Stephanie Fong

Michelle Fale-Lampkin
Courtney Waters

Reading Promotion Plan

I. Goal
The fundamental motivational goal is for the boys in the BBC to increase their intrinsic
motivation for literacy activities and engagement in these activities. Students' motivation to learn
from a variety of reading material and technology will be enhanced. Growth in engaged reading
and motivation is evidenced by students' increased involvement with selecting reading material,
reading independently, and sharing what interested them in their reading. Lingo points out that
in order to interest boys in reading one must grab their attention and teach them to truly enjoy
reading. She also points out that when boys are interested in what they are reading their reading
ability increases and will thereby increase their areas of interest (2007).

II. School Profile

Screven County Elementary School is located in Screven County Georgia. Screven
County is the tenth largest county in the state however, it has a relatively small population of
only 14,044 people and 5,290 households according to the 2016 census. There are only three
schools in the county, one elementary, one middle, and one high school. SCES has 1200 students
approximately of which 46% are white, 46% are black, 2.9% Latino or Hispanic, and 2.7% are
multi-racial. Due to the fact that almost 80% of students in the Screven County School System
qualify for free or reduced lunch SCSS is able to offer a Provisional II meal plan which means
that all students receive breakfast and lunch at no cost. At SCES 1.7% of the students receive
special education services due to academic reasons. SCES is also a Title I school due to the low
socio-economic status of the students. SCES’s motto is Standing Committed to Excellence and
Success. At SCES all students, regardless of race or economic status are encouraged and
expected to succeed.
The SCES media center is large and well organized. It houses over 18,000 books which
are arranged using the Dewey Decimal System. All books are also leveled by Lexile. The media
center is run by a full-time librarian and a full-time para-professional. There are four computers
in the library for student use as well as two computer labs where classes can come together
during the time they sign up for. Also, in the media center are two different areas with two-three
tables where students can sit to read or work as well as a large partitioned off section with
curtains, decorations, and comfy seating for students to read silently or with a friend. The media
center is currently running an AR Lexile competition. Each grade level has a large banana split
decoration on the wall leading into it’s hallway. Each class has a cherry with the teachers name
on it. All classes started at the bottom of the banana split and for every 50 AR tests that students
take in that class and make a 100 on the class gets to move their cherry up to the next level on the
split. The first class to get their cherry to the top wins an ice cream party.
The target population for this reading promotion plan will be second grade boys of
average or above average reading ability. There are approximately 100 boys in second grade at
SCES. Of those boys 50 are average or above average according to Dibels scores taken in
August. The issue with this group of boys is not in their ability to read but in their lack of
motivation. These boys are not interested in reading for class nor in reading for fun. Many of
them only read books they are forced to read for AR purposes. When given free time these boys
prefer to talk with friends or play on the computers. According to Lipsyte “boys used to lag
behind girls in reading in the early grades, statistics show, they soon caught up. Not anymore”
(2011). Boys have different needs than girls when it comes to reading and therefore a book club
with only boys will be beneficial. According to Sullivan, “The most basic difference between
boys and girls as readers is that the average boy does not read as much or as well as the average
girl” (2010). Because boys do not read the same volume as girls they are slowly but surely
falling behind. The farther they fall behind the less confidence they have and the less likely they
are to continue reading. It is a vicious cycle. By starting a boys book club where boys can meet
with other boys of similar ability and reading books that interest them they will begin to view
reading in a positive light and therefore be more intrinsically motivated to read.

III. The Plan

A. Project Outline
In order to encourage independent reading among boys, we will be beginning the Boys
Book Club or BBC for short. The BBC will target boys age 7-8 in the second grade who are of
average or above average reading ability. According to Sullivan, boys do not read as much as
girls which creates a gap and “that gap starts small in the early school years but continues to
grow until students reach the eleventh grade, and there is a three-year gap between the
proficiency of the average boy and the average girl (2010). If we want to extinguish that gap
then, boys must read in greater volume and one way to do that is to get them interested in
reading. The BBC will meet 1-2 times per week during lunch over the course of several weeks
depending on the length of the books selected. According to Hill, “book clubs can be a great
way to encourage pleasure reading, and holding the club meeting midday avoids the risk of after-
school fatigue” (2009).
Before beginning the BBC, boys who show interest will be given a survey as to what
types of books may interest them. After compiling the data from the survey a book will be
chosen and copies will be obtained for all participants to use. During the book club meetings
boys will engage in a discussion about each book with the media specialist and other members of
the club. At the conclusion of each book, the participants will be encouraged but not required to
create a short presentation about the book to inform other students of the topic of the book and
either encourage or discourage them from reading it based on their own personal feeling.

