15 Book Challenge
Planning
The first thing the librarian should do is meet with the appropriate administrators to discuss the program idea and get approval if needed. If the program is to be successful, it would be important to promote it to the staff and students with approval from administration. Involving teachers and paraprofessionals in the challenge would most likely increase its success. When planning for a book challenge, the librarian will need to choose categories for books. The categories can be adjusted for different age groups or grade levels as well as the interests of the library community. The librarian may want to add or take away categories depending on the reading culture of the campus. If the campus is struggling with its reading culture, then the number of books would be lower than for a campus that has a strong reading culture. At the beginning of the program, the librarian should plan to create library displays that support the program.
August – Kindness (pairs with Raider Camp activities that focus on character education)
September –Banned Books Week
October – Mysteries and Horror Stories
November – Nonfiction/Biography, Autobiography, Memoir (pairs with Literary Nonfiction Units in ELAR classes)
December – New York Times Best-Sellers
January – Science Fiction, Award-Winning Books
February – Historical Fiction/Black History Month
March – Graphic Novels/Female Authors/Women’s History
April – Picture Books
Preparation
The librarian will need to create flyers to give information about the challenge and promote it to students and staff. The program should be promoted on campus as well as on the school and library social media platforms. Posters advertising the challenge should be put up around campus and the information about it should be included in the daily announcements. The information should also be included on the library website. Adding reminders to a Monthly Planner would be helpful in following through with these tasks. In addition to flyers, the librarian will need to create a way to track student progress and determine when students have met the challenge. A Google Form would be a one way to track progress. The form could be set up with general reading response questions that could be used to check whether or not a student or staff member read a particular book. Google Forms would give the respondent the option to type a response or record one. For example, one option would be to have the respondent give a review of the book, such as those found on Amazon or other sites. The requirements for the Google Form would need to be, and it would be a good idea to show examples of authentic book reviews to students and staff members. The librarian could do this at the beginning of the school year during library orientation. An example could be sent out to staff members in an email or included in a library newsletter. Finally, the librarian should track books read by each participant to determine who is eligible for the incentive at the end of the year. An Excel worksheet or Google Sheet can be used to track progress. A bulletin board or display should be prepared to showcase the results of the challenge. Certificates should be printed or ordered for those who meet the challenge and qualify for recognition at the Awards Ceremony at the end of the year.
Examples of displays can be found at the links below:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f7/a7/63/f7a763b8cd23215d5e9fab4dd7d6be67.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/46/74/e9/4674e91002108a699c702011bcab8c75.jpg
Promotion
The 15 Book Challenge should be advertised around campus with flyers and posted on the library’s social media platforms. The information should also be posted on the library’s website. Library bulletin boards and displays should correspond to the 15 Book Challenge to peak interest in the various categories on the challenge sheet. Information about the challenge should also be included in daily announcements on a regular basis. Collaborating with the ELAR teachers is important in promoting the program to make it a success. Allowing students and teachers to count books read as a class would be a motivating factor for students.
Procedures
1. At the beginning of the school year, the librarian would introduce and explain the 15 Book Challenge to all ELAR classes during library orientation. The information would be added to the library website and sent out via the library’s social media accounts. Flyers would be posted around campus, and a bulletin board would be created in the library to promote the challenge. The end date of the program should be made clear along with the requirements and for meeting the challenge. Students are given a flyer containing fifteen categories. Students would choose one title for each category. For example, categories may include science fiction, a banned book, a book by a female author, mystery, etc.
2. Displays should be created throughout the school year that correspond to the categories of books included in the 15 Book Challenge. The list of months in the planning section gives specific details.
3. The librarian will track student progress as Google Forms are submitted. Some of the written or video reviews can be shared with teachers and students if permission is granted. For example, a video response could be included in the library newsletter or posted to the library’s social media accounts. News about the challenge should be included in communication to teachers, students, and parents. A bulletin board should be set up in a prominent location for recognizing those who complete the challenge.
4. Students will track their books using the handout provided to them at the beginning of the program. This could be a part of the independent reading program in the ELAR classes. The librarian would need to collaborate with the ELAR teachers on the best way to help students keep track of their results. An example of a flyer can be found at the link below:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/46936021097262597/
5. The librarian would need to meet with administration to finalize the details of the incentive trip or party. The librarian would need to compile a list of teachers and students who qualified for the incentive and inform those who qualify. Field trip procedures would need to be followed if a field trip is decided on, and purchase orders should be submitted in a timely manner for any purchases that would need to be made for an incentive party. Proper communication would need to be sent out for whatever incentive is chosen. The librarian would need to begin this process before the end of the year approaches.
6. A certificate would be given at the Awards Ceremony during the last week of school to those students who met the reading challenge.
Payoff
A Reading Challenge would have several benefits for a campus struggling with literacy. It would provide an incentive for students and teachers to increase the amount of time devoted to reading for pleasure. Library use and circulation would increase, which would be beneficial for the library program as well as the campus as a whole. A reading challenge would get students and teachers talking about books. This would increase interest in reading, help students build background knowledge, and improve comprehension skills. Ultimately, standardized test scores would improve across all subject areas.