Year Long- Word Collector Challenge

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YEAR LONG- Word Collector Challenge


 

Grade Level: 9th-12th 

Standard(s):

I. Inquire- (A) Think: [1] Formulating questions about a personal interest or a curricular topic

                   (D) Grow: [1] Continually seeking knowledge; [2] Engage in sustained inquiry; [3]                                                           Enacting new understanding through real-world connections

II. Include- (B) Create: [2] Evaluating a variety of perspectives during learning activities

III. Collaborate- (A) Think: [1] Demonstrate their desire to broaden and deepen understanding

                           (B) Create: [1] Using a variety of communication tools and resources

                           (D) Grow: [2] Recognize learning as a social responsibility

IV. Curate- (B) Create: [1] Seeking a variety of resources

V. Explore- (A) Think: [1] Reading widely and deeply in multiple formats; [3] Engaging in inquiry-

                                            based processes for personal growth

                    (C) Share: [1] Expressing curiosity about a topic of personal interest or curricular                                                             relevance

AASL.IV.B.1 Curate: Create: Learners gather information appropriate to the task by seeking a variety of sources. 

AASL.I.B.3 Inquire: Create: 3-  Learners engage with new knowledge by following a process that includes generating products that illustrate learning. 

AASL.V.A.1 Explore: Think: 1- Learners develop and satisfy personal curiosity by reading widely and deeply in multiple formats and write and create for a variety of purposes.

Planning:

  1. Determine the goal of the program
    • The goal of the program is to encourage reading and advocate literacy
    • The other goal is to increase the number of words a student reads
    • The main purpose of the program is to develop literacy, reading comprehension through the vocabulary students become exposed to in their reading, encourage students to read novels or series, and increase reading engagement
  2. Determine the length of the program
    • The program will run from the 1st week of September to the 1st week of May
    • Reminders of the program will be posted on the school and library website, library social media. Optional: Include a countdown timer that runs on real time on the website!
  3. Determine the timeline for the completion of the program
    • August- Set-up; Promotional materials such as flyers, announcements, posters and highlighting the program 
    • September- Begin the program; Begin word count progress by grade level and maintain a list of the top 5 word counts of individual students to be announced on websites, social media. Check word counts by the end of the 2nd week of September. Highlight books written by Hispanic writers, contain Hispanic characters or have the Hispanic experience, include books from book lists
    • October- Check word counts by the end of the 2nd week of October. Update word count progress by grade level and maintain a list of the top 5 word counts of individual students to be announced on website, social media. Highlight books written by horror, thriller, and suspense authors, include books from book lists
    • November- Check word counts by the end of the 2nd week of November. Update word count progress by grade level and maintain a list of the top 5 word counts of individual students to be announced on website, social media. Create a display promoting novels and series, highlight books from book lists
    • December- Check word counts by the end of the 2nd week of December. Update word count progress by grade level and maintain a list of the top 5 word counts of individual students to be announced on website, social media. Create a display promoting novels and series with winter themes, highlight books from book lists
    • January- Check word counts by the end of the 2nd week of January. Update word count progress by grade level and maintain a list of the top 5 word counts of individual students to be announced on website, social media. Continue to highlight novels, series, and books from book lists
    • February- Check word counts by the end of the 2nd week of February. Update word count progress by grade level and maintain a list of the top 5 word counts of individual students to be announced on website, social media. Highlight novels and series written by romance authors or have themes of love or romance.  Continue to highlight novels, series, and books from book lists
    • March- Check word counts by the end of the 2nd week of March. Update word count progress by grade level and maintain a list of the top 5 word counts of individual students to be announced on website, social media. Create a display of books highlighting graphic novels, manga,  and novels in verse. 
    • April- Check word counts by the end of the 2nd week of April. Update word count progress by grade level and maintain a list of the top 5 word counts of individual students to be announced on website, social media. Create a display of books written by poetry authors, novels in verse. Highlight poetry books.
    • May- Check word counts by the end of the 2nd week of April. Update word count progress by grade level and maintain a list of the top 5 word counts of individual students to be announced on website, social media. Wrap up the program and recognize the grade level with the highest word count, recognize the top 5 students from each grade level
  4. Determine the assessment process 
    • Divide the student population by grade level- This program can be specific to individual students or the entire grade level
    • Run reports based on frequency such as: check word counts every 2 weeks 
    • Announce grade level and students that have the highest word counts on the announcements, school/library website, and library social media
  5. Determine the types of books allowed to be read for the program
    • Promote books from book lists such Tayshas, Spirit of Texas, Texas Topaz, YALSA, and Maverick in the library catalog and on library displays 
    • Allow for various formats such as eBooks, audiobooks, graphic novels, novels in verse, manga, etc. to be included in the program 
    • Allow for read-alouds to be included
    • Promote novels and series in the library catalog and on library displays
  6. Determine the method to display the progress of the program
    • Ask: Should the display be virtual or placed somewhere in the library space?
    • Ask: What type of theme should I use to make the program more engaging?
    • Ask: How should I provide evidence of progress being made throughout the duration of the program?
  7. Determine the prize for the winners
    • Consider the type of prize to give to winners
    • Ask: What types of incentives can I offer for the winners and participants?

