!1000 Book Club Program

!Plymouth River Elementary School

Hingham, MA

Elizabeth Danis ~ Reading Specialist Laura Donovan ~ Kindergarten Teacher

Sue McHugh ~ Kindergarten Teacher

•The following slides represent how the Plymouth River Elementary School in Hingham, Massachusetts started a 1000 Book Club.

• If you would like additional information please contact Laura Donovan:

ldonovan@hinghamschools.org •Or visit our website: http://hpswebs.hinghamschools.com/prs/thousandbookclub

Starting a 1000 Book Club

What is the 1000 Book Club?The 1000 Book Club Program is a reading program designed for

preschoolers, kindergartners and their families. !

The program’s goals are: • To have quality literature readily available so that each

child will have a two-year period to hear 1000 stories. • To help children develop a lifetime bond with reading and

books. • To provide incentives for families to read with their

children. • To foster a positive connection between home and school. • To ease the transition from preschool to kindergarten by

frequent visits to the “big school” for book bag selections and story times.

Overview of the program• Each spring, eligible preschool children and their

parents attend a “Kick Off” event at our school. They hear details of how the program works and then select their first bag (of 10 books) to bring home.

• They will return that bag within two weeks and then select another bag. They will continue to do this until they have read 100 bags (1000 books) or “graduate” from the program at the end of kindergarten.

• When a child completes one of the “milestones” of 25, 50, 75, or 100 bags he/she will receive a certificate, ribbon, t-shirt or trophy, respectively.

• These preschoolers are invited to attend Story Times at our school.

• The committee applied for and was awarded several grants.

• It is possible to ask for some financial assistance from your PTO. We did not use PTO funds as we preferred to keep this program a staff-run program rather then a PTO-run program.

Initial Funding

• A book drive was held that collected nearly two thousand “gently-used” books.

• Additional books were “purchased” through Scholastic Book Club bonus points.

• Books were entered into a computer-based database, sorted by genre, bundled into groups of ten, and labeled with a 1000 Book Club sticker.

• A total of 2,400 books (all unique titles) are being used in this program. (Our yearly kindergarten population is around 100 students per year.)

Getting the books

Book DriveWe collected almost 2000

books!! We did not include any duplicate titles.

The Book Bags• A local graphic printer/designer sponsored our

program and significantly reduced the price of the bags.

• Committee members and volunteers helped to resize 240 bags from a shoulder strap to a hand strap (30 extra replacement bags were done also.)

• Each bag was labeled with a number 1-240. We have 240 bags from which members choose just 100.

Book Bags

Original bag before our logo and resizing.

Our bag after our logo and

resizing.

In order to get high-quality bags, we needed to get tote bags that had

shoulder straps and resize them.

The Book Racks• Two parent volunteers built the racks,

put a protective finish on them and delivered them to school.

• The lumber, hardware and time was all donated.

The Book RacksOne PRS family

donated all the lumber and two other families

built the racks.

The Bag Stuffing Event• Volunteers from the school community, as well

as from one of our sponsors (Talbots) stuffed book bags.

• Each volunteer was given a box that contained 10 stacks of 10 books, 10 book bags, 100 clear labels, 10 book lists, 10 sign-out cards and a set of directions for stuffing each bag.

• Each bag was assembled and then hung on its numbered hook on a book rack.

Bag StuffingThese women were all from Talbots ~

one of our sponsors.

Our Principal Helping with the Bag Stuffing

Our principal has given this program 100%

support.

Contents of a BagEach bag contains 10

books, a sign-out card, a photo book list

and sign-out procedure sheet.

The Book RacksOur principal allowed us to use this corner

of the cafeteria for the 1000 Book Club.

Sign Out BoxOrganization is the key to making this

self-service program user-friendly!

Record SheetFamilies keep track of which bags they have

checked out.

The paper work is colored coded to

identify each “year” of the program.

This at-home record sheet is for families. They add one sticker

each time they finish a bag.

The Story Time Corner• A corner of the cafeteria was designated as the

1000 Book Club Corner. • Talbots agreed to sponsor the corner by donating

the funds for the rugs and fabric for the walls. • Committee members redesigned an inviting corner

with fabric and story book characters that were created by a parent/graphic artist.

• This corner is home to the book racks and the Story Times for preschoolers.

Story Time CornerThe book racks are on wheels and are easily rolled out to

create this cozy Story Time Corner.

Annual Kick-Off• Local preschools passed out invitations. (We now do

this mostly through email and e-newsletters.) • Parents register online. We use Google Forms to

create a registration page for the kick-off. • Another parent donated gift certificates for the

Munchkins that would be served at the kick-off. • High school students earned community service

points by helping out at the kick-off. • 42 families attended the Inaugural kick-off. • These families were shown a PowerPoint

presentation that outlined the program. • The children heard a story read by a committee

member. • Families checked out their first book bag.

The Kick-Off“If you build it… they will

come!”

Kick-Off Story TimeThis story was read

as the children looked at enlarged

illustrations from the book.

Selecting the First Bag

The children had 240 bags from

which to choose!

This wonderful scene is repeated

over and over again as preschoolers

continue to select new bags!

Story Times• Occasionally, the children in the 1000 Book Club

are invited to visit the “Big School” to hear stories and sing songs.

• A book bag exchange takes place after the Story Time.

• Guest readers such as our principal, some of our sponsors, the head of the English department, and former teachers have volunteered to read.

Story Times

Just look at their faces! They love

listening to stories.

IncentivesChildren can choose to receive their incentives

at our All-School Meeting.

75 Bags ~ 750 Books

100 Bags ~ 1000 Books

More Incentives

Additional Program Income• To keep money coming into the program for

expenses such as incentives, replacement books, yearly kick-offs, and miscellaneous supplies we offer families an opportunity to donate a bag in honor of (or in recognition of or in memory of) someone special.

• Adults whose children have reached 75 bags (750 books) may purchase a t-shirt for themselves.

Donation Tags

Tags are hung from the straps of the book bags. They may be purchased for $25 per bag.

Bags can be donated in honor of someone

special.

Our Bumper Sticker!

Our graphic designer gave us a discounted price on these in exchange

for a link to his site. Our bumper sticker is on his site along with several

other non-profit organizations.

We created a website where families can

register online and get important information.

Volunteers• Bag checkers • Purchase supplies and food for kick-

off • Publicity • Nursery School contact person

The 1000 Book Club Program was awarded the Massachusetts Reading Association (MRA) Sylvia D. Brown

award in March of 2007.

For more information:http://hpswebs.hinghamschools.com/PRS/thousandbookclub

ldonovan@hinghamschools.org

Elizabeth Danis ~ Reading Specialist Laura Donovan ~ Kindergarten Teacher

Sue McHugh ~ Kindergarten Teacher Plymouth River School ~ Hingham, MA

Program Model ~ Birchwood Elementary ~ Niskayuna, NY