Selection, Connection, Promotion

1
Selection, Connection, Promotion

• Designing a Summer Reading Program
• Daniel Russo Aimee Miller
• Batavia High School

2
Background

• School improvement goal
• Committee with reps from English, Science, Social
  Studies, LMC
• Researched surveyed

3
Background

• Conclusions
• Avoid punitive quizzes, essays, journals
• Promote enjoyment
• Offer students choices
• Link choices with curriculum
• Connect students to public library
• Committee identified two goals
• promote enjoyment of reading
• develop lifelong readers

4
Curriculum Connections

• Involve multiple departments,
  not just English
• Determine required course for each grade level
• Select one theme for each grade level
• Teachers determine appropriate activity

5
Selection

• Identified common themes
• Freshman English Journeys
• Sophomore Science Ethics
• Junior U.S./American History Lessons of War
• Senior Consumer Education Real Life

6
Selection

• Examined reviews recommended book lists
• Gender
• Length
• Reading level
• Awards
• Genre
• Multicultural elements
• Appeal to teens
• Tried to achieve balance
• Sought input from students

7
Selection Grade 9 English, Journeys
8
Selection Grade 10 Science, Ethics
9
Selection Grade 11 History, War
10
Selection Grade 12 Cons. Ed., Real Life
11
Selection

• Suggestions
• Rather than general themes, find the perfect book
  for a particular unit
• Involve teachers who will actually teach the
  class, not just teachers from the same department

12
Connection

• Teachers connect Summer Reading books with
  curriculum in targeted classes
• Basis of a project
• Discussion or seminar
• Writing prompt
• Electronic message board

13
Connection

• Books available at Batavia Public Library
• School purchased books, BPL circulates
• BPL houses books May-August
• Register to win BHS prize, hand off to public
  library summer reading program

14
Connection

• Suggestions
• Provide adequate support for teachers of targeted
  classes
• Support committee of involved teachers
• Create menu of integration activities
• Refine reading list

15
Promotion to faculty

• Booktalks
• Department meetings
• READ posters of faculty
• Suggestion
• Make textbook copies of Summer Reading books
  available to faculty

16
Promotion to students

• 8th grade booktalks
• High school booktalks
• READ posters of students
• Morning announcements
• School newspaper article
• Video
• Home page
• Banners
• LRC display

17
Promotion to students, 3 prizes

• Hot Books, Cool Looks
• Oakleys

18
Promotion to students, 3 prizes

• i-Read, i-Win, i-Pod
• iPod

19
Promotion to students, 3 prizes

• Get in the Game, READ!
• Summer Fun Basket

20
Promotion to parents

• Flyer sent with report card
• Parent Advisory Council
• E-mail
• Banners outside school
• Newspaper articles
• Community magazine
• Registration night
• Notify bookstores

21
Data collection teachers

• Strong support from English Department
• Lack of one project an obstacle.
• Curriculum is already crammed.
• Its hard when new teachers are teaching a
  course.

22
Data collection parents

• Best advertising
• Letter with report card mailing
• Public library newsletter, displays
• Love reading and look forward to the
  recommendations.
• Has had to read the required reading every year
  only to find that the teacher has never asked
  about it during the year.
• Parents reporting participation at open house
• Freshmen 91, sophomores 85, juniors 66,
  seniors 54

23
Data collection students

• Comment on books that you enjoyed from Summer
  Reading80 positive (April 2007)
• I dont have any suggestions. I wont read
  anything.
• The Car made me keep on reading. It kept me
  really engaged, and I couldnt put it down.
• Talk about the books in class. I read the book,
  but it wasnt used in class.

24
Data collection circulation stats

• Batavia Public Library -- 1341 checkouts (May to
  Aug. 07)
• BHS LRC 106 checkouts (Aug. to Dec. 07)
• Student population 1858 (78)

25
Conclusions

• Challenges
• Supporting teachers
• Developing fresh ideas for incorporating books
• Successes
• Support committee
• 78 participation
• Positive, fun, encouraging tone

26
National Council of Teachers of English

• Summer Reading programs urge students to read
  during their summer vacations, developing and
  maintaining a lifelong habit of reading for
  pleasure. Further, such programs help students
  retain and sharpen literacy skills during the
  months that they are out of the classroom
  (http//www.ncte.org/collections/summerread).
• Batavia High School
• daniel.russo_at_bps101.net
  aimee.miller_at_bps101.net