Promotion:

  1. Promotion will begin in August, around the 2nd week of school
  2. Continued promotion will occur through library visits, flyers, and posted information on the library and school website. Promotion will continue on library social media sites
  3. Displays to highlight themed books, novels, series will be updated regularly throughout the year
  4. Books in alternative formats such as eBooks, novels in verse, graphic novels, manga, and audiobooks will be promoted on the virtual library and shared with classroom teachers and students on the school and library website
  5. Every 2nd week of the month, the word count progress will be updated 
Flyer


Preparations:

  1. Before the school year begins, begin creating the method that will be used to track word count progress; having a theme can make it more interesting and fun!
  2. Upload a digital countdown timer that runs in real time on the library and school website to have participants check how long the program is running
  3. Have current book lists such as Tayshas, Spirit of Texas, Texas Topaz, YALSA, and Maverick prepared; promote and highlight books from these lists
  4. Regularly update the library displays by theme or highlighting novels or series
  5. Upload digital flyers promoting the event on the school and library website, library social media; encourage teachers to share digital flyers on Google Classroom or Remind
  6. Find the best method the monitor progress, example: Run reports based on word counts by grade level and individual students
  7. Have announcements prepared to read aloud in morning and afternoon announcements
  8. Ensure that the OPAC and library catalog contain novels, series or books from the book lists are available for students to access 
  9. Regularly update the progress of the word counts every 2nd week of each month
  10. Prepare methods to announce winners such as a picture and incentives (a small bag of treats or a certificate) for the top 5 students of each grade level

Procedures: 

  1. Teachers may bring in their classes in the beginning of the school year. The librarian will have library orientation explaining library rules, how to access the online library catalog, library resources and services, etc. The librarian will announce the program and the purpose of the program to the students. Ensure that the students understand the rules and expectations of the program running successfully; Encourage them that the primary goal of the program is to grow a love for reading and not prizes, the mission is to make them readers and broaden their reading! Continuing the program each years allows the librarian to change the theme, change displays, and make any adjustments necessary for each grade level and targeted age group. 
  2. Kindly ensure the students that books of ALL formats are accessible for the program. Don't exclude graphic novels or manga just because they have more pictures than words. This can help reach out to even the most reluctant readers to have their chance to participate 
  3. The librarian will run reports at the end of the 2nd week of the month to check word counts of each grade level and the top 5 students of each grade level; the librarian will call the students to upload their picture to the school and library website and provide them an incentive to continue their reading journey. 
  4. The librarian will update the tracking progress 
  5. Themed displays, novels, and series will continuously be highlighted throughout the year
  6. The students will continue to read and receive their incentive (a small bag of treats or a certificate) if they are in the top 5 of their grade
  7. If it's agreed upon with teachers and administration, at the end of the year, the top 5 students from each grade will get to participate in a field trip to Barnes & Nobles for more books!! 

Payoff:

    The PRIMARY goal is to develop a love for reading and advocate for literacy!! Increasing students exposure to novels and series is just a bonus. Increasing reading engagement is also the other main goal of the program. It's to help students develop reading comprehension, vocabulary, and expose them to books that they might actually enjoy. Yes, incentives are being offered throughout the entirety of the program, but they are small little prizes as a thanks for participating. The goal IS NOT to get a prize, but to fall in love with reading. 
    Allowing the students to choose what they want to read and try alternative formats will develop their reading engagement as well as give them the opportunity to try something new. Continuing to encourage the students to read and kindly ensuring them that ALL formats are acceptable to the program also brings up their confidence and make them feel a part of the library community. Advocating for this program every year can help make adjustments needed for grade level and targeted age groups will create an even more effective, fun, and incredible program. 
    Collaborating with teachers, paraprofessionals, faculty, administration and the principal will really help boost this program. Working with the staff and administration will ensure that the program is reaching out to as many students as possible; collaboration will be the key to having a successful program. It will also help the teachers, paraprofessionals, faculty, administration and the principal see the librarian as an educational partner that helps the overall goal of helping students be successful. 
    BONUS: The Top 5 students of each grade level at the end of the year et to participate in a field trip to Barnes & Nobles. For what? MORE BOOKS= MORE READING!

Word Count Tracker




Word Count Guide

References:
Karina's Bilingual Creations. (n.d.). Ar-reading Renaissance word count tracker. TPT. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/AR-Reading-Renaissance-Word-Count-Tracker-2104085

Texas Library Association. (2023, March 24). Reading lists. Texas Library Association. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://txla.org/tools-resources/reading-lists/ 

Yu, S. G. (n.d.). Pinterest. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/437904763758790726/.





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