Book Bloggers

Book Bloggers Book Bloggers is a new reading incentive program in our room this year, it has been specifically designed for second and third grade students who receive extra reading support. The purpose is to provide families with opportunities for reading and responding to literature together. Frequently, parents approach us requesting appropriate book recommendations for their child. Grade level titles frustrate their below level reader and easier selections contain characters or content that their child considers to be “babyish”. Experience has shown us time and time again that children who spend enough time engaged with print, especially with the support of families, increase their reading level at a faster rate and more significantly than those children who spend little or no time engaged in literary activities outside of the school day. The books that will be utilized in this program are constructed in such a way that they are ideal for shared reading. The left-hand side of each page features text at a more sophisticated reading level intended for the adult to read, developing background knowledge and vocabulary before the child reads, while the right-hand pages are written at the child’s independent reading level. Each title will be read at least twice by the family, allowing the child to develop fluency and practice utilizing the new vocabulary words. The genre will vary from month to month in order to expose students to a wide variety of texts including nonfiction, fairytales and realistic fiction. Monthly literature kits will circulate home to participating families of second and third grade corrective reading students. Each kit will include a book that is specifically designed for shared reading and a monthly literature question that families will respond to in an online forum. A program information sheet, including the password and login information, will be included in the kit. Second and third graders will have separate discussion threads for their respective books, accessible on our school’s website. Families with internet access will enter their response (“blog”) to the monthly literature question directly from home, while those without internet access, will enter their response on a sheet provided in the kit. The child can then transfer their written response to the “blog” from school. The literacy blog will encourage families to do more writing together as a unique way to communicate their thoughts about each month’s selection with other families. Each month students who complete the program requirements will be eligible to earn a small motivational prize for participating.