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Our Year of READing Across America

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September - - Kick-off of Campaign

Since whole school assemblies and any large group activities will likely be impossible during the 2020-21 school year, we will kick-off the Read Across America campaign during a library lesson in which Ms. Stigall will dress up as a traveler and roll in her suitcase.  Inside the suitcase will be the maps, markers, die cuts, and books that we will start the campaign with.  The class will get to take the materials back to their classroom at the conclusion of the lesson.

* Specific materials left in each classroom include: die cuts for students and/or teachers to fill out with the title & author of the book as well as the state visited (which will be brought to a designated spot in the school), a black & white copy of a US Map, one Ball canning jar with crayons inside for coloring in the states as the class "travels" to them, and individual maps for each child to take home along with a note for their parents.  

Throughout the year as we READ Across America we will:
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  • Sing (or likely just "say" since we may not be able to sing - dependent upon COVID decisions) “Fifty Nifty United States” each day as the kids exit the library.  This will familiarize the kids with the names of all the states.  Additionally, if we are able to celebrate outside at the end of the year we can say this together.

  • Large US Map up in the Hallway - With the map will be a box in which classes will place the die cuts for the books they and their classmates have read in their classroom.  Written on the die cuts will be the title & author of the book along with the state they've connected the book with.- - Ms. Stigall & Mrs. Tabor will empty the box daily and add the die cuts to the map.  The die cuts will surround the map with string from them to the state they represent. 

  • Books Pictograph - Each month we will clean off the map and use the die cuts to create a pictograph of books read by grade level. Each grade level will have a different shaped die cut to make sorting them simpler.

  • Travel Tuesdays on the Announcements – EACH TUESDAY we will announce the states we “traveled” to during the previous week.

  • Guest Readers - Fridays –  Teachers will be asked to sign up for specific times on Fridays to welcome in a guest reader.  We will the create a sign-up genius to send out to parents, board members, and our business partner. It may be that the guest readers have to visit the classrooms virtually.  If so, we will use whichever virtual meeting site authorized by the district.

  • Book Lists - Ms. Stigall will send out book lists to teachers with suggested books that they might read.  Emphasis will be on not only visiting each state, but also on diversity. (See BOOKS Tab On the Main Menu)

  • Book Displays - Books will be on display in the hallways as well as in the library.  Along with the book will be a small poster telling about it's state connection.

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All the reading she had done had given her a view of life that they had never seen.

Matilda by Roald Dahl

 

End of Campaign Celebration

We will wrap up the reading campaign in April with a celebration of School Library Month. Ms. Stigall plans to talk about "growing as a reader" throughout the year.  Reader growth and the fact that we READ Across America will be celebrated by creating things for a garden outside by the picnic tables.

 

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Culmination Activity: 

  • Each K-1 will paint rocks for the garden area.​

  • Each 2-3 class will receive four of the terracotta flowerpots to decorate.  Students in the class or the teacher will choose one of the books that they have read to use as the inspiration for the art on their flowerpot. 12 new terracotta flowerpots donated by Home Depot

  • 4th grade classes will decorate the bird houses using their favorite book as the inspiration for the art. 5 battered old birdhouses from Uncle Earl’s workshop

  • Flower pots & bird houses will be placed outside in the picnic table area.

  • 5th grade classes will create signage for the reading celebration.  They will create the signs using tempera paint and butcher paper. 10 bottles of used tempera paint being discarded by the art department – pink, orange, blue and brown only - Ball jar lids will be used to print flowers on the signs.

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May - Assessment of the Reading Campaign

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Throughout the year, we will collect data that we will use to help us assess the success of the reading campaign.  The data we will collect will include:

  • # of Books Read by Teacher in Class – We will tally the die cuts as they come in.

  • # of Books Read in Classes by Students - We will tally the die cuts as they come in.

  • # of Books Read in Library - We will tally as we fill out the die cuts.

  • # of Students who turn in maps.

 

We will also send out a survey to the staff to find out how they thought the campaign went.  At this time we will ask for advice as we look to the 2021-22 school year.

#MavericksAreReaders

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