• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

A Bookish Little Life

  • home
  • about
  • reading
  • living
  • making
  • all posts
You are here: Home / reading / Hosting an Independent Reading Celebration in the School Library (plus a free packet download for teachers + librarians!)

Hosting an Independent Reading Celebration in the School Library (plus a free packet download for teachers + librarians!)

January 9, 2020 by Jenny Perinovic Leave a Comment

The best parts of my job are, hands down, the opportunities I get to collaborate with my amazing colleagues. So when the 6th Grade ELA team had a gap in their schedule between Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks that they wanted to fill with an independent reading unit, I was thrilled. And then the ideas started coming fast and furious. What if I bring a cart of books into the classroom? Oh – let’s teach THEM how to book talk? What about book reviewing? And I know, let’s let the kids pick any book they want! And I have this bulletin board we can fill with the books they’ve read. And what about hot chocolate? We definitely need hot chocolate.

And friends, that is how the 6th Grade READ-A-LATTE CHALLENGE was born!

Now, I’m a librarian in an independent school, where we have a certain degree of freedom to make last-minute changes to our curriculum, so you may have more constraints on you when trying this in your own classes. But it’s a great little unit to implement when you have a small chunk of time. The kids loved it. We loved it. And best of all? Each and every one of the kids met–or exceeded–the goal they set for themselves. Our 61 6th graders read a grand total of 217 books in 21 days.

61 kids. 217 books. 21 days. The only rule was that they couldn’t read a book that they have already read. Their teachers graded them on the book talks and book reviews, which they uploaded to Flipgrid.

Oh, and the hot chocolate? Well, the Middle School Library was turned into a magical winter wonderland for the occasion. First, we settled in for our Read-A-Latte Lightning Round. The kids assembled themselves in two rows, each with a partner. They then had 30 seconds to pitch their books to their partner before the rows rotated. Once they had heard from everyone, we celebrated with hot cocoa (and toppings), winter word searches, and checking out even more books. It was a win-win for everyone!

Read-A-Latte Packet DownloadDownload

Good luck! And let me know if you try this on your own – I’d love to hear how it goes!

Filed Under: reading Tagged With: downloads, library

Previous Post: « Hello, 2020!
Next Post: Thinking about Small Space Living (with a toddler!) »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *






This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I’m Jenny.

I’m a mom, writer, librarian, and reader. Bookish.nu has existed in some form or another since 2007, when I was a freshman in college. This most recent iteration is part book blog, part lifestyle blog, and 100% me.

Let’s Connect

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • What I’m reading (January 2020)
  • Thinking about Small Space Living (with a toddler!)
  • Hosting an Independent Reading Celebration in the School Library (plus a free packet download for teachers + librarians!)
  • Hello, 2020!
  • 10 Books to Gift to Kids

Archives

  • January 2020
  • December 2019

Categories

  • living
  • reading

Footer

I just want to be as cozy as a Phoebe in a blanket I just want to be as cozy as a Phoebe in a blanket. 🥰
My middle school students have spoken! In 2021, I' My middle school students have spoken! In 2021, I'm asking them to vote on one book per month that I read. First up: KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES! 

What are you reading this January? 

#librariansofinstagram #schoollibrary #librarylife #whatlibrariansread
I'm so excited to help the lovely @anndayleview wi I'm so excited to help the lovely @anndayleview with her cover reveal for #ataleofashes!!! Isn't it gorgeous??

🔥

Humans are going missing, and the fae are to blame. War is coming.

Freddie is a human at a magically diverse boarding school who longs to report on the stories of war-torn Fairy. When students go missing on campus, it's the perfect opportunity to jump start her career. All fingers are pointing to the fae, but her story needs facts.

Aiden is a fae soldier with a murderous reputation, bound in servitude to the rebel army. He's on a quest for revenge and taking down the Summer Realm is the best way to get it. But when Freddie snoops into his life, he questions if revenge is more important than freedom. 

Will Freddie let the handsome soldier distract her from finding thekidnapper, or will she be the next to disappear?

🔥

Check out @anndayleview's page for links and more!!
Bookstagramer I am not (and let's not even think a Bookstagramer I am not (and let's not even think about what I'll use for a background once we take the tree down this week) but this gorgeous illustrated copy of THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST just arrived and I'm excited to dig into it as I keep moving on these revisions!! 🥀
The universe knew exactly what I needed to hear to The universe knew exactly what I needed to hear today...and put the message directly underfoot in the park. I'll even forgive it for tripping me. 😊
Happy Sunday friends! I'm catching up on a few day Happy Sunday friends! I'm catching up on a few days of the #AMMParty.

Day 1: I'm Jenny! I write YA fantasy/paranormal/historical, and I've decided to enter AMM with my Beauty and the Beast inspired historical fantasy called BLOOD LIKE ROSES. It's the same manuscript I entered PW with, and since then I've queried it a bit and am currently revising it, so I think some guidance with a mentor would be amazing!

BLOOD LIKE ROSES is a story about mothers and daughters, about defying the choices made for us, and choosing our own paths in the world. It's also full of werewolves, blood and plant magic, banter, and kissing.

Day 2: my 2021 goals are to finish this revision, resume querying, and finish drafting my other project ☺️

Day 3: My manuscript's first line: THEY BURNED MY MOTHER FOR A WITCH.
The house has been cleaned from top to bottom, all The house has been cleaned from top to bottom, all the windows are open to let in the New Year, and I'm finally sitting down to follow @lbardugo's lead to #baymtgo - begin as you mean to go on. And this year, I mean to keep putting words on the page. ❤️
2020 Writing Recap 🥀 2021 Writing Goals (and dr 2020 Writing Recap 🥀 2021 Writing Goals (and dreams)

I was honestly shocked when I tallied up the number of words I've written since June. (To put it in perspective, I struggled over 40k in three different projects between 2014, when I finished A MAGIC DARK AND BRIGHT, and this June, when I sat down to finish the first draft of BLOOD LIKE ROSES). And that's not even counting the endless versions of query letters and synopses I drafted....

🥀 

My biggest goal for 2021 is to keep writing. I feel more like myself than I have in a really long time. I want to push myself to finish this revision and resume querying. I want to draft another book. I want to soak up every minute of the Tin House YA Workshop I'm attending in February

🥀 

I've included some 2021 dreams, too, because I decided I may as well put them down on paper. Dreams are nice, but mostly out of my control. So I'll focus on the words, and trust the rest will follow. 

🥀 

What are your 2021 goals? Your dreams?? 

#writersofinstagram #writingcommunity #writermom #yawriter #yafantasy #amrevising

A Bookish Little Life © 2021 · WordPress · Log in