How To...Celebrate Reading – Electronically!

For Reproducible click here. PDF 49KB
Microsoft PowerPoint Booktalk template 28KB

Door displays give school halls a festive look for Book Character Day (Russell Cave Elementary, Lexington, KY).

Celebrate reading with these great resources on the web for curriculum lessons and ideas:

Children's Book Week
www.cbcbooks.org/cbw
The theme for Children's Book Week 2005, which takes place November 14-20, is "Imagine." The Children's Book Council website has dozens of resources and links to support a successful book week. Download the book list, directions and questions for a Battle of the Books game. My students created their own questions from our class book list. You can even let your students search the Internet to find questions and answers for their book favorites. Additional resources include story starters and author and illustrator links.

Teachingbooks.net
www.teachingbooks.net
This online database of books and authors is a rich resource for book characters, author studies and book talks. Encourage students to create book covers for all-time favorites from their reading logs. For a list of authors and illustrators to consult before heading to this site, check out our Online Extra list of interviews from our Magazine Archives.

BOOK IT!® Reading Program
www.bookitprogram.com
Pizza Hut® BOOK IT!, a national reading incentive program for grades K-6, runs from October through March. Every child who reaches his or her monthly reading goal earns a certificate for a free Personal Pan Pizza® . Teachers can download reproducibles, including a student Month- ly Reading Log, (by the minute, page or book), a Book Review form and various certificates.

Enrollment for BOOK IT! Beginners®, an eight-week program that encourages teachers to read aloud to preK kids, is open through mid-February; the program begins in March.

Reading, "techie" style
The Internet isn't the only technology that will support your reading curriculum. Don't forget the tools rapidly becoming technology staples for the K-8 classroom: word processors, graphic drawing tools, photo editors – and your digital camera and video camcorder.

1. Create a Character Map. Teach students how to develop a character map with a graphic organizer tool (Kidspiration, KidSpark) using a popular book character or a classic character like Winnie the Pooh. Using Pooh as a model, expand the lesson to let students draw the setting or map the Hundred Acre Wood. Extend your study further and plan a Book Character Day where teachers and students dress up. We decorate class doors for this event. Brainstorm book characters and create a table in Word or a spreadsheet chart in Excel. Add columns for costume ideas and character traits. This is a good resource for a character education lesson, too.

2. Bookplates. Use a word processing program and address labels to create personalized bookplates for student books. Avery has a wonderful website with free templates and Avery DesignPro Media software you can use to create personal labels. www.avery.com/media

3. Charlotte's Web. This classic is a great jumping-off point for a word-processing lesson. Read the chapter where Charlotte "spins" words in her web, then introduce students to Microsoft Office WordArt. My students use this to practice spelling and vocabulary.

4. Electronic Booktalk. Create an electronic booktalk using a presentation tool or html editor. Let students present at a Family Reading Night or school Book Fair. Don't forget illustrations – search the web, draw your own, or take digital photos at Book Character Day.

For Reproducible click here. PDF 49KB
Microsoft PowerPoint Booktalk template 28KB

Linda K. Lindroth is Technology Editor and Web Coordinator for Teaching K-8. She is also a Technology Resource Teacher in a K-5 computer lab in Lexington, KY.