Promoting the Volunteer State Book Award
The curriculum guide found below can be used for a more in-depth reading of any of the books on the VSBA list in any of the four divisions. Students can choose a project that best goes along with the book they are reading, or librarians can have all students work on the same guide. These activities can be used in a class or with a book club or other library group, and many of them require readers to produce a product that can be displayed throughout your classroom, school, or library. We hope these tools will be used to help students connect with the books in preparation for voting on their favorite VSBA nominee!
Write a letter to a VSBA author about how their book influenced or affected you. Be sure to include specific examples from their book and your life.
Create a playlist of songs for each significant scene in a book of your choice on one of the VSBA lists. Write why you chose each song for the scenes.
Pick a VSBA nominee that has been turned into a movie, TV show, or interpreted in some other form of media. Then, compare and contrast the book with the other media form. What would you have done differently? Was the adaptation a good one? Why or why not? Did the adaption improve upon the book in any way? How so?
Create a book trailer for one of the VSBA nominees. Be sure to include a synopsis of the book (with no spoilers!) and that the trailer is eye-catching so someone will want to read the book. Use the proper images, music, and scene pacing to the tone of the book.
Topics such as injustice, hatred, and courage are addressed in several of the VSBA nominated books. Research current event articles from the newspaper that address one of the topics within one of the novels. In an essay and/or visual display, compare and contrast the current event to those in your chosen novel.
Pick a book from one of the VSBA lists and make a visual display of the themes you deem most important for readers to infer after reading the book. Using your knowledge of these themes and other books you’ve read, recommend one or two additional novels that depict similar themes.
Or, choose one of the characters from a VSBA nominated book or books and create a collage that best visually represents that character.
Choose a character from one of the VSBA author’s books and make an Instagram account for him or her. Include who this character is following and who is following the character. Create at least 5 posts for the character. You may include pictures and other art to represent the character.
Create an atlas of a fictitious world from one of the VSBA nominees. Include a map, list of indigenous peoples, characteristics of the peoples, different regions, products produced, list of imports and exports, type of government, etc. Look at an actual atlas for ideas. Be creative!
Create an “If you love this...” for one or more of the VSBA nominated books. Use any media to make this project.
Annotate a book or books on any of the VSBA lists in Google Slides in a Snapchat format. You can use Bitmoji, emojis, pictures, shapes and other graphics for this assignment.
Create a VSBA Trivia contest! Write trivia questions on the VSBA books and have participants compete in teams to see who knows the VSBA books best. Can be done virtually or in person.
Create a Bingo board of the VSBA nominees for the level your students or patrons are reading. Readers can keep track of which nominees they've read and you can offer prizes if they clear a row. Check the VSBA level pages for possible Bingo boards that have already been created for the current nominees.
Have a Book Face contest! Readers pick a VSBA nominee that has a face on it and line it up with their own face to look like they are a part of the cover. This can be done with animals on the cover as well. Don't have any book covers with a face? Have some artistic readers create a cover with one that can be used for a Book Face.
Show our VSBA nominated authors some love! Use your library's social media accounts to post readers' comments about their favorite VSBA nominee and tag the author.
Readers create a meme of their favorite VSBA nominated book! Readers take a picture of themselves with a nominated book and caption it, or they can find a blank meme picture that captures their feelings of the book and caption it. Memes can be created with the meme generator of your choice, or in Google Drawings or slides.