Access to Books
is the Key to
Successful Reading
Development
Kelli Cedo, Virgina Beach Public Schools
Michele Stansbury, Baltimore County Schools
• m.socrative.com
• Virtual Room Number
Socrative
If you were asked to write a headline about family
engagement and literacy that captured the most important
aspect that should be remembered, what would that
headline be?
Core Question
• Engagement
• Get to know your families
• Encourage consistent contact
• Give multiple opportunities to participate
• Attachment
• Building relationships
• Reciprocal communication- two people involved
• Give and take
• Resources
• Materials
• Training
Shifting Culture
• School Access
• Home Access
• Questions
• How do we get more literature in our schools?
• How do we get more literature in the homes?
• How do we get schools to engage parents in the literature at
school?
• How do we get families to engage with the literature at
home?
A Focus on Literacy
• Who- Pre-K-5th Grade
• What- Literature
• When- All year long (12 months)
Home Library Design
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Who know kids the best?
Gaps in text availability (genre, levels, etc.)
Student interest
New types of text available
Books for school, home, or both
Committees
“My earliest memories are of her (his mother) settling me in the
children's room of the local library while she went upstairs to
check out the popular novels she loved and then reading those
books, sometimes together on the front porch, sometimes curled
up on the couch, sometimes along in bed before sleeping”
Richard Allington 2013
• Social/Emotional Themes
• K- Sharing and feelings
• 5th- Being respectful of yourself and others and accepting
and appreciating differences.
During the School Year
Feelings- frustration, sadness, and anger
Llama Llama Mad at Mama
When Sophie Gets Angry-Really Really Angry
Sharing
Peter’s Chair
It’s Mind
K Example
Being respectful of yourself and others
Inside out and Back Again
Nothing’s Fair in Fifth Grade
Accepting and appreciating differences
The Lemonade War
Drita, My Homegirl
th
5 Grade Example
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Kindergarten Readiness Checklist
Kindergarten Registration
Throughout the summer
Mix of books
• Support for initial skills
• Interest (social/emotional)
Pre-K
Dr. Allington stated, “Several experimental studies have
demonstrated that providing relatively few books for
summer reading will lead to most students
engaging in voluntary
reading during the
Summer.”
Summer Reading 2013
Summer Literacy Program
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8 books
Writing journal
Parent communication
Partnerships
Summer Literacy Program
What is included
My Books Summer Reading materials are
designed to provide students with materials to:
• apply independent reading and comprehension skills;
• maintain a summer reading journal and;
• track summer reading progress.
My Books Summer
Reading
Research
Access to books in the home is key
to academic success. Having as few
as 20 books in the home has a
significant impact on propelling a
child to a higher level of education.
Research in Social Stratification and Mobility
Why Summer
Reading Matters
The “summer slide” accounts for as
much as 85% of the reading achievement
gap between lower-income students and
their middle- and upper-income peers.
• 49 Title I Schools
• 22,781 students
• 500 teachers
Participating Students
Book Packs
Book Packs:
•Students will self-select 5 books to take home.
•Student Journal
•Think sheets for every title
•Superintendent Letter
•Student and Parent access to TrackIt
•Drawstring take home bag
All students in PreK – Grade 8 will receive
the following:
• Five age appropriate reading books
• Title specific Think Sheets
• Summer Reading Journals
• Summer reading knapsacks
• Access to the online “Track It” system
Student Materials
Book Selection forms will arrive at each school the
week of April 8.
• Current students in PreK, kindergarten, and selfcontained classrooms
o Five preselected book packs (no Book Selection forms)
• Current Grade 1 and 2 students
o Self-select 5 of 10 possible book packs
• Current Grade 3 and 8 students
o Self-select 5 of 15 possible book packs
Book Selection
Student
Think Sheets
Text
Dependent
Questions
Academic
Vocabulary
Higher
Order
Thinking
Skills
Reinforce CCSS
Comprehension
Skills and
Strategies
Student Journal
Ageappropriate
and CCSS
aligned writing
prompts that
encourage
reflection
Encourages
students to
cite the text as
evidence to
the question
being asked
Balanced focus
on
Informational
Text and
Literature
Designed to help
bridge grade-level
transition
expectations
Questions are
structured to
encourage
deep thinking
and discussion
about the text
and the book.
Responsibilities include the following task
before/after school hours:
• Disseminate Book Selection forms
• Enter student selections in online database
• Complete and submit the School
Implementation Plan and Timeline
• Inventory and Distribute all materials to all students
My Books Facilitators
• Two facilitators: 30 hours each
oUp to 15 hours for student book selections
oUp to 15 hours for student book
organization and distribution
Facilitator Compensation
Online
Engagement
Measures
participation
and text
complexity
Digital
subscription
available with
all book packs
Reports for
parents,
teachers and
districts
Custom landing
page
with BCPS
messaging
and branding
• Letter from the superintendent
• Parent TrackIt! Information letter
• Kick-off celebrations
• Inventory and Distribute all materials to all students
Parent Communication
• School based incentives
• Scholastic sponsored incentive
• The two schools that have the highest AVERAGE number
of minutes read will be eligible for a drawing.
• The top school will receive three tickets to the Baltimore
Ravens game
• The second place school will receive two reserved tickets to
the Baltimore Grand Prix
Incentives
Let Us Be Your Partner!
Make The
Classroom Bigger