California Read-a-Thon

2011 California Read-a-Thon

2010-08-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

The date is set for the next California Read-a-Thon!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Yes, this is the same day as Read Across America. Many people suggested combining the two events since schools already have activities related to reading on that day. Adding the California Read-a-Thon will allow school librarians to incorporate the Library even more and record some of the great reading and activities that take place.

I hope you'll join us!

Final Read-a-Thon post!

2010-04-17T14:01:00.000-07:00

California Read-a-Thon: We're almost finished!

(2:00 to 3:00)

In the random drawing the winner is: Marie at Troy High School with her Prom Book Display (awesome idea!). Please check out the prize page and email me (hmurdoch@smroyals.org) the prize you would like. I will get them sent out this coming week.

Here's your final task and I hope you choose to participate: Email me and reflect on the California Read-a-Thon. You may answer the questions below or just write up your thoughts.I'll email each of you as well since some of you participated on Friday and not Saturday.

Which mini-challenge was the most fun or most difficult for you?
Did you get any reading done? If so, what did you read?
How was the participation level for your students and staff?
What do you think worked well in this read-a-thon?
What could I do next year to improve it?
How likely are you to participate in next year's California Read-a-Thon? Would you encourage your colleagues to participate? I think the more participants we have the more fun it will become.

I will check your blogs over the next couple days if you want to post lists of books your students are reading, reviews written by your students, etc on your library blog

Thank you so much for participating in this first (annual?) California Read-a-Thon. I had a lot of fun and hope you did too!

Hour 5: National Library Week

2010-04-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

California Read-a-Thon: Hour 5

(1:00 to 2:00)

Huge apologies to the schools I didn't visit until just now! I never got notification that Kathy at Taft High School and VBS were both active in the read-a-thon! Check out their blogs to see the awesome activities they did at their schools. Kathy and Susan should both let me now what prizes they want. But, I have no way to contact VBS so Susan, please contact me to get your prizes!

In the random drawing for hour 4 the winner is: Susan from VBS. Please check out the prize page and email me (hmurdoch@smroyals.org) the prize you would like. I will get them sent out this coming week.

Here's your task for Hour 5 should you choose to participate: How did your library celebrate National Library Week? If you didn't do much, feel free to write about how you celebrate some other book-related week (Banned Books, Dr. Seuss, Teen Tech Week, etc). Remember to add your a comment below to tell me you've posted (it would be great to include a link) and I'll randomly choose a winner. Again, if you don't have a blog, email me the photos and description and I'll post it for you.

Remember to check back here just after 2:00 to see who the winner is.

Remember as well to post lists of books your students are reading, reviews written by your students, etc on your library blog. I will check each of your blogs each hour.

Hour 4: Let's Get Moving

2010-04-17T12:02:00.000-07:00

California Read-a-Thon: Hour 4

(12:00 to 1:00)

Thank you for entering your Hour 3 lists of favorites.

In the random drawing the winner is: Kathy from Taft High School. Please check out the prize page and email me (hmurdoch@smroyals.org) the 2 books you would like. I will get them sent out this coming week.

Here's your task for Hour 4 should you choose to participate: Time to get up and get moving! Sitting for too long is going to make you miserable so walk around, stretch, do jumping jacks or yoga. Do something! Then write a post letting us know what you did and how you are feeling at this half-way point in the read-a-thon. Remember to add a comment below and I'll randomly choose a winner. Again, if you don't have a blog, email me the photos and description and I'll post it for you.

Remember to check back here just after 1:00 to see who the winner is.

Remember as well to post lists of books your students are reading, reviews written by your students, etc on your library blog. I will check each of your blogs each hour.

Students are in the Library!

2010-04-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

I have four students here in my library (11:45). I think they needed to wake up :-)

Here's Zach and Melissa:

And here's Jazmynn and Mariana in our graphic novel/manga section:

Hour 3: Favorites

2010-04-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

California Read-a-Thon: Hour 3

(11:00 to 12:00)

In the random drawing the winner is: Marie Slim of Troy High School. Please check out the prize page and email me (hmurdoch@smroyals.org) the 2 books you would like. I will get them sent out this coming week.

Here's your task for Hour 3 should you choose to participate: What are your favorite children's books or your favorite YA books? What are your favorite web 2.0 resources (for students, for you, for teachers)? Remember to add a comment below with a link to your blog and I'll randomly choose a winner. Again, if you don't have a blog, email me the photos and description and I'll post it for you.

