School-wide Reading Program

Planning Model: Waseca Junior High School

Developed by David Oraskovich

  1. Form a task force: We have a task force of 4-5 teacher volunteers.
  2. Determine the goals of the school-wide reading program
  3. Identify source(s) of funding
  4. Select book
  5. Contact author
  6. Availability
  7. Fees
  8. Establish time line for reading program
  9. Determined by book length
  10. Set kick-off date (distribution of books to students)
  11. Determine chapters to be read weekly
  12. Set discussion dates
  13. Contact media for coverage.
  14. Distribute books to students and staff
  15. Explain objectives of the school-wide reading program
  16. Provide author biography
  17. Discussions
  18. Weekly during homeroom
  19. Task force writes a variety of questions
  20. Literal
  21. Figurative
  22. Open-ended
  23. Provide opportunities for students to pose questions
  24. Maintain causal atmosphere
  25. Create bulletin board(s) in school
  26. Create posters
  27. Design posters in computer class
  28. Select posters to display in school and town
  29. Students (6-8) distribute posters in town
  30. Get signed parent-permission forms to distribute posters
  31. Create script for students to used when distributing posters
  32. Teachers/adults supervise students during distribution
  33. Design postcard
  34. Distribute to all parents during Parent/Teacher
  35. Mail to targeted audiences
  36. School board members
  37. Public library and Friend of the Library
  38. City Council
  39. Waseca Area Foundation
  1. Post-reading activity: Each Jaytime (homeroom) will draft three questions to pose to author
  2. Questions submitted to task force
  3. Questions are typed (edited if necessary) and scripted

(Welcome, Mr. Durbin. My name is ___. “………….?”)

  1. Select ten students per grade level to pose student-generated questions to author during presentation
  2. Strive for a diverse group: gender, race, ability, interests
  3. From the bank of scripted questions, allow each student to select the question he/she will pose (Not all questions will be selected from the bank, since there will be more than 10 questions available.)
  4. Prompt students to familiarize themselves with the selected question
  1. Prepare introduction to use with author during student presentation
  2. Select two students per grade level to introduce author
  3. Prompt students to familiarize themselves with the introduction
  4. Contact media for presentation
  5. Newspaper
  6. Television
  7. Meet and Greet the Author
  8. Breakfast prepared in media center
  9. Staff volunteers prepare and serve food
  10. Fund with money from school fund raiser
  11. Staff invited to breakfast
  12. Targeted group of students invited to breakfast
  13. Students reading introduction
  14. Students reading questions
  15. Students who designed posters selected for posting in community
  16. Provide opportunity for book signing

X. Author’s student presentation (2)

A. Present by grade levels

B. Author presents

C. Provide time for scripted questions

1. Middle of presentation (or)

2. End of presentation

D. Teachers sit with homerooms

XI. Follow-up

  1. Survey students
  2. Survey staff
  3. Compile results
  4. Create graphs
  5. Review results
  6. Determine successes
  7. Determine areas of concern
  8. Compile written comments from surveys

C. Celebrate successes and determine potential changes for next year