####### I saw where there was no HIT on this question from a question I posted in
cccccccOOOOOLLLdddd February. BELOW are the replies:
ORIGINAL QUESTION:
I am wanting to receive ideas, tips, suggestions from elementary SLMS ( now
Librarians thanks to AASL ! ) who:
1. (whose) school has A R and the elementary librarian promotes/encourages
reading in other ways IN ADDITION / SEPARATE from/ to A R. what do you do in your
library to "get kids to read" separate from A R. ? ( if principal asks you
what you indeed do to get them to read...of course checking out a book and reading
it are 2 different acts ! ) wanting some amunition for future.
2. does not have A R or Reading COunts at all ( LUCKY PERSON !) and what
creative activities do you administer and manage to do same as in #1 above?
Simple, easy ideas are especially welcomed.
Yes, I will post a hit.
Please,,,, if you manage or don't manage AR in your school but your school has A R,
I am looking for ideas to "get kids to read" separate from A R. NO correlation or
overlapping. This may sound like a crazy question, but with A R and its
incentives/prizes, I am curious if there are any separate attempts for the
librarian to attempt on his/her own. Any need? use? in two incentives if A R is
"it"
Thanks
Robert Joyce, M.S. Ed, B.S.Ed
School Librarian/Library Media Specialist
Virginia--Pittsylvania County School
rajoyce59@verizon.net
Virginia --- Library Media NK-12 Post Graduate Professional
North Carolina---Media Coordinator (076),Media Supervisor (078)
South Carolina---Media Specialist (60), Media Supervisor (59)
--------------------------------------------------------------
do not have AR in my school. I start off the year with a reading survey for grades
3 and 4. We are a K-4 school. I ask those who say that they do not like to read why
they think that is so. I try to get them to understand that the reason that they so
not read is that they have not found anything that they like to read aand that this
year we will work together to find what they like.
I do the following to get then interested in the books-
-PowerPoint showing books that I loved
-Ask them to tell me what books they think they would like and try to order them.
They get very excited when the book show up
-I go to Borders and look at all of the book series and try to buy the up-to date
books. I tell the students that I would love it if they would read the books and
review them for me.They generally do.
-I am now working on student book reviews that I would like to post on my schools
website-either written, audio or video.
-I am constantly working with the studetns to put books in all of their hands
-The hardest problem is when a student wants to read s omething cool but they are
not at that level yet. I have found Stone Arch books-I think they are called Dragon
Blood (I am not in shool). These are actually easy readers that look anything but
easy. These are great for the boys.
--------------------------------------------------------------
work in an elem. library that has 650+ 1st & 2nd graders. We do have AR, but it is
an optional program for the students & several teachers do not participate. I
think this really takes the pressure off. But I encourage reading with a wide
variety of ideas, trying to capture all interests.
1. Each month I pull out books of the month, ie. Feb = Valentines, Black History, &
Presidents.
2. Each week I display different series.
3. Each week I display books by one author on a table.
4. We have an AR store & an end of year AR campout.
5. I have a bulletin board advertising the highest classes & students who have
qualified to go to the AR campout.
6. I put out a table of easy fiction & easy non-fiction to attract attention. (Easy
being 1st grade).
It seems to be working. I started the year with students making bee lines for
sports, spiders & Junie B Jones, now they choose a much greater variety.
================================
For years I have maintained a Library Hall of Fame for those students who keep a
list of the books they have read. When they have 100 books on their list I put
their photo on my bulletin board and they get a little bag of goodies.
We started AR two years ago but my students see AR as an in-school project. Most
teachers encourage students to read their AR books during the school day.
The Hall of Fame is definately an at-home project with parents helping with the
list.