Remember to check back here just after 12:00 to see who the winner is.

Remember as well to post lists of books your students are reading, reviews written by your students, etc on your library blog. I will check each of your blogs each hour.

Hour 2: Photography

2010-04-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

California Read-a-Thon: Hour 2
(10:00 to 11:00am)

Is anybody out there? I sure hope so!

Here's your task for Hour 2 should you choose to participate: Take photos that go along with this event and post them on your blog. They can be of you reading, you at your computer, students reading, reading spots in your library. They can be photos from today or past events in your library. Tell us a bit about the photos and then leave a comment below. Again, if you don't have a blog, email me the photos and description and I'll post them for you.

Remember to check back here just after 11:00 to see who the winner is.

Remember as well to post lists of books your students are reading, reviews written by your students, etc on your library blog. I will check each of your blogs each hour.

Hour 1: Introductions

2010-04-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the California Read-a-Thon: Hour 1
(9:00 to 10:00am)

It's just before 9:00am and I am alone in my library, but like to think that there are students/staff out there reading in their own special place or preparing to come to our library. Actually, that's not completely true.

As we begin this read-a-thon, do a post answering the questions below. When you are finished, come back here and add a comment below. Feel free to visit other participant's posts/blogs and we'll get to know a bit about each other. If you don't have a library blog, just leave your answers in a comment below.

What is your name and role at the school?
What is your school's name and where are you located?
What level school is it and how many students do you have?
What is your school's mascot?
Tell us 3 things about your school. They can be obscure, fun, serious, or whatever!

At the beginning of Hour 2 I will post the next mini-challenge and the prize winner of this one.

Remember as well to post lists of books your students are reading, reviews written by your students, etc on your library blog. I will check each of your blogs each hour.

The Read-a-Thon has begun!

2010-04-16T05:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the Read-a-Thon is actually here! I've been organizing this on and off since last Novmeber!

I hope you, your students, and your staff have a wonderful day of reading, reviewing, and thinking about books! Actually, that's my hope for every day.

I'll be checking in on the participating schools throughout the day. Feel free to visit other participants' blogs throughout today and tomorrow to see what other schools are doing and to encourage one another by leaving comments. Participating schools are listed above, just click on the Participating Schools link.

I'll email Friday participants at the end of the day about their prizes (prize list is also available above).

Once you post something today (Friday) please leave a comment below. This will give us all a sense of which blogs to go and visit!

Yes! Sign me up!

2009-11-12T14:52:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited that you've decided to join me in the California Read-A-Thon! Here is the basic information about the event. For more details, check out the FAQ post below.

What is it? The California Read-A-Thon is an event to get California K-12 students reading for fun, reviewing and reflecting on what they are reading without being graded, and sharing what they are reading with other students throughout the state.
When is it? Friday, April 16 and/or Saturday, April 17, 2010
Who is involved? Any K-12 California school with a Teacher Librarian or classified staff member who runs the school library can join us. Public and private, elementary, middle schools and high schools are all invited.
How does it work? On Friday students are encouraged to devote up to 2 hours reading to themselves or to others. They may write reviews of the books they read, draw pictures to go with the stories, or they can write about the reading process, all of which will be posted on their school Library's blog. Details of the role of a reader are spelled out more thoroughly below. On Saturday (9:00am to 3:00pm) older students will read for up to 6 hours. They are encouraged to write reviews of the books they read, which will be posted on their school Library's blog. Details of the role of a reader are spelled out more thoroughly below. Participate as much or as little fits into your schedule; this should be fun, not a chore.

There are three steps to joining:

You'll need a school Library website/blog that you can update during the read-a-thon. If you don't have one yet, create one using Blogger (Blogger is easy if you already have a Google account or Gmail) or Wordpress. Some school districts block blogger so you may want to talk to your IT people and have them unblock the California Read-A-Thon blog and your blog if you choose to use blogger.
Become a Google Friend of this website using the Google Friend sign-up so you'll automatically get updates in your RSS reader whenever I post something. Or, if you don't have a Google account/Gmail, sign up for the RSS feed (available if you scroll down to the bottom where it says Subscribe to: posts). You can also email me at hmurdoch(at)smroyals(dot)org if you'd like direct emails of the posts.
Use Mr. Linky (below) to sign up to participate in the April 16-17, 2010 California Read-A-Thon. Use your school's name (city) in the name field and your blog URL/address.

Frequently Asked Questions

2009-11-11T11:14:00.000-08:00

Special thanks to Dewey and the bloggers who continue her 24-hour Read-a-Thon whose Frequently Asked Questions I "borrowed"from liberally!

