Last week, we annouced the winners of the Dav Pilkey "Be a Reading Superhero" Contest! 50 winning educators from across the country (one from a school in every state) told us what they do in their classrooms to get their kids excited about summer reading. Over 4,000 entries flooded our inboxes.
We were so dazzled by some of the incredible ideas teachers shared with us, we just had to pass them on to our readers. Maybe some of our teacher-readers will gain some new ideas to use in their own classrooms! See below for several entries from our contest winners. You can check out the full list of winners here.
"We do a book swap right before summer break to allow students access to new books to read. Everyone leaves with books whether they bring one or not. We partner with our local library to encourage students to join their summer reading program. We have a BOGO book fair in the spring to allow students to buy more books. Our Reading recovery teacher sends home backpacks filled with books for struggling readers to take home and read over the summer." - Jaci Livermore, London Elementary, London, AR
"For the past 3 years, we have sent each student (prek-5) home with a book. We have asked parents to email pictures of their students "caught reading". The students who return their book reports, get to have lunch with the principal. It has been a great success with both parents and students telling us that they appreciate the motivation for summer reading." - Carmen Lopez, Betty Plasencia Elementary School, Los Angeles, CA
"Our school holds a reading parade every August to celebrate summer reading. All students who read at least 10 books during the summer get to march in the parade. All students and teachers are encouraged to dress as their favorite book character. The parade really gets students excited about reading!" - Sabrina Masters, Holsenbeck Elementary School, Winder, GA
"I've been trying to create a culture where reading is fun! In March, we've been having fun reading challenges through the library. In April and May, we are hosting author visits via Skype to get kids excited about reading. Most of our students don't have access to books outside of school so we've been collecting books that we can giveaway so they will have something for summer reading." - Shauna Yusko, Konawaena Elementary, Kealakekua, HI
"I am organizing a Family Night in May that includes a book swap to get ready for summer. Families will receive flyers and pep talk to participate in our Summer Super Readers. Super Readers will read books to make grade specific goals. When they reach their goals, they get to attend 5 special events including a bowling party, movie trip, puppet show, roller skating, and make a float for a parade! This program is run by volunteers and ALL events are free to every reader." - Amy Weiss, North Liberty Elementary School, North Liberty, IN
"I plan to have several pop-up libraries throughout the summer in which I announce the day before teh event, where and when I will be in our town. Students who attend will be given books for free (as soon as I find funding), have an activity to participate in and hopefully a snack too!" - Susan Sullivan, Craig Hill Elementary, Rochester, NY
"Our school has a "Super Summer Readers" hero-themed assembly at the end of the year to inspire the students to keep reading all summer. Our Reading Teachers dress as super heroes & really get the students excited! As a school we also have a "DEAR" time & we make a fun bag with a summer book log, letter to parents, & a book or two to start their reading off. They earn a Super Reader T-shirt if they bring their book log back in the fall & we have an assembly to honor the students who read! Fun!" - Lisa Schue, Waller Elementary, Burlington, WI