B. Details
The media specialist will meet with second grade teachers and ask for recommendations
for male students who are reading at or above grade level but who do not seem interested in
reading for pleasure. The teachers will be asked to compile a list of these students and send the
list to the media specialist. The media specialist will then ask these boys to come to the media
center during the morning period before class starts. The students will complete a brief Google
forms survey of no more than ten questions about their interests outside of school as well as their
reading interests. Questions will include topics such as genre, length of books, illustrations
desired, favorite authors, as well as hobbies, favorite tv shows, and extracurricular activities. It
will be made clear to the students that the survey is completely anonymous and they will be able
to take the survey in the computer lab where no one will be able to look over their shoulder. The
media specialist will then use the results of the surveys to create a fun and exciting presentation
using a Web 2.0 tool about some of the possible choices of books that they may read if they join
the BBC. The presentation will highlight books that were from the most popular genres based on
the survey results. At this time the media specialist should also use the data from the survey to
decide what the first book to be read during the BBC will be. After creating this presentation the
media specialist will set up a time for all of the boys that took the initial survey to come to the
media center for a meeting. She will give the presentation and will explain the purpose of the
BBC to the group allowing time for questions and discussion. Students will be given several
days to think about joining the BBC. All second grade teachers will have a sign-up sheet for
students who decide they are interested in the BBC. After allowing enough time for student sign
ups list of participants for the BBC will be determined and books will be ordered according to
the needs of the students.
During the first meeting, the media specialist and the members of the BBC will work
together to create a list of rules for the club. Also during the first meeting, the media specialist
will read the first chapter aloud to the club and the boys will read the second chapter to
themselves while in the media center. Then she will lead the boys in a discussion about what has
happened so far in order to pique their interest and get them hooked on the book. The BBC will
continue to meet during lunch once each week until the book is completed. The media specialist
will assign the amount to be read before each meeting based on the boys ability and interest in
the book. At the beginning of each meeting, the media specialist should review the rules that
were established during the first meeting. During the discussion time, boys should be free to
speak without fear. “Break the question/response trap. Try to let the students generate a real
conversation. The less you talk, the more natural the discussion will be. Be a fellow reader, not
the teacher (Lingo, 2007). It is important for the boys to be comfortable with each other as well
as the media specialist, the BBC is about the discussion and not questions and answers like in the
classroom. The goal of the BBC is to encourage reading and make it fun not to quiz students and
it is vital that the media specialist keep this in mind during each meeting.
At the conclusion of each book, students will be encouraged but not required to use a
Web 2.0 tool to create an artifact that will show other students their feelings about the book.
Students may create a poster, comic strip, short video, slide show, etc. that they can share with
members of the BBC as well as other students to let them know if they should or should not read
the book.
Implementing technology also helps to motivate and increase interest in reading. Boys in
the BBC will be given the opportunity to produce and present a book trailer after completely
reading a book. In the article, A Book Club for the 21 Century, Gouzie states that “book trailers
st

not only connect kids with books, but helps them to use technology in a meaningful way,
providing opportunities for students not only to consume but also to contribute and create.” They
will have the option to write book reviews on a blog and create book trailer videos. This will
teach them how to plan, apply critical thinking, analyze story elements, and organize their
thoughts. Students basically have to go from reading the book to adapting that information,
designing, and then presenting it in the book trailer format. Students who choose to do this will
post their videos using the web app Animoto.

C. Diverse Learners
Demographer Harold Hodgkinson, who advocates universal preschool education as a
means of providing true equal educational opportunity, reflects on the diversity in U.S. schools
(2003):
  The most diverse group in the United States is our youngest children, and they will make
the nation more diverse as they age. Almost 9 million young people ages 5 to 17 speak a
language other than English in their home and 2.6 million of them have difficulty
speaking English.
 About one-third of our black and Hispanic children are being raised in poverty while 10%
of non-Hispanic whites live in poverty. However, the largest number of poor children are
white while the highest percentage of poor children are black and Hispanic.
In order to close the gap, no child in the BBC will be overlooked. Burris and Welner (2005, p.
595) concluded that when "all students—those at the bottom as well as those at the top of the
[achievement] gap—have access to first-class learning opportunities, all students' achievement
can rise."
Spanish books and material will be provided for boys who are in the ESOL classroom.
The ESOL classroom teacher will be present during the BBC meetings if needed to translate
material or conversation during discussion time.
Special Needs Students will be provided para support during the BBC meetings and IEP
accommodations will be followed during this time. Paraprofessional will be asked to assist the
student, only when asked by the student. This will allow the student to mainstream in with the
other students.
All boys in the BBC will be provided accommodations when asked. Instructional
accommodations are not just for students who are struggling. When accommodations are made,
all students benefit. (Olinghouse, 2008). Books will be made available in large print versions,
braille, or in audio format for those who need such. If a student is struggling with the chosen
book but still wishes to participate in the book club he may be paired with another student to
partner read or allowed to come into the media center at a set time to read with the media
specialist, another adult, or older student one on one.

