Resources for Educators

IDEAS for promoting summer reading and the 5 Book Dive at your campus:

• Keep doing what you're doing! Many campuses already have great summer reading promotion programs.

• Use the provided resources to print 5 Book Dive bookmark reading logs to send home with students.

• Create a display or bulletin board to promote summer reading and include some 5BD books.

• Show students book trailers to spark interest in particular books, as well as videos promoting summer reading. (Many are available free online.)

• Show students how they can access free reading material online all summer through MackinVIA (Austin ISD students) and the public library (all students).

• Talk up summer reading with students in announcements and assemblies, and with parents in PTA meetings, coffee with the principal, the campus and library websites, newsletters, etc. (Include the 5BD website link!) Share with parents how important summer reading is to protect their children from losing ground academically.

• Publicize the free summer programs available at Austin Public Library for kids of all ages. Invite an APL librarian to your school to meet the students, or take a field trip to the branch nearest your school.

• Emphasize the FUN of summer reading, and encourage students to choose books that they enjoy.

• Model summer reading; encourage teachers, administrators, parents, etc., to share what they plan to read during the summer with students.

• Hold a book swap or book giveaway at the end of the school year so students can start the summer with at least one "summer read" already in hand.

• Set up a forum (Bookopolis, etc.) where students can share about their reading throughout the summer, or hold a scheduled Twitter Chat in June or July to talk about what everyone is reading.

• Send out periodic reminders to keep reading on social media throughout the summer - Twitter, Facebook, etc.

• Set up periodic robo-calls to encourage students to keep reading throughout the summer.

• If you plan to recognized Readers who return their 5BD bookmarks or other reading log in the fall, advertise it.

IDEAS for recognizing your summer Readers when it's Back-to-School time:

• Feature Readers' names and/or pictures on a bulletin board near the library or main entrance.

• Print certificates for your Readers.

• Recognize Readers at an assembly, literacy night, or other event. Invite parents!

• Let Readers check out an extra book from the school library, or give them "first dibs" on new books.

• Give Readers a raffle ticket for each book read, then draw for prizes.

• Invite Readers to a celebration (e.g., popsicles, nachos, game time, waterslide, etc.).

• Hold a "Summer Book Club" meeting early in the year for students to talk about what they read over the summer and share favorites with each other. Give special invitations to attendees to join other campus book clubs that continue to meet throughout the year.

• Invite Readers to write a recommendation for their favorite book they read over the summer, and create a "Reader Recommended" display (like BookPeople's "staff picks") in the library and/or on the library website.