Access to Books is the Key to Successful Reading Development

1. Access to Books is the Key to Successful Reading Development Kelli Cedo, Virgina Beach Public Schools Michele Stansbury, Baltimore County Schools

2. m.socrative.com • Virtual Room Number Socrative

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. Who- Pre-K-5th Grade • What- Literature • When- All year long (12 months) Home Library Design

7. 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

8. “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

9. Social/Emotional Themes • K- Sharing and feelings • 5th- Being respectful of yourself and others and accepting and appreciating differences. During the School Year

10. 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

11. 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 5th Grade Example

12. Kindergarten Readiness Checklist • Kindergarten Registration • Throughout the summer • Mix of books • Support for initial skills • Interest (social/emotional) Pre-K

14. 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

15. 8 books • Writing journal • Parent communication • Partnerships Summer Literacy Program

16. What is included

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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.

20. 49 Title I Schools • 22,781 students • 500 teachers Participating Students

21. 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

22. 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

23. Book Selection forms will arrive at each school the week of April 8. • Current students in PreK, kindergarten, and self-contained classrooms • Five preselected book packs (no Book Selection forms) • Current Grade 1 and 2 students • Self-select 5 of 10 possible book packs • Current Grade 3 and 8 students • Self-select 5 of 15 possible book packs Book Selection

24. Student Think Sheets Text Dependent Questions Higher Order Thinking Skills Reinforce CCSS Comprehension Skills and Strategies Academic Vocabulary

25. Student Journal Age-appropriate 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 Questions are structured to encourage deep thinking and discussion about the text and the book. Designed to help bridge grade-level transition expectations

26. 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

27. Two facilitators: 30 hours each • Up to 15 hours for student book selections • Up to 15 hours for student book organization and distribution Facilitator Compensation

28. Online Engagement Custom landing page with BCPS messaging and branding Reports for parents, teachers and districts Digital subscription available with all book packs Measures participation and text complexity

29. Letter from the superintendent • Parent TrackIt! Information letter • Kick-off celebrations • Inventory and Distribute all materials to all students Parent Communication

30. 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

31. Let Us Be Your Partner! Make The Classroom Bigger