What is the date of the California Read-a-Thon?
Friday, April 16, 2009--For elementary schools and those schools that want to do in-school participation.
Saturday, April 17, 2009 (9:00am to 3:00pm)--For middle and high schools who want to participate out-of-school.

(Sunday, April 11 through Saturday, April 17, 2010 is National Library Week.)

Where can I sign my school up?

Once you have a blog, you can sign up on the Sign-Up post. This will add you to the list of participants and enable other school Librarians to visit your blog before, during and after the read-a-thon.

You may participate as an individual school Librarian (certificated or classified) or you can see how many students and teachers you can get involved!

In order to participate, you will need to have a blog for your school Library. If you don't already have one, we recommend you get one. They are free and a great way to post about new books and events taking place in your Library. Sign up with either Blogger (easy if you already have a Google account or Gmail) or Wordpress.

What is the California Read-a-thon?

It is a way for California school Librarians to instill a sense of community around reading. Students are often told what to read and we hope this read-a-thon will give them a chance to read books of their choosing. By reviewing the books they read, they become part of a larger reading community that reaches beyond their classroom and school. Students will also have the chance to read book reviews by other students, which may inspire them to read books from different genres or books they hadn't heard of before.

On Friday students are encouraged to devote up to 2 hours reading to themselves or to others. They may write reviews of the books they read, draw pictures to go with the stories, or they can write about the reading process, all of which will be posted on their school Library's blog. Details of the role of a reader are spelled out more thoroughly below.

On Saturday (9:00am to 3:00pm) older students will read for up to 6 hours. They are encouraged to write reviews of the books they read, which will be posted on their school Library's blog. Details of the role of a reader are spelled out more thoroughly below.

Where does the read-a-thon take place?

On Friday the read-a-thon takes place at your school. This can be in the Library or in individual classrooms, whatever you decide.

On Saturday everyone can read from home or, if you think it would be fun, you can hang out in your school library and have students and teachers join you for all or part of the time. This might be a fun and easy way to make your Library the hub of something fun. You could even break the rules for a day and allow food and drink.... Again, it's up to you.

Do I have to participate for the entire 6 hours on Saturday?

No, but the event will be more fun if you do. You and your students commit to as much or as little as you are able. Check out the questions below about participation categories and levels.

What are the ways in which I can participate?

There are 3 ways to participate and we hope you'll do a bit of all three: host(ess), reader, or cheerleader.

What do I do as a host(ess)?

Host(ess)ing just means that you open your school Library doors on the Saturday of the read-a-thon, inviting students and teachers to join you as they participate. As I mentioned above, you can allow eating for this special occasion or not. You can have the Library available the entire 6 hours, or only part of the time. It's up to you.

What is the role of a reader?
Depending on the age of the students, there are various levels of readers for this read-a-thon:

Primary students are just emerging as readers so may spend their read-a-thon time in school on Friday doing what they can whether that means practicing their ABCs, reading picture books, or reading entry level reading books. To reflect on their reading they can draw pictures to go with their letters, characters, or books. A class can even create one picture as a group. Classroom teachers or school Librarians may create a list of reading or reading-related activities. Once the reading is done, pass on the list, photos of art work, or whatever the students have produced, to the school Librarian at your school so that s/he may post it on the Library blog.

Upper elementary students are now reading chapter books. On Friday they can participate by reading to primary students or as readers who choose a book to read and then write a brief review. Once the review is finished, they should pass it on to their school Librarian so that s/he may post it on the Library blog. Upper elementary students may also participate on Saturday for as little or as much of the 6 hours as they choose. Reviews can be emailed (via their own email or their parent/guardian's email) to the school Librarian for posting. Students do not need to finish a book to write a review; they can talk about what they like about the book so far, how they feel about the characters, what they think might happen next, the possibilities are endless!

Middle and High School students (and even teachers) can participate as full-fledged readers in the Saturday portion of the read-a-thon. They may read for as much or as little of the 6 hours as they choose. They commit to reading books, writing brief reviews and emailing them to their school Librarian for posting on the blog. Reviews may contain some or all of the following: title, author, genre, number of pages, summary of the book, a personal opinion, or even a photo of the book cover.

School Librarians who decide to read are committing to reading books, writing brief reviews of the books, participating in mini-challenges when they choose to, and, when they need breaks, visiting the blogs of other school Librarians and encouraging them.

