TD Summer Reading Club 2011
Staff Manual
Welcome letter from the Toronto Public Library The Toronto Public Library is pleased to present the 2011 TD Summer Reading Club, made possible through the generous support of TD Bank Financial Group. Lively scenes of children playing in and around water are brought to mind with this year’s theme: Splash! Celebrate Summer. Building sandcastles at the seashore, fishing off the end of a dock, setting off in a canoe or just splashing around in a local pool are all part of the fun this summer. This year’s theme was chosen by a nationwide vote of children’s services staff from libraries participating in the program. The search for an illustrator was also Canada-wide. British Columbia artist Kim LaFave, a recipient of the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award for Shin-chi’s Canoe, has created the artwork for the program. This staff manual contains all new programs with many fun activities and crafts for all age groups, from preschoolers to twelve-year-olds, centred on the Splash! theme. The programs contain many book suggestions, in addition to those on the booklists. The TD Kids National Web Site, http://tdsrc.torontopubliclibrary.ca/, continues to offer child-friendly booklists, games and activities for youngsters anywhere in Canada. The site also allows librarians to add the number of books read at the library to an ever-growing national total, and, new this year, there is a newsfeed of the number of books read at individual libraries all over Canada. Beginning in 2010, CNIB Library aligned its theme with the TD Summer Reading Club. As a result, children with print disabilities will now be able to read some of the same books as their friends and find other books on the Splash! theme in audio and Braille. An information page that describes how to include blind and partially sighted kids in your programming is included in this staff manual. A tactile sticker in the shape of a seahorse is included with this year’s print materials and is distributed to all children that register for the program. Creative input from the team of children’s librarians in Toronto, Ottawa, London and Montreal that develop the materials for the program is gratefully acknowledged. The contribution from Library and Archives Canada is also very much appreciated and, since joining the program only a short time ago, CNIB has already benefited the program in numerous ways. TD Bank Financial Group supports responsible forestry practices and enabled the printing of this manual and supporting print materials on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper.
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We hope you have a wonderful summer introducing the children in your community to the TD Summer Reading Club and to the programs outlined in this manual for your use.
Yours in Reading Fun,
Lisa Heggum Children and Youth Advocate, Toronto Public Library
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TD Summer Reading Club 2011 Splash! Celebrate Summer Staff Manual Table of Contents 1. About Splash! Theme essay..................................................................................................................... 6 About the artist ................................................................................................................. 9 About the poster New! .................................................................................................... 11 Program elements .......................................................................................................... 11 2. How to Run a Successful Summer Reading Club Content ........................................................................................................................... 13 Promotion ....................................................................................................................... 14 Thank you letters to TD sponsor .................................................................................... 19 3. Splash! and the Internet TD Kids National Web Site Updated! ............................................................................. 21 Promotion Using Social Networking & Video Updated! .................................................. 22 4. Taking the Summer Reading Club into Your Community Outreach to summer camps and child care centres ........................................................ 24 Outreach to other community groups Updated! .............................................................. 26 Outreach to kids with print disabilities (CNIB Library) Updated! .................................... 28 5. Ready for Reading at the Toronto Public Library Ready for Reading ......................................................................................................... 29 6. Programs, Contests, Display and Outreach Ideas Preschool Treasure Hunting ........................................................................................................... 30 Sea Creature Habitats .................................................................................................... 32 In the Ocean.................................................................................................................... 34 Sea Creatures in Disguise ............................................................................................. 36 Scuba Fun! ..................................................................................................................... 37
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Sea and Seashore ......................................................................................................... 38 A Day at the Pond .......................................................................................................... 41 Ages 6–8 Shark Attack! .................................................................................................................. 44 Big Fish in the Pond ....................................................................................................... 47 All Around the Campfire (also 9–12) .............................................................................. 49 Rainy Day Fun ............................................................................................................... 54 Craft Stations ................................................................................................................. 56 Mythical Water Creatures ............................................................................................... 58 Chalk It Up at the Library ............................................................................................... 61 Beach Party! (also 9–12) ................................................................................................ 63 Ages 9–12 Cooking with the Sun – Make A Solar Oven .................................................................. 66 Viking Explorers ............................................................................................................. 69 Ahoy, Matey! .................................................................................................................. 74 Fit to Travel .................................................................................................................... 78 Fun Paper ...................................................................................................................... 80 Loads of Fun: Activity Day ............................................................................................. 85 All Ages A River Runs Through It ................................................................................................. 87 Splish, Splash! ............................................................................................................... 90 Take a Hike! ................................................................................................................... 93 Under the Sea ................................................................................................................ 95 Yellow Submarine .......................................................................................................... 98 Bricks and Brains – A LEGO Building Contest ............................................................. 100 Silly Stuff ...................................................................................................................... 102 Contests Funny Caption .............................................................................................................. 110 Water Words ................................................................................................................ 111 Hidden Words .............................................................................................................. 113 Guess the Number ....................................................................................................... 113
