1. Read to the children. (There is another link for recommended books to read to your class.)

2. Get the children to make trading cards for the characters in the books they are reading.  Or from a shared text.  (A lot of the activities from readwritethink are highly recommended.)

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/trading-card-creator-30056.html

3. Discuss book reviews, and that there are different templates on the internet.  (Show the children some reviews.) Get the children to choose