For SICK DAY, a stuffed "moosie."
For BEAR SNORES on, a stuffed bear & hare. For RECESS QUEEN, a
jumprope. For IN NOVEMBER, green leaves made from old library book
checkout cards which the kids changed to fall leaves using red, orange,
yellow, & brown colored pencils. For CASTLES, CAVES, & HONEYCOMBS, a
stuffed turtle because his home is special - he always takes it with
him. For MOLE MUSIC, a gorgeous mole puppet that I bought from a VEMA
vendor. Finally, MAPPING PENNY's WORLD was easy - I already had a globe
sitting on the counter in front of
that bulletin board. When voting week finally came, I took down all
the
stars with book pictures on them & laid them out on my desk so that when
the kids lined up to checkout, they could vote privately by just
touching their favorite. I noted each vote by each child's barcode. My
assistant & I made a big deal out of secrecy & had all the kids in back
of the one who was checking out/voting faced the other way! It was
quite fun.
After our votes were tallied, I made an Excel bar graph of the
results and had the kids interpret it for graph reading practice. I'm
not going to tell you which book won!
This is my third year of doing VAYR. It's gotten much easier each
year. The first year I started after Xmas & found it to be a hassle
trying to get it all done in time. You do have time but you might enjoy
starting in the fall next year more.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I am so happy you have decided to do your state's book award. I have
been doing our state's award, The Buckeye, for the past 12 years. The
Buckeye has 5 books for each category (K-2; 3-5; 6-8; Teen-Grades 9-12.)
This is the first year for the Teen Buckeye. Our website is
www.bcbookaward.info
Teen Buckeye http://bcbookaward.info/teens/aboutus.htm
I present each picture book nominee in a storytime. When we finish each
book, I scan the cover so I can show the kids the books we've already
presented each week. When we've finished all five books, the kids choose
a favorite and illustrate a poster of their favorite scene in the book.
I've had no difficulty in our kids remembering the books.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I'm not sure how nominees you have but we have 10 for primary grades
here. I try to read 2-3 in library just as an introduction to the
nominees and the voting process. I then have a plastic tub that I
rotate between the classrooms and the teachers read them to their
students (usually including the ones I already read in case they forgot
them or were absent). I include a ballot in the tub for the teacher and
they have the students vote. When finished, they turn in the tub and
ballot to me and I get it ready for the next teacher. We are a small
school (6 classrooms, K-3) so each teacher has the tub for about 3 weeks
and they are very supportive of the program. This probably wouldn't
work in a large school or if your teachers aren't on board but it works
very well for us. Good luck!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I had our students participate in the NC Children's Book Award program
for the first time last year as the school media specialist. I'd also
participated in the program a few years ago when I was a kindergarten
classroom teacher. So, I've handled it two ways: 1. I got duplicate
copies of the books from the local public library. I kept these copies
on display in our library as a reminder of the books we'd already read
and to spur interest in the other books on the list. Each week, when I
met with the classes as they came for library time, I showed a poster
with pictures of each of the covers of the nominated books and asked for
a student to remind us of the plot of each previously read book. (The
visual reminders paired with the auditory synopsis really helped.)
When it
was time to vote, we quickly reviewed each book's plot before each
student marked a ballot with each title listed. (For kindergartners, I
made a "ballot" by putting small pictures of each book cover beside the
title of the book, making it easy for the little ones to know what book
they were voting for.) I've heard of other schools that had students
make recommendations of which book to vote for on the closed-circuit
morning announcements (sort of like a Reading Rainbow-type review).
2. When I was in the classroom, after I had read each of the books, I
held up each book and asked for a volunteer to tell what the book was
about. Then, I stood the books on the chalkboard ledge so the students
could see the front covers. They cast their ballots by writing the
title on a piece of paper and dropping it in a cup taped below each
book.
Patricia Hamilton
Ritchie Elementary
New Baltimore, VA
phamilton@fcps1.org
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