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Display Ideas Aquarium Display ......................................................................................................... 114 Adding Names to the Wall of Fame ............................................................................. 114 Book Reporting – Name Game .................................................................................... 114 Reading River .............................................................................................................. 115 Outreach Ideas Extend Your Programs ................................................................................................. 116 7. Activity Booklet Answers New! .........…………………………… …… ……………...........122 8. Forms, Templates and Clip Art Available online at http://www.td-club-td.ca ◊ Oral Book Report Questions (Fiction) ◊ Oral Book Report Questions (Nonfiction) ◊ Reading Reports ◊ Picture Report ◊ Dice Template ◊ Bingo Sheets ◊ Registration Forms ◊ Wall of Fame ◊ Certificates ◊ My Summer Reading Log ◊ Ready for Reading Preschool Activity Sheet ◊ Library Program Sheet ◊ Decima Statistics and Evaluation Form ◊ Splash! Celebrate Summer Clip Art 9. Booklists ◊ Picture Books ◊ Advanced Picture Books ◊ Beginning Readers ◊ Easy Readers ◊ Fiction Ages 9-12 ◊ Nonfiction ◊ Graphic Novels ◊ Folk and Fairy Tales ◊ Teen Books ◊ DVDs
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Theme essay Splash! Celebrate Summer The theme essay is researched and written by Josiane Polidori, Head, Children's Literature Service, Library and Archives Canada. Seen from outer space, the Earth is blue; we call it the “blue planet.” The reason for this is that water covers nearly 70% of our planet’s surface. Water is essential for life. We are going to learn about various aspects of this far-reaching resource and dive headfirst into the chosen theme for TD Summer Club 2011. Mermaids, pirates, and all the rest Children’s classics are teeming with legendary creatures from the sea or rivers. The best known is, without a doubt, Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. This story, first published in 1835, is the tragic tale of a mermaid who falls in love with a prince and breaks taboos in order to become human. Many adaptations, including one by Disney Studios (1989), offer a softer version. The bewitching siren of Greek mythology and the selkie of Celtic legend are featured in many stories: Sonia Sarfati gives them a comical turn in Le sang des sirènes, while in Greyling, Jane Yolen draws inspiration from the selkie, a half-woman, half-seal that dances in the moonlight. Ponyo, the fish-girl in Miyazaki’s animated Japanese film, is an environmental fable in which a sea creature named Ponyo joins forces with a little boy to fight pollution, while Sedna, the sea goddess of the Inuit, appears in Nicolas Dickner’s story Boulevard Banquise and in Sedna, published by Les éditions du soleil de minuit. Novelists of the Victorian era were captivated by adventures of the sea and travel. Charles Kinsley’s illustrated didactic fable The Water Babies presents an underwater world inhabited by babies. Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Herman Melville’s Moby Dick have both enjoyed great success since first published. The original versions of these tales still captivate, while their comic book adaptations, published by Glénat in the series Nemo (by Brüno) and Achab (by Patrick Mallet), are attracting new readers. Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn may seem inaccessible to today’s readers, but the journey of Huck and his friend Jim satisfied the longings of generations of children who dreamt of setting out on a raft to conquer an unknown river. Who has not dreamt of being a buccaneer sailing off in pursuit of a treasure-filled galleon? As they turn the pages of A Thousand Years of Pirates, by William Gilkerson, children will learn that the Vikings devised methods of piracy. The characters in Camille Bouchard’s series L’île de la Licorne and in Patricia Juste Amédée’s Tila find themselves in actual historical situations, such as slavery and the conquest of New France.
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Why is water blue? Water is a topic of social debate; there is concern about the conservation of this natural resource and an insistence that everyone have access to drinking water. In February 2010, novelist Yann Martel wrote a poetic tale entitled What the Drop of Water Had to Say to draw attention to the mandate of the ONE DROP Foundation. Many nonfiction books for children shed further light on various aspects of this natural resource by taking a look at lake and river ecosystems. A book such as One Well, by Rochelle Strauss, shows the importance of having access to a well, and in Under the Ice, by Kathy Conlan, a biologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature, the secrets of ice are revealed. The importance of marshes and wetlands, the discovery of fauna and flora, or the exploration of fishes, marine mammals and coastal areas are all exciting avenues for exploring the theme of water. Any books about water sports, especially those in the Spooky Tales series, such as Don’t Go Near the Water! by Veronika Martenova Charles, will provide relevant information about water safety. Books about outdoor activities such as camping, fishing and canoeing will also appeal to young readers who love nature. Draw me the sea English Canadian illustrators are known for their knack for depicting the natural world. Landscapes of the east and west coasts are rendered poetically and realistically by illustrators Ron Lightburn, in his picture book Driftwood Cove, and Susan Tooke, in her alphabet primer A Seaside Alphabet. The more energy bursting and imaginative approach of Quebec illustrators is apparent in the dreamlike work of Stéphane Poulin in L'oiseau des sables, and is perfectly suited to Dominique Demers’ poetic tale. The characters in children’s favourite picture books are often shown at the seashore: Stella, Stanley, Galette and Scaredy Squirrel have all had unforgettable experiences at the beach. The visual imagery of outdoor activities is also found in the book When We Go Camping, illustrated by Andrew Kiss and written by Margriet Ruurs, and in picture books such as Franklin's Canoe Trip, by Sharon Jennings, or even Camping de nuit, in which Toupie and Binou are harshly tested. Finally, the pleasures of summer are also shown in depictions of summer holidays and family gatherings. Jan Andrews’ story The Twelve Days of Summer, wonderfully illustrated by Susan Rennick Jolliffe, and Marie-Louise Gay’s illustrated series Hounsley and Catina make us long for the holidays. Barbara Reid serves up a visual feast in The Party; her tale of a zany family party leaves us drooling. Then there are the many picture books that feature animals that live near the shore or near lakes and rivers as well as insects, and the adventures of Max Velthuijs’s famous Frog that will make us croak with pleasure.