D. Resources
To implement the BBC the media specialist will need computers with internet access in
order to give students the Google forms survey as well as to allow them to use Web 2.0 tools to
create artifacts at the completion of the BBC. Multiple copies of the chosen book for the BBC
are needed. Copies of the book may be needed in large print as well and a braille machine may
be needed to accommodate students who are visually impaired. If a student needs an audio book
then this must be purchased also as well and a laptop or tablet and headphones will be required.
One projector will be needed in order for students to present their creations at the conclusion of
the BBC. SCES has all of these resources readily available except for multiple copies of each
book. The media specialist would need to obtain multiple copies of each book through school
funding, PTO funding, borrowing from the public library, borrowing from the middle or high
school library, parent donations, or through a grant.

E. Timeline
The purpose of the BBC is to encourage boys to read for enjoyment and hopefully
become lifelong readers. The week by week timeline for the implementation of the book club is
as follows:
Week 1: During week 1, the vision, goal, and criteria for selected participants will be established.
Week 2: The media center specialist will meet with 2nd grade teachers to discuss vision for the
book club and compile a list of students to be invited. The media center specialist will also meet
with students this week to discuss an overview of the book club. Students will also complete the
Google Form interest survey during the introductory meeting.
Week 3: Presentations will be presented to students explaining the BBC club using findings from
the survey. Students interested in participating will have the opportunity to sign up for BBC
during this week.
Week 4: Books will be selected during this week, based on the interest survey from participants,
and ordered for the book club. Adaptive materials and technology resources necessary for the
operation of the book club will also be ordered and/or acquired during this week.
Week 5-and on: The first meeting will take place during week 5 and continue in the subsequent
weeks of the school year. During the first meeting, participants will take place in rules
development for the club to help the meetings run productively throughout the year. Meeting
times will also be presented during the first meeting and expectations for participation moving
forward. The media specialist will engage in on-going evaluation of the BBC as the year
progresses.
End of Program: The media center specialist will evaluate the efficacy of the program at the end
with an additional Google Form survey.

IV. Evaluation
The BBC will be evaluated while the book club is in progress as well as at the conclusion
of the book club. During each meeting the media, specialist will keep a record of students in
attendance and will note whether or not they bring their book and will note if the student has read
the required reading or not. This will be determined through listening to the conversations of the
students and not by asking each student if they read or not. At the conclusion of the BBC the
media specialist will compile the data and if the majority, 85% or more, of the students came to
all but one meeting then attendance will be considered a success. If the majority of the students
seemed to have read the required reading each week then participation will be considered a
success.
At the conclusion of the BBC, the students will be given another Google forms survey to
complete anonymously in the computer lab. The survey will ask questions focusing on how the
boys felt about the book selection, if they enjoyed and felt comfortable participating in the
discussions each week, and how likely they would be to participate again. It will also ask open
ended questions about what other types of books they would be interested in reading and ask
them to tell one positive thought and one negative thought about the BBC. Through these
surveys, the media specialist will be able to get an overall picture of the success of the BBC
through the eyes of the students.

Reference List
AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner. (2017). Retrieved November 5, 2017, from
http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/learningsta
ndards/AASL_LearningStandards.pdf

A Book Club for the 21st Century. (n.d.). Retrieved November 06, 2017, from
http://www.techsoupforlibraries.org/spotlight/a-book-club-for-the-21st-century

Burris, C. C., & Welner, K. G. (2005, November). Closing the achievement gap by detracking.
Phi Delta Kappan, 86(8), 594–598.
Hill, R.A. (2009). Lunchtime Book Clubs. Book Links, 18(3), 12-13.

Hodgkinson, H. L. (2003). Leaving too many children behind: A demographer's view on the
neglect of America's youngest children. Washington, DC: Institute for Educational
Leadership.

Lingo, S. (2007). The All Guys Book Club: Where Boys Take the Risk to Read. Library Media
Connection, 25(7), 24-28.

Lipsyte, R. (2011, August 20). Boys and Reading: Is There Any Hope? Retrieved November 03,
2017, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/books/review/boys-and-reading-is-there-any-
hope.html

More About SCSS. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2017, from

http://www.screven.k12.ga.us/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=350340&type=d

Olinghouse, N. (2008) Designing Lessons for Diverse Learners. Retrieved November 6, 2014,
from
http://education.msu.edu/te/elementary/pdf/designing-lessons-for-diverse-learners.pdf

Sullivan, M. (2010). Serving Boys Through Readers' Advisory. Chicago: ALA Editions.