Updating for Readers: This should be individually customized. If you want to spend 5 or 10 minutes updating each hour or every 3 hours, that’s fine. If you want to update whenever you feel like you need a break from reading, that’s great, too. If you want to just read and read for 6 hours straight and then write one big update, that’s also fine. The same goes for posting reviews from your students. You may post as you go along or do it all at the end. You do what works best for you. However, you'll find it's fun to check in every hour to see what others are up to. It's a great way to feel like you aren't doing this in isolation!

Suggested format for updating: Again, customize this as you wish, but I suggest updating about what you’re reading or posting work from your students. Or your updates might be a book review.

School Librarians visiting other blogs: Do this if and when you’re in the mood, as often as you like. Again, checking in with others and leaving comments is a great way to feel connected to other school Librarians throughout California, get new book ideas, and get support from others for what you are doing.

Tips for Readers:

1. Pick shortish books. When you’re reading for such a long time, you might get really sick of the same book for hours on end. When I did the Dewey 24-hour Read-a-Thon, I read books in the 120-200 page range and had a real feeling of accomplishment when I finished each one.

2. Choose something light (children’s books, humorous books, or graphic novels).

3. Try not to pick really dense nonfiction unless you have an enormous attention span.

4. Give yourself permission to put a book aside and try something else if it’s not holding your attention.

5. Don’t sit in the same spot/position the whole time! This could make your back hurt. Instead, move to different places every hour or two.

6. Don’t be a masochist. This is supposed to be fun! And if anything about the challenge makes you frustrated, please stop and change it so that it works for you. I don’t want unhappy school Librarians; I want this to be a fun community event that highlights reading and school libraries.

Do e-books count?

Of course! So does reading to others such as your own students or children.

What's the role of a cheerleader?

1. On Saturday cheerleaders visit Library blogs and encourage school Librarians and their readers by leaving comments on the blogs.

2. Cheerleaders choose how much time they spend on the read-a-thon, one hour minimum. Cheerleaders may participate on Saturday for one hour or the entire 6 hours or any amount of time in between.

I would like to have as many cheerleaders as possible so that the bloggers/readers don't go too long without an encouraging comment. As a reader, you may also be a cheerleader, whether you take on that role officially or just visit blogs during the day!

If you are interested in being an official cheerleader, email Helen Murdoch at hmurdoch (at) smroyals (dot) org. Be sure to include your full name, school, email address and what time/how much time you would like to cheerlead.

What is a mini-challenge and do I, as a school Librarian, have to do them?

A mini-challenge is a quick and fun activity that will be posted (one per hour on Saturday) for the school Librarian to complete. You only participate in the ones that are interesting to you. Once you have completed the mini-challenge post your response in the comments section for the appropriate hour. Once the hour is over, we'll choose a winner and award a prize. Mini-challenges will take about 10 minutes to complete and will be book-related

Prizes? What are the prizes?

I'm hoping to get Amazon gift certificates, goodies from vendors at the CSLA conference, books from publishers, Follett vouchers.... With each mini-challenge I will post the prizes that up for grabs.

Where do I find out about the mini-challenges during the event?

Check in to the California Read-a-Thon blog just after each hour begins and you will see a new post that lists the mini-challenges and prizes. We'll also post the winners of the previous mini-challenges along the way.

I can't commit my school/teachers/students to the read-a-thon this year, but how can I participate in some way?

1. Spread the word about the read-a-thon to California school Librarians!

2. Read on Saturday and blog about your experience or thoughts about a read-a-thon when you have time.

2. On Saturday, visit the blogs of school Librarians who are participating and see what they are doing. Maybe it will encourage you to get your school/teachers/students to participate next year.

I want to advertise the read-a-thon on my school website and/or blog...

Great! Here are two buttons created for us by Katrina at Bloody Bad (I won them in a contest). Feel free to add these to your website or blog. You may also design one of your own and send it to us. We'll add it to this list.

Planning Stages

2009-11-05T06:01:00.000-08:00

I recently participated in the Dewey 24-hour Read-a-Thon, which was a wonderful experience! When I posted about it on CALIB (the listserve for California School Librarians) Jackie Siminitus suggested I organize a read-a-thon for California. Is she crazy? Me? Organize a state-wide read-a-thon? I took a couple days to think about it and got really excited at the possibilities. So...I'm in!

My hope is that we'll get tons of school librarians, K-12, public and private, to participate. We'll have different options for people to choose from depending on their school, grade levels, time available, etc.

Stay tuned for more information!