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Hope Decker, Director, Cohocton Public Library (NY) Partnering with the local elementary school, the Cohocton Public Library created a dynamic, fun, hands-on program for struggling and reluctant readers ages 6 to 10 years old. Readers were engaged and enthusiastic. Character Quest was based on graphic novels that a variety of ages and reading abilities would enjoy. The cornerstone was the hands-on activities that the Library developed to accompany the books. The goal was to have positive reading experiences and to get struggling readers hooked on a book series. An overview of the program, suggestions on community partnerships, and the 4 week plan will be given. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fLbHr2roCss http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/bigtalk/
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Character QuestBook Club for Struggling and Reluctant Readers
OverviewCharacter Quest is a book club developed to engage
struggling and reluctant readers in high interest books with relatable characters. Readers will associate positive, fun experiences with books, so they will continue to read on their own.
•Background of our town, library and the program•Character Quest Program•Pitfalls/Benefits•[email protected]
Cohocton Stats•Rural area in western NY state, 60 miles south of Rochester•Village of 800 people surrounded by farmland•Very few businesses (gas station, small grocery store, elementary school, wind farms)
Cohocton Public Library Background
• Founded in 1977 after the bookmobile crashed• Chartered to serve
1400• Annual budget of
$65,000 for everything!• 2011 moved from 800 sq ft carriage house to a 6000 sq ft store front
Old Building
New Building
Summer Program
0
100
200
300
400
500
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700
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011 New
Building Closed
2012 Expected Increase
2013 Character Q
uest
•Morning and evening programs•Outside in the pavilion•Kids catch the bus after the program
Met with principal
•Very supportive partner!•Talked about ways we could work together•Came up with a plan together to have the Summer Reading Camp kids come up to the Library every day
Challenges
• Different abilities • Different interests• Wide range of ages• Getting kids here
(walking in heat)
Benefits
• New library audience• No
advertising/promotion necessary
• Helpers• Supplies paid for• Actual data from school
Primary Program Goals• Library’s goal: The children have positive (fun)
experiences with a book so they will want to read more (in a series so they can find others like it)
• School’s goal: help children who are in danger of loosing reading skills over the summer, retain or gain skills
Library’s Secondary Goals
• Partner with school• Increase our summer reading program
numbers• Get new families to come to the library
Partner: Lion’s Club
• Literacy is one of their missions
• Love to help locally, and new projects interest them
• Always looking for guest speakers
Participants• Grades 1 to 5
• Children who have been identified by the school as having a significant risk of loosing reading skills over the summer
• 10 to 15 Children walked up to library with adult teacher and 2-3 teen helpers (about 25 minutes at the library)
• Each group met 4 days a week for 2 weeks• Those who finish the books on their own and
bring the form back to the Library could claim a prize pack at the end of the program
Program Structure
Program
• Choose high interest, easy to read, and humorous graphic novels in a series with relatable characters
• Babymouse (week 1) and Squish (week 2) by Jennifer and Matthew Holm
• I would read the book aloud, while they followed along for 5-7 minutes, then the kids went to “stations” and did activities and crafts
Station: Craft/Activity• 2 new crafts or activities a day
Station: Activity Sheets
Activity Pages• Book based activity sheets (Mazes, coloring
sheets) from author’s web page www.babymouse.com or http://www.randomhousekids.com/brand/babymouse-squish/activities
Other Online Resources from Publisher
•Teacher Guides http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/teachers_guides/9780375832307.pdf
•Computer Games http://www.randomhousekids.com/games/babymouse-munch-mouse
Station: Books• Rest of the books in series to quietly read/look
through/review
Station: More Crafts• Other unrelated crafts in case they run out of
things to do
https://www.guildcraftinc.com/READ-Cards.aspx
Babymouse: Mad Scientist
Facts about Babymouse• She loves cupcakes• She is messy and forgetful• Has a hard time keeping her whiskers
straight
http://www.randomhousekids.com/videos/lpwcnsuyfom-babymouse-book-trailer#.Uw9v9uNdVvA
Babymouse really LOVES cupcakes and is very messy
iPad App
New Babymouse App!
Hershey Kiss Babymouse
Play with Slime
Examine Slime Mold
Give the Dog Vomit Slime Mold a Squirt of Water
Cupcake Bookmark
Moldy Cupcake
Decorate a Cupcake
Foamie Babymouse
Model Magic Clay: Your Favorite Treat
Squish was the natural choice for the next book
Squish: Game On
Facts about Squish
• Daydreams a lot (and is very imaginative)
• Loves comic books • Loves Twinkies
http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/babymouse/squish/
Amoeba Inspiration
iPad App
iPad Apps
Microscopic Pond Life
Microscopic Pond Life
Amoeba Visor
Amoeba Visor
Amoeba Box
Amoeba Box
Watercolor Amoeba
Watercolor Amoeba
Amoeba Twinkie
Amoeba Twinkie
Bleach City
Bleach City
Squish Photo Frame
Squish Photo Frame
Prize: Read book and Return this form
Conclusion• Pitfalls
No one came into the library to claim their prize pack (nevertheless did have a few new families come to the Library)
• Benefits to the Library• Benefits to the School• Benefits to the Kids
Email me at [email protected] to get the list of activities and copies of the instructions