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Holiday activities For children, the summer is synonymous with holidays. It is a time when children have fun together swimming in the local pool, running under sprinklers in the neighbourhood, going camping with their families, or having a picnic beside a lake or at the seashore. No matter where they are headed, children always ask the same question: “When will we get there?” David Homel’s story Travels with My Family, illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay, and Richard Scrimger’s novel The Way to Schenectady are hilarious accounts of trips that are strange indeed. Spending time at a summer camp on a lake is a common experience for many youngsters from the city. They learn how to pitch a tent, build a campfire and roast marshmallows, and how to paddle a canoe. River waters may also hold secrets, as we find out in Robert Soulières’s novel Un été sur le Richelieu, which takes the reader on a discovery of sunken shipwrecks. The experiments suggested for young naturalists in magazines such as Les Débrouillards, Owl or Chickadee, and a number of novels highlight these discoveries as they are experienced, for example, by the characters Julie Johnston creates in her novel The Only Outcast. But when the weather calls for rain, it is time to find a project, to consult Who Likes the Rain? by Etta Kaner, illustrated by Marie Lafrance, for a better understanding of the water cycle and, most important of all, to stay indoors and read a good book. Bibliography Cullinan, Bernice E., Person, Diane Goetz et al. The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature, New York: Continuum, 2003. Edwards, Gail, Saltman, Judith. Picturing Canada: A History of Canadian Children's Illustrated Books and Publishing, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, c2010. Landsberg, Michele. Michele Landsberg's Guide to Children's Books, Markham, Ontario: Penguin Books Canada, 1986. Lepage, Françoise. Histoire de la littérature pour la jeunesse. Québec et francophonies du Canada suivie d’un Dictionnaire des auteurs et des illustrateurs, Orleans, Ontario: Les Éditions David, 2000.
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About the artist: Kim LaFave Kim LaFave studied illustration at the Alberta College of Art in Calgary and at the Illustrators Workshop in New York, before settling in Toronto in 1978 to become a freelance artist and children’s illustrator. Kim now makes his home in Roberts Creek, British Columbia, painting and illustrating from his studio by the sea. Examples of Kim’s award winning illustrations can be found in Amos’s Sweater, Big Ben, Shi-shi-etko and Shin-chi’s Canoe. Other works include the much loved early readers Emma’s Emu, Andrew’s Magnificent Mountains and Andrew – Catch that Cat! His neighbourhood series with Paulette Bourgeois has been translated as Dans mon coin and includes Les éboueurs, Les pompiers, Les policiers, and Les postiers. Other translations include his work with Dorothy Harris, Un chien très, très particulier, and Kenneth Oppel’s L’étoile de Noël as well as Lunn’s Le chandail d’Amos. He is published by Groundwood, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Scholastic Canada, Orca, Kids Can Press, Random House and Doubleday, among others. Kim is exploring the digital environment as well as continuing to work in more traditional mediums like watercolours. The illustrations in Shin-chi’s Canoe were digitally created and the ink drawings in We’ll All Go Sailing were scanned and coloured using a computer. Much of LaFave’s artwork has a comic book look that is seen with the use of line in the characters in Ben Over Night and in the recently published Fishing with Gubby. Kim’s illustrations and books have received many prestigious honours. Some of the awards won are listed below. TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award 2009
Shin-chi’s Canoe by Nicola I. Campbell
Governor General’s Literary Award for children’s illustration Ruth Schwartz Children’s Book Award Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Medal 1988
Amos’s Sweater by Janet Lunn
Selected publications illustrated by Kim LaFave Andrew, Catch that Cat! Text by Deanne Lee Bingham. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1999 Angels Inc. Text by Bruce McBay. Tradewind, 2008
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Bats About Baseball. Text by Jean Little and Claire MacKay. Viking, 1995 Becca at Sea. Text by Deirdre. F. Baker. Groundwood, 2007 Ben Over Night. Text by Sarah Ellis. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2005 Big Ben. Text by Sarah Ellis. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2001 A Bumblebee Sweater. Text by Betty Waterton. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2008 Duff’s Monkey Business. Text by Budge Wilson. Halifax: Formac, 2000 Emma’s Emu. Text by Kenneth Oppel. London: H. Hamilton, 1995 Firefighters. Text by Paulette Bourgois. Kids Can Press, 2005 Fishing with Gubby. Text by Gary Kent. Harbour, 2010 Follow That Star. Text by Kenneth Oppel. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1994 Garbage Collectors. Text by Paulette Bourgeois. Kids Can Press, 2004 Gregory and Alexander. Text by William Berringer. Orca, 2003 Police Officers. Text by Paulette Bourgeois. Kids Can Press, 2004 Postal Workers. Text by Paulette Bourgeois. Kids Can Press, 2005 Shi-shi-etko. Text by Nicola I. Campbell. Groundwood, 2005 A Very Unusual Dog. Text by Dorothy Joan Harris. North Winds, 2004 We’ll All Go Exploring. Text by Maggee Spicer. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2003 We’ll All Go Flying. Text by Nicola I. Campbell. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2002 We’ll All Go Sailing. Text by Maggee Spicer. Fitzhenry & Whiteside. 2001
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About the poster The artist selected for the program creates the poster illustration based on the following parameters: •
The theme is symbolized.