-----------------------------------------------
I am the library intern at a K - 8 school that does not do AR, Reading Counts or
anything of the like. Each year our librarian has a theme for the year that we do
fun things with to encourage reading. This year, she went with the Scholastic Book
Fair theme of reading around the world. We have decorated the library, and have
made "passports" for the students. Each time they read a book, they get a cool
stamp in the passport. Teachers also have large passports for class read alouds
hanging outside their doors. So far this year with my kids, we've been to NY
twice, the Congo, the Western US, New Zealand and Washington State. Our librarian
will have prizes at the end of the year for various "travel related" categories,
and she will host a party for the kids who participated. We are also doing this in
conjunction with Heifer Project's Read to Feed initiative. Each year, my school
selects a non-profit organization to spend the year fundraising for, and this was a
no brainer. We hadn't done Heifer in several years, and they have a TON of free
curricula for all grade levels to help raise global awareness.
While not every kid is into it, a lot are chomping at the bit to finish books and
go get stamped. We are already thinking about what to do next year!
==============================================
I don't use AR points or anything like that for my stuff, but I do use it to
find out how many books my kids have read. For example this year, if we read
3000 books by the end of the year then the whole school gets a movie party.
It's an easy way for me to track how many books the kids read without having
to question each child. The kids know that I don't look at individual
numbers, I just use dashboard to look at the number as a whole. I don't
like AR, as far as I can tell, it makes the kids who hate to read and
struggle hate it even more since they can't make the points for our trips.
The other thing that I do, usually at Christmas, is a movie party ( the
teacher's love this since the special teachers: music, computer, librarian,
& PE watch the kids while the teachers finish up grades and getting ready
for the end of semester stuff) where the kids listen to a book in the
library, such as the Polar Express, the classroom teachers receive a packet
from me with lesson plans and activities, and a decoration contest. For the
Polar Express, I made train cars that were all the same size and shape and
each classroom decorated one and hung it outside of their classroom, I put
the engine up and we had a train going through our building. We used the
train cars as a contest and had the Superintend and a principal judge the
cars (one winner per grade level) and the winner won the right to be seated
first, special seating in the middle, and extra snacks. We use a media
project, DVD player and stereo system to project onto a white wall so that
it's like watching it at a theater. Kids love this and so do teachers. This
year rather than doing it at the beginning of school we're doing it at the
end. (Happy Feet was another we did, using penguins which was a lot of fun
seeing what the teachers and kids came up with to decorate a penguin)
I am first the first time celebrating Dr. Seuss in the library with a
dress-up week and reading the book and doing activities. I've noticed that
when I read a book to the kids and they enjoy it, the kids really hit that
author until all the books are gone. The other thing I'm starting is a hall
of frame, where the kids recommend books for others to read. I've laminated
award cutouts and using a dry erase marker write the first name of the kid,
Title of the book and author and then I stick them on the wall. The kids
have to tell my why they need to be on the wall so that I know they read the
book.
=================================================
Our school does 100 book readers. Each student is given a log at the beginning of
the year. If they read 100 books, their name goes on the wall and read over the
announcements and they get a prize. When the read 200, their name moves up on the
wall and so on and so forth. Our principal said that if all students in the school
read 100 books, he will come in in his pajamas and read them all a bedtime story.
We have over half the building as 100 readers so far! And we have A.R. at our
school.
======================================
I promote reading for the state awards at all levels and have a voting party for
the students who read to the requirements. I also stand in line at conferences and
get signed copies of books for the (4th grade and up) students who read the most.
Last year, I had a 5th grader (new to our district) who read all the current year's
nominees and all the previous year's nominees. His sister read all the Mark Twain
and Truman nominees in the middle school. I got copies of the Lightning Thief and
Sea of Monsters (both state winners by Riordan) signed for both of them!
I absolutely refuse to answer any student or teacher that asks for a book on a
specific grade level or a lexile. I tell them to ask for a book about dogs or a
mystery or anything else but if they want level / lexile, there are other places to
look. The only level I match is interest! And I will check out extra books to any
student who finds something they want to read if their teacher does require a level
or lexile on their reading level. I will stand toe-to-toe with the teacher and
defend their right to have a book they are interested in, in addition to what the
teacher requires. (I should have warned you about that soapbox I climbed on!) I
regularly remind the teachers that proficient readers often read "easy" and that is
why they are fast and proficient. Practice!
