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Goal

Our goal is to promote literacy in our students lives by requiring them to take books home every day. Through the use of book buddy bags, students will be responsible for their books and in turn, their learning.
The aim of these book buddy bags is to be able to implement a daily routine in the classroom and at home, in which students develop a sense of ownership over their reading progress. In an article published by the National Institute for Literacy, The Partnership for Reading, it stated: “Reading aloud to children has been called the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for success in reading.” The book buddy bags facilitate the reading that happens at home by providing the student with direct access to on-grade level reading materials and books that spark their interest. The book buddy bags also increase the effectiveness of the daily guided reading routine that will be explained in full.
The picture was unavailable so I will try to create a mental picture... These are durable bags made with thick plastic handles and a zipper-seal at the top. (much like a zip lock bag but large enough to fit tall books and durable enough to carry multiple at one time.)
 

What will be done with my students

(*A bit of background related to implementation of bbb’s: Guided reading is an important part of the day where the teacher meets with every student by dividing the class into four groups. The groups are based on the reading level of each individual child and lessons are designed in an attempt to directly target a specific skill. Reading skills build upon one another, and typically happen in a sequential order. The teacher introduces a new skill the group needs to master next in order to progress reading levels. Students practice said skill with one book until the students demonstrate mastery, then a new skill is introduced with a new book.)
Every day during guided reading, students will have a turn to pick out new books after returning the ones they read the previous night. The book buddy bags provide a safe place to store the books and make the process of picking new books a quick transaction. Without offering the students a special place to keep the books you’re setting them up for failure. The routine works best when students are excited to bring their books back because they get to pick new ones. This is less effective when books are lost/damaged and extra time is spent checking backpacks for lost books.
The routine is as follows: child brings book buddy bags (with books inside) to guided reading table, child reads the teacher-selected guided reading book aloud to the teacher (demonstrating mastery of reading skill), child picks two new books; one of their interest and one that is on their independent reading level. Lastly, the child is given a new guided reading book to practice grade-level skills discussed in their group. This simple and quick daily routine will help students develop a sense of responsibility in addition to the reading benefits.
 

Benefits to my students

This routine presents students with a continuous supply of reading material each night that they:
1. Have read with the teacher (guided book)
2. Can read alone (independent level book)
3. Enjoys (their choice not the teachers)

Also, allowing the students to control their advancement raises their confidence. The excitement they feel towards the book of their choice will foster a love of reading. This is also a great tool for promoting parental involvement in the child’s school goals, specifically in their reading development. Even if parents/older family members are not able to spend this quality time reading, the child will still have the ability to read on their own with the independent level book.
 

Budget Narrative

One bag purchased per student currently enrolled in Kindergarten at Village Oaks Elementary. One dozen additional bags will be purchased to compensate for fluctuating classroom numbers and migrant students anticipated to enroll later in the year.
Shipping $15 and handling $25
Delivered to the school in 7-10 days (standard rate shipping time) Estimated by creating a sample order of this size from the website anticipated to order from.
 

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