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The illustration promotes reading.
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All children across Canada are represented with a range of ages depicted.
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Cultural sensitivity is considered.
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The images are dynamic and fun.
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The colours work well for children with vision loss.
The mix of warm and cold colours in Kim LaFave’s poster this year is visually dynamic as are the images bursting out of the frame. The white splash adds contrast to balance the busy middle section and is echoed by the cloud effect of the top left section. The Canadian vignette of cottages and canoes is charming, as is the mermaid who is represented as a water creature, which is reflected in her blue skin tone. The poster will draw attention because it is action-packed. Characters in the raft have distinct personalities, and there are many culturally diverse representations that blend seamlessly into the overall illustration. There are four girls and four boys in the raft, with other children in the background scene whose gender is not discernible. There are three stickers of girls and three of boys. The characters change into a pirate, sailor, coureur de bois, lighthouse keeper, adventurer, mermaid waving, sea monster, pirate’s galleon and two birds chirping. The little boy at the front of the raft holds a map in his hand that is a clue to the special feature with this year’s poster; a superb treasure map on the back of the poster that can be used as a game and played with any number of children. The paper dice that is made available in the Forms section of this staff manual can be used to play the game.
Program elements The print materials part of the program include: •
A full-colour poster for each child who registers in the program.
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A sheet of nine colour stickers for each child. Each sticker is placed on the poster to reveal something new. Stickers can be given out each time a book is read and recorded or they can be given out all at once, depending on the preference of library staff.
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An activity booklet for each child containing a story, book suggestions for all ages, crosswords, riddles, colouring activities, crafts, recipes and log sheets. The story on the first page of the activity booklet describes the poster. The log sheets are for recording titles of books read over the summer. Additional log sheets can be downloaded from the online “Forms” section.
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A tactile sticker for each child that acknowledges CNIB’s participation and welcomes their community of children to the TD SRC.
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An invitation for each child designed according to the theme. Invitations can be distributed in schools, sent to community outreach locations or given to children who visit the library. If possible, invitations should be given out well before the end of the school year and before the start of the program in July.
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All of the above print materials are free to children who register for the program.
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How to Run a Successful TD Summer Reading Club Using the Manual The manual has been created to give you many ideas to choose from. It provides many library programming activities with fun, easy to do projects. All programs are new to the Splash! theme and the variety makes it very easy to choose a few different types of activities every week. Children will be enthusiastic to participate in programs with names like Sea Creatures in Disguise, Scuba Fun!, Beach Party, All Around the Campfire, and Treasure Hunting. The book suggestions that are included with the programs are just that—suggestions. If you own the books listed, that’s great! But feel free to substitute books from your collection. The crafts and other activities can also be adapted to your supplies, space or number of children attending. Pick and choose what you will use If you were to start at the beginning of the manual and do every program right to the end, you would probably still be doing summer programming in December! Instead, figure out which activities get you excited about the theme and concentrate on those.
Be Prepared to Have Fun When library staff show enthusiasm for the program, it is infectious. The children will have a great time. Why run a summer reading program? For years, studies have shown that school-age children lose many of their reading skills over the summer months if they do not continue to read while they are out of school. Summer reading clubs first started when library staff realized that they could make a difference. When further studies demonstrated that children who do not learn to read fluently in fourth grade will likely never feel totally comfortable with the printed word, our job was clear. Keep those children reading and make sure they have fun doing so! Getting ready Hosting a successful summer program takes careful planning. Children will be anxious to come to the library if they know that something exciting is happening. Library staff can build enthusiasm prior to the summer using displays; but the most effective method is to get children to tell their friends about the club. Each child and parent who visits the library should be reminded that the library is planning a summer of fun. When children are at the circulation desk taking out books, remind them to join the program.