I will display any project from any class that demonstrates reading and/or writing
took place. We host snowman displays, gingerbread man traps, art projects, etc.
If students write books, I put them in a special tub in the library for students to
read. I return them (if anything is left) when they graduate since I am also their
high school librarian. I invite the middle / high school reading classes to write
books for them / come down and read to them every quarter.
Also, I use book fair money and give a free summer book to each student that had a
decent patron record for the year and read! The question they have to answer is,
"what book did you read this year that you liked most?" Then, I try to give them a
summer read that comes close in genre or interest. My students know I believe in
reading for pleasure and we converse regularly about the books. They look forward
to our conversations. So do I.
For the Kindergarten, first, and second grade students, I make sure I do familiar
re-reading with big books each time they come to the library. (I am on a fixed
schedule) So they read Cookies Week, Silly Sally, Mrs. Wishy Washy (and I have a
costume I use with that book once in a while), I Went Walking and others until they
"read" it without me. The second graders are working on Miss Mary Mack and
practicing the clapping rhyme that goes with it.
I try to fix food that goes with stories that the students would find
unfamiliar--and being from a small town in the middle of nowhere--lots of foods are
unfamiliar. I bring in props, act out, chant, sing, and generally make a fool of
myself physically demonstrating vocabulary and showing obvious delight in the act
of reading!
And with our Reading Counts, we have dropped the prizes and gone to a build your
own sundae. The students earn the bowl, then the ice cream, on up to the whipped
cream and cherries on top. I have nothing to do with that process. I will go up
and eat a sundae with them, though. :)
==========================================
In Massachusetts we have a Massachusetts Children's Book Award; students
in grades 4-6 who read at least 5 of the 25 books are eligible to vote.
For the past 3 years I have participated and bought 5 or so of each
title and put them in a separate section until the voting in March. Any
student who reads 5 gets a little prize (I buy rubber ducks from
Oriental trading.) The little ducks make a difference; the kids love
getting a prize, and students like the idea of reading a set list of
books. The book choices are good and varied, and this has helped older
students on lower reading levels who can choose an easy book. (For
example, Clementine for a fifth grader.) I give a duck for each multiple
of 5 books they read. Limited time only, just January and February.
Before this, I tried a contest with good results. Who can read more
books, me or the entire class put together? If they win, they get a
reading party during library time. Book Jeopardy works well and is a
great way of telling students about books they might want to read.
I like contests for a limited amount of time, usually in January or
February. It helps build excitement about reading, and filling out cards
helps me keep better track of the readers.
===========================================================
1. what I do you do in my library to "get kids to read" separate from
SRC:
2-3 Book fairs
participate in Readers Are Leaders
Texas Bluebonnet Award program-read 5 to decide, 15 gets a bracelet, 30
fun party downtown at the end of the year, and after a kid has read that
many books, they just keep going, some never get there, but the ones who
do are great spokes persons for this fun time I push this most of the
year
Texas 2X2 program,
Give away RIF books, at least 3-6 a year, depending on funds and
donations
give booktalks
show author videos
use BookFlix to show books to kids
use audio books
use playaways
stay open after school for kids to check in and out
read books to them
apply for and have won many grants like Picturing America, yet some of
these books are not appropriate for my youngest kids
Earning By Learning-which is what we mainly use our SRC program for
poetry competition-gets my poetry books off of the shelves
Hispanic drawing contest-really don't have a problem getting kids to
check these books checked out and read, they are the ones I have to
replace almost yearly
great bulletin boards
painted those 50+ year old chairs bright colors and painted reading
slogans all over them
==================================
"Succeed at being you" ...Joyce Meyer
"Others may hate you...Those who hate you don't win unless you hate them. And,
then, you destroy yourself"
President Nixon's Farewell Speech
August 9, 1974
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