Christie Reading Incentive Programs

This week I have discussed all of these reading incentive programs with all of the K – 5 classes. We will have 3 major reading incentive programs at Christie throughout this school year that will be sponsored thru the library.  I would like to recommend that you highly encourage your children to participate in all of the programs.  Statistics have proven that the more students read the more their grades and test scores improve.  I am also hoping that it will help expand their reading experience with different genres and increase their enjoyment of reading.

Each student will have a reading log for each program that they will keep in their binders.  Once they have completed the requirements, they will return the logs to their teacher or to Ms. Lewis in the library.  Each program will be explained below.

Texas 2x2 List (K – 2^nd)

Students must read (or be read to) at least 5 books from a list of 20 in order to vote for their favorite book.  Voting will take place the week of April 24, 2017.  If students read 5 books and vote, they will be eligible for a popcorn or popsicle party in May.

Texas Bluebonnet Award (3^rd – 5^th)

Students must read (or be read to) at least 5 books from a list of 20 in order to vote for their favorite book.  Voting will take place the week of January 23, 2017.  If students read 5 books and vote, they will be eligible to attend the Bluebonnet Breakfast in March.

Six Flags Read to Succeed Program (K – 5^th)

Read to Succeed is an exciting program that encourages students in grades K through 6 to read for fun. Students who complete six hours of recreational reading earn a free ticket to Six Flags! The program is available to teachers and schools at no cost to participate, and it's a great way to motivate kids to read. Registration will begin in late October. The deadline is usually towards the end of February. More details to come in early November.

Bookworm Challenge (K – 5^th)

This challenge is a reading incentive program based on Donalyn Miller’s The Book Whisperer to engage our students in free choice independent reading of a variety of genres. Each grade level has their own goals and types of genres. The deadline for completion will be April 28, 2017. Students who complete the challenge will receive a certificate and a medal.  They will also be recognized at the final assembly in June.

Kindergarten (15 total)                           

Biography: 3                                             

Fiction: 4                                         

Non-Fiction: 4                                           

Free Choice: 4    

1^st Grade (20 total)

Biography: 4

Informational (NF): 4

Poetry: 4

Traditional Lit.: 4

Free Choice: 4

2nd Grade (30 total)

Biography: 5

Informational (NF): 5

Poetry: 5

Traditional Lit.: 5

Free Choice: 10

3^rd Grade (40 total)

Biography: 4

Fantasy: 4

Historical Fiction: 2

Informational (NF): 4

Mystery: 4

Poetry: 3

Realistic Fiction: 3

Science Fiction: 2

Traditional Lit.: 5

Free Choice Chapter Books: 9

(FC may include 3 graphic novels)

4^th Grade (40 total)

Biography: 2

Fantasy: 4

Historical Fiction: 4

Informational (NF): 4

Mystery: 2

Poetry: 3

Realistic Fiction: 3

Science Fiction: 4

Traditional Lit.: 5

Free Choice Chapter Books: 9

(FC may include 3 graphic novels)

5^th Grade (40 total)

Biography: 2

Fantasy: 4

Historical Fiction: 2

Informational (NF): 4

Mystery: 2

Poetry: 5

Realistic Fiction: 5

Science Fiction: 2

Traditional Lit.: 5

Free Choice Chapter Books: 9

(FC may include 3 graphic novels)

Dot Day

Yesterday was International Dot Day. Dot Day was created in response to Peter H. Reynolds’ book, The Dot.  It is a day for encouraging creativity and challenging people to make their mark.  We celebrated Dot Day all week in the library.

Every class got an opportunity to color a dot any way they wanted. We then used the Quiver App to make those two dimensional drawings three dimensional.  The students were so excited to see their “dots” come to life!

Yesterday was also Powered Up @ Your Library Day.  This is a day to help broaden the awareness of library services and to promote libraries as vital, technology-centered institutions. Using the technology of the Quiver App in conjunction with Dot Day seemed to be a perfect union.

Everyone really enjoyed this week’s activity and I hope that I can find a way to bring Quiver back into the library again this year.

Library Expectations and Book Care

This week we continued our discussions about library expectations and book care across all of the grade levels. In Pre-K and Kindergarten I read It’s Library Day.  First Grade, I read D.W.’ s Library Card and in Second Grade I read Franklin’s Library Book.

For Third Grade I read No T. Rex in the Library. Fourth Grade heard Library Mouse and Fifth Grade listened to Bats at the Library.  All of these books were lighthearted and fun ways to show students how they should act in the library or how to take care of the books they checkout.

First Week

Well, the first week of library classes is officially in the books!  It was the second week of school, but the first week for students to come with their classes to the library.

We discussed library expectations, book care, and finding a “just right” book. Our first time Pre-K students listened to a story titled School’s First Day of School, since they are learning about going to school.

It was a little rough for some students to get back into the routine of remembering what to do when checking out their books, but overall it was a successful week.