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Promoting the Program Contacting schools Invitations Invitations will be sent to participating libraries. Staff can contact local schools in May or earlier to drop off the invitations. Invitations used to be distributed with the children’s report cards, but as this requires a lengthy approval process in some schools and is not permitted in others, it is best if the invitations are left with teachers. Invitations should be given out to the children well before the end of the school year so that they are not combined with all the other information papers sent home at the end of June. Class visits Statistics from previous years show a strong connection between classroom visits and enrolment in the summer reading program. Library staff will notice an increase in program participation if they schedule visits with the appropriate grades in local schools. Bring along a copy of the poster with the stickers and the activity booklet. Tell children when they can come to get their own poster at the library. A quick “book talk” on a fun subject will show that summer reading can be light and easy. The artist for the program has some books that are appropriate for this year’s theme, so bring one along. Displays Included in the online “Forms” section is a collection of the artist’s clip art that can be downloaded. Staff can use a photocopier to enlarge the images to create interesting displays. This year’s program poster can serve as a focal point for the display. The theme was chosen to allow staff to be as creative as possible. Let your imagination run wild. Why not have downloaded drawings from the poster placed all over a notice board? Children often enjoy seeing their names displayed on a board, so incorporating their names or the books they have read into the display is always effective. Wall of fame The online “Forms” section also includes two sheets that can be turned into a wall of fame display. Place the two sheets together and add blank paper underneath so that children’s names can be listed when they finish the program or when they register.
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Book displays This year’s theme provides ample opportunity to make displays with your current collection. A booklist of recommended titles is included in this manual, but these are only suggestions. Use similar books from your own bookshelves. This is also a good time to pull out copies of prize-winning books or books that have been nominated for awards. Remember, children are likely to be attracted to books that are displayed face-out. Posters The full-colour poster designed by this year’s illustrator can be mounted on foam core and put on an easel at the circulation desk. Display this fun poster throughout the library; do not limit it to the children’s department. Plan a launch An excellent way to bring attention to the TD Summer Reading Club is to host a media launch. If this event occurs in June, then classes can be invited. Invite the mayor or a local celebrity to kick-off the program to ensure publicity in the local newspaper. Be sure that the CEO and upper management of the local TD Bank are invited so they can support the program. If the local newspaper does not send a photographer, take a photograph and send it with the story to the paper. July and August are often slow months for local news. Please make sure to save a copy of any media clippings to be included with your Statistics and Evaluation Form for your main library. A library can put all the new books on display and then seal the display with ribbon or tape until the launch of the TD Summer Reading Club. This is an effective way to build excitement. Advertise in your local newspaper Send the local paper a copy of the invitation, the poster and the activity booklet along with information about the program. Explain how the program is unique for your library. The paper might be willing to run a story about the program and interview a staff member with expertise in children’s services. Consider buying space in the paper, as the invitation can be easily adapted to become an ad. Local television Be sure to let your local cable station know about the program. Suggest coming to talk about the summer of fun the library has planned. Take the poster and stickers and explain how the stickers reveal secrets hidden in the poster. Have a few of the artist’s books on hand to talk about. Take lots of other books to remind viewers that reading is a great summertime activity.
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Running the Program Planning the TD Summer Reading Club requires library staff to decide what approach works best for the library and the local children. The program has been designed to be used in virtually any fashion. Children only need to receive the poster, the stickers and the activity booklet. Meetings can be set up or children can simply be told to keep track of their reading in the activity booklet. The following are just a few of the methods that can be used. Participant registration Librarians should encourage children to register for the program; however, registration should not be mandatory for children to receive the summer reading club materials. In fact, children might be more willing to participate after familiarizing themselves with the reading kit. The staff manual provides samples of registration forms designed to collect statistics on participation, including the sex and age of each participant. The form also includes a tally of how children first heard about the program. Collecting this information is mandatory on the Statistics and Evaluation Form, to be filled out at the end of the summer. Record children’s progress on the reading log page Remind children that they should record all the books they read on the reading log page of their activity booklet. A template of the reading log is included in the staff manual (online “Forms” section) so that you can photocopy extra pages for avid readers. Reading options Keep track of the number of books read. This is a standard method of making sure that children read throughout the summer. For every book read, the child gets a sticker. Some libraries vary this by asking younger children to read more books, while older children can get a reward for finishing one long book. Others count the minutes spent reading in a day. Thirty minutes a day for older children, or 15 minutes of being read to for younger children. If you choose the latter consider giving the children a calendar on which they can mark their minutes. This calendar can also advertise your summer reading activities.
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Book Reporting Options Anytime the library is open Past practice in many libraries has been to allow children to come to the library at any time and discuss, with library staff, the books they have read. This encourages children to read extensively and provides the opportunity for staff to promote a wide variety of books. The stickers can be used in this type of program as an incentive for each book read. Weekly meetings (e.g., two hours reporting each Tuesday and Thursday) Locations may identify a specific time each week when children can come to the library to report on the books they have read. This allows the library to staff accordingly. Pages might be brought into the library to help cover the circulation desk while the staff listens to children discuss the books they have read. Included in this manual is a list of questions for staff to ask children about the books. This can be turned into a game by using dice (template included). The children can roll the dice to decide which question will be asked. Alternatively, you can enlarge the questions and put them on cards to be chosen from, or use a numbered spinner. Club meetings (one afternoon a week) Library branches may decide to have a weekly meeting where children come as a group and discuss the books they read the previous week. An advantage to this option is that children hear from other children about books they think are good. Peer promotion is always a good way to build interest in books. During these meetings, a variety of other activities can be planned. Staff may decide to give out the stickers at each meeting as an attendance incentive. As a family event This method allows the family to set their own goals and come whenever the goals are met. The parents judge whether the books read are appropriate, which eliminates the need for staff to ask the children questions.
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Maintaining Interest Special events Special events are an excellent way to build excitement throughout the summer. Contests, plays, puppetry workshops and storytelling are just a few of the many events that can be planned in July and August. Author/Illustrator readings Many children’s authors and illustrators make excellent presentations to children. Hosting a reading during the summer means that the children in attendance are the children who want to come, not children who are there because their class came to the library. If you bring in an illustrator, make sure you have paper and an easel for them to demonstrate their illustration techniques. Community friends and leaders The local bookstore owner, the fire chief, the mayor and the school crossing guard are people the children recognize. Invite them to the library to share their favourite children’s books.
Other Things to Do Keep statistics Individual library branches are asked to provide their evaluation responses to their main branch so that each library system fills out a unique online Statistics and Evaluation Form. Before starting the program, please review the form to find out what information is requested (see online forms at http://www.td-club-td.ca). Also, please use the designated registration forms to collect other mandatory statistics. These statistics are useful not only to show how many children participated in the program, but also to highlight the great work being done in Canadian public libraries. Write a letter to the sponsor Towards the end of the summer, get the children to write a letter either individually or as a club to TD Bank Financial Group. The letter can describe their summer of reading fun. Include any pictures, drawings or book reports that you think would be of interest. Please send all material to your main library branch.
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TD Summer Reading Club 2011 Splash! Celebrate Summer Ed Clark, CEO, TD Bank Financial Group C/O Toronto Public Library Foundation 789 Yonge Street Toronto, Ontario M4W 2G8
We would like to thank TD Bank Financial Group for sponsoring the TD Summer Reading Club.
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TD Summer Reading Club 2011 Splash! Celebrate Summer Ed Clark, CEO, TD Bank Financial Group C/O Library and Archives Canada 395 Wellington Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N4
We would like to thank TD Bank Financial Group for sponsoring the TD Summer Reading Club.
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TD Kids National Web Site The TD Kids National Web Site at http://tdsrc.torontopubliclibrary.ca/ continues to offer child-friendly booklists, games and interactive activities throughout the summer for children anywhere in Canada. For kids Children can tell their own stories using art from this year’s illustrator, share book reviews with each other, take quizzes and polls, play games, and discover other fun Web sites that fit this year’s Splash! theme. No registration is required and all submitted content is moderated by librarians to ensure a safe, child-friendly space all summer long. For library staff The site also offers library staff a form for submitting the number of books read at the library to the TD Kids National Web Site tally as well as a newsfeed of library reading, which is new this year. We encourage library staff to promote the site to children and parents throughout the summer, and welcome feedback on what you think would make the site better next year.
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Promotion using social networking & video Promotion using social networking Social networking tools offer new ways to promote the TD Summer Reading Club and can reach a wide range of people. Below are some examples to explain how libraries can use social networking to their advantage. Facebook (www.facebook.com) Another effective way to promote the TD Summer Reading Club is through the popular social networking site Facebook. Libraries can create a Facebook page where they post information about their programs, events and services. The target audience would be mainly adults, since children 13 and under require a parent’s or guardian’s permission to have an account. Facebook would be a great way to communicate information to parents and teachers who are on the site. Users just have to “Like” the library’s page and they will start to receive information that is posted by that library through their daily newsfeed, including any content the library might post about their TD Summer Reading Club. Check out the Facebook pages of these two libraries: Stratford Public Library www.facebook.com/pages/Stratford-ON/Stratford-Public-Library/11062531990 Edmonton Public Library www.facebook.com/stratfordpubliclibrary#!/pages/Edmonton-PublicLibrary/131975733506911 Twitter (www.twitter.com) Another great way to announce information about the TD Summer Reading Club is the social networking tool Twitter. Twitter is a popular way to send and receive short messages (called tweets) to handheld devices or computers through the Twitter Web site. Twitter feeds can also easily be embedded into Web sites using a widget. For more information, visit: http://twitter.com/about/resources/widgets Some public libraries are now using Twitter to share news about their programs, services and events with their users. For example, a library could post the registration dates for its TD Summer Reading Club and include a link to the library’s Web site for further information. To use Twitter, visit the Twitter Web site to create an account and get a username (also known as a Twitter name or Twitter handle). Users who want to receive tweets are known as followers and can choose to follow a particular library by finding its account. For example, the Toronto Public Library’s Twitter name is “torontolibrary” and staff members tweet regularly to announce library programs, services, book awards, and any other
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information to their users. The Toronto Public Library’s TD Summer Reading Club 2010 was announced via Twitter as one more way to promote the program. Promotion via video Some libraries have been creating entertaining videos to promote the TD Summer Reading Club for a number of years now. All of the libraries created a YouTube (www.youtube.com) “channel” (i.e. account) and uploaded their videos to the site. Below are three examples to show the different ways libraries can make videos. The London Public Library has produced videos to promote the TD Summer Reading Club to local families for the past few years. The videos are posted on the library’s Web site during the summer months, and are used during visits to local schools. The videos are also posted on the popular video-sharing community YouTube. The video concept and scripts are created by the London Public Library’s TD Summer Reading Club Committee, and filming is done by their Web Librarian with a library-owned camera. To view the London Public Library’s 2010 TD Summer Reading Club live action video, go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKgDONHyEzc The Oakville Public Library approached its live action video differently. Summer literacy students wrote a skit to use during class visits. A professional video producer (a relative of a staff member) volunteered his time and camera to produce the video. This was posted on YouTube and on the library’s Web site, and burned onto DVDs to be sent to all the local schools. See their video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3DKMQgsJ_U The Middlesex County Library did away with the need for filming their video. A staff member came up with the concept of creating a presentation using readily available images and music with the Windows Movie Maker program. See the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCLfC536y_I
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Taking the Summer Reading Club into Your Community Outreach to summer camps and child care centres There are often many children in our communities who cannot take part in a summer reading club because they are enrolled in summer-long activities such as day camps, summer school and child care centres. One way to reach these children is to incorporate an element of outreach into your TD Summer Reading Club (TD SRC). Explore in your community to find out where outreach would be logical. Some places to look include: • Summer day camps (municipal parks and recreation programs, private day camps, charity-run day camps, YM/YWCA, Boys and Girls Clubs); • Child care centres; • Community/public housing projects; • Faith-based programs; and • Multicultural and immigrant services agencies and programs. Look for programs that are general in focus. While there are skill-based activities/camps (sports, technology, theatre) in communities, these programs are often so focused on achieving skills that there is no room to include a summer reading club component. Outreach to summer camps and child care centres can take several forms: 1. Programs and Summer Reading Club at a camp or child care centre Library staff or volunteers make trips to the camp location or child care centre to offer programs based on books and reading. These would occur regularly and library staff would register children in the TD SRC at the site. 2. Visits to the library Children and child care workers visit the library for special programs and activities. They could take part in regularly scheduled events or have special programs presented to them by library staff. As part of the visit, all the children would be encouraged to register for the TD SRC. 3. Child care workers register children in the TD SRC The library cooperates with child care workers to provide TD SRC materials. Child care workers register and encourage all children to participate in the TD SRC and to the record books they read. The child care workers report back to the library at the end of the summer.
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4. Orientation of child care workers Library staff or volunteers would take part in training sessions organized for child care workers. As part of the orientation, library staff would explain how to incorporate reading into program planning and show how to choose appropriate books. This could take place in conjunction with any of the above scenarios or as a stand-alone activity. 5. Library book collections in camps and child care centres The library provides collections of books for child care workers to use with their children over the summer. Collections could be signed out for the whole summer or regularly changed as suits the library and the centre. Keep in mind: •
You will need to assist child care workers in getting all the children registered and to comply with their requirements for parental permission before taking any personal information.
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You may need to order extra kits if you are planning a significant outreach program.
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Child care workers are often new to serving children and welcome advice, resources and ideas to make their programs fun and engaging.
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It is advisable to set up an evaluation component from the start. Make sure child care workers know in advance that they must track the number of participants and that registration forms and/or evaluation forms must be completed in order to evaluate the program’s success.
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Follow up with the child care workers at the end of the summer to get feedback on the program and on evaluation and registration statistics. Along with the Summer Reading Club statistics, you could also ask questions to evaluate your impact. You could ask how they use the SRC in their program, how much they read in the program and whether they have noticed any changes in the reading patterns or interest of their children.
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In reaching out to immigrant services agencies you may have to inform the staff and parents about public library services and the benefits of summer reading. Many newcomers to Canada have very little experience with either.
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Outreach to other community groups In addition to working with children in formal care settings, you can also take the TD SRC into the community by working with groups and agencies, such as:
Girl Guides and Scouts Family literacy agencies Community information and health centres Family shelters Hospitals
You can also look for opportunities to highlight the TD SRC at community events, including:
Canada Day and other community celebrations Local fairs Community picnics and outdoor events
Throughout the summer, look for ways to bring the TD SRC to the community. This is a great way to use materials you have on hand after the initial registration push in your branches. Sample Training Session for Child Care Workers The following is an outline of a sample training session that could be offered to child care workers. It focuses on the importance of reading and incorporating reading into their general camp program. The time allotted to each component can be changed according to the amount of time you are given for the training session. 5 minutes Introduction Be sure to include information about local branch hours, location and contact information. The importance of summer reading 5 minutes Talk about why we organize summer reading clubs, why kids love to take part in them and how they help children. You could use a quote such as: “A review of literature provided evidence that summer reading clubs were effective tools for keeping summer learning loss at bay and improving children’s reading performances.” TD Summer Reading Club Literature Review http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/009003/f2/009003-06-040-e.pdf
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TD Summer Reading Club 5 minutes Describe the TD SRC, registration information, forms, and kits. How to weave reading into a summer day camp program 10 minutes Share ideas on various opportunities to use books and encourage reading throughout the day: • Storytimes • Reader’s theatre • Quiet reading times • Reading games • Shared reading/reading partners • Poetry breaks Reading aloud 10 minutes Use props such as felts or puppets to demonstrate reading a favourite book. Share tips for reading aloud, such as: • Choose books you love to read, never read a book you do not like just because it fits the theme • Choose books with a strong story line, that has an obvious beginning, middle and end • Choose books kids can relate to • Make sure that the books are age appropriate (know your audience) • Look for ways to encourage participation (e.g., repetitive phrases that kids can repeat) • Read the book in advance and know it well 5 minutes Sample reading-based program Distribute handout(s) of sample book-based programs, use program ideas from the TD SRC staff manual or, if possible, find out in advance the themes the camp or centre will be using and base your handout on those themes. 10 minutes Practise reading aloud in pairs Distribute good examples of read-aloud books and have the child care workers practise reading to each other. Questions
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Outreach to Kids with Print Disabilities (CNIB Library) Fun for Everyone! Are kids in your community missing out on TD Summer Reading Club fun because they cannot read traditional print books? The CNIB Library can help you bring the fun to everyone, including kids with a visual, physical or learning disability. Enrol your eligible library users in the CNIB Library service, so they can: • • •
Read the same books as their friends and find other books on the theme in audio and Braille; Take part from home in additional, accessible activities offered by CNIB online and by email, phone or mail; and Join our Canada-wide team challenge and win prizes.
Full programming is offered in English only. However, there are some audio books and online activities available in French. For alternative format booklists and more information, visit: www.cnib.ca/src. Tips for including kids with print disabilities These quick tips will get you thinking about how to include kids with print disabilities in your programming. 1. Get the word out. If you print flyers to promote your program, make sure they are accessible to children, parents and grandparents with low vision. Follow CNIB’s Clear Print Guide. Also announce activities on your Web site and phone line. 2. Describe it. If you are doing a group activity, always describe out loud what you and others are doing. Everyone needs to know who’s there, who’s talking, and why someone starts to laugh. Include some activities that do not require vision. Cool sounds and textures are popular with all children. 3. Ask for help. Ask parents to help you choose reading formats and adapt activities so that their child can participate. Be aware that the effects of print disabilities vary, and that not all blind and partially sighted children read Braille. If you have handouts, ask parents if they would prefer to receive an electronic version (e.g., Microsoft Word) in advance. You can find CNIB’s Clear Print Guide and more tips for making meetings and events accessible at www.cnib.ca/accessibility.
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Ready for Reading at the Toronto Public Library Ready for Reading is the Toronto Public Library’s full set of programs, services and resources for children from birth to five years of age. Ready for Reading emphasizes the importance of early literacy and helps parents and caregivers learn how to develop six important pre-reading skills in their children. Six pre-reading skills 1. Print motivation (I like books!) Children who enjoy books will want to learn to read. 2. Phonological awareness (I hear words!) Being able to hear the smaller sounds in words helps children sound out written words. 3. Vocabulary (I know words!) Knowing many words helps children recognize written words and understand what they read. 4. Narrative skills (I can tell a story!) Learning to tell a story helps children develop skills in thinking and understanding. 5. Print awareness (I see words!) Being familiar with printed language helps children feel comfortable with books and reading. 6. Letter awareness (I see letters!) Knowing the names and sounds of letters helps children to sound out words. Why is early literacy important? Scientists have presented compelling evidence that a child’s success in school is linked directly with the acquisition of early literacy skills. The relationship between the skills with which children enter school and their later academic performance is striking. Children’s success in life depends on their success in school. Preschool activity sheet Staff are encouraged to plan and adapt their TD Summer Reading Club activities to include Ready for Reading principles and approaches for children five years and under by using the TD SRC Preschool activity sheet found in the “Forms” section of the Staff Manual (online). Ready for Reading online http://kidsspace.torontopubliclibrary.ca/preschoolers.html
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