Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It is officially 2017 and I am just getting a chance to sit down and blog a little about our school year so far! Oops! To my defense I have been a little behind this year because I was gone on maternity leave for the first couple weeks of school, but I am back and ready to blog again about what is happening in the library!

We got off to a smooth start, and have just been a tad behind with our usual lessons and programs. Our theme this year is Superheroes, and we are encouraging the students to be superheroes and read, read, read! Like last year we are having our youngest students (Pre-K-2nd) participate in the Texas 2x2 Reading Program, and we are having our older students (3rd-4th) graders participate in the Texas Bluebonnet Reading Program. Even though the 2x2 program is not a program in which a book from the list wins an award, at our school we encourage everyone to read at least 5 books from the list, and we read some out loud too, so then our students can participate in our very own election and vote for their favorite. On the other hand, the Bluebonnet program does require students to read at least 5 books from the list in order to be eligible to vote, and the winning book will win the distinguished Bluebonnet Award. Thousands of kids across Texas in 3rd-6th grade will be voting in January so we will be doing the same when we get back to school!

Here are some of our bulletin boards with our theme this year and how we are motivating our students to read 5 or more books from their list.    

 

 

 

 Texas 2x2 Wall

 

Texas Bluebonnet Wall 

On each of these walls the kids are checking off and keeping track of which 2x2 or Bluebonnet books they have read or had read to them. With our youngest students we are reading the 2x2 books together in library and coloring in the book on their class' boot. We are almost to 5 books!

  

 

We are also encouraging kids to go above and beyond just the minimum of 5 books. If students read or listen to ALL 20 2x2 books then they earn a superhero badge. Or if they are in 3rd or 4th grade and they read 10 or more, they earn the badge. 

Here is what the badge looks like close up.  The students sign their name and write what superpower reading gives them. 

Students and teachers are also being encouraged to read the books and write a review to tell others about a great book from the list. They can fill out 1 of these forms and if they do students can choose a prize at the end of the month.

 

Here are the teachers who are currently helping to promote books from the lists! 

   

 These pictures and reviews are posted in the breezeway to our Lower School and Preschool, so all who walk through can see it.  I am thankful for these teachers as they have done a super job of encouraging our kids (and families) to read these books as well!

As we begin 2017, and head into our second semester of school, we will vote for our favorite books from the list. I am then planning on possibly doing a genre challenge for the 2nd part of the year. We did this last year and had mediocre participation, so I plan to switch it up a little to see if I can get more kids to take part this year! If you have any ideas send them my way!

Cheers to 2017 and the many more adventures we plan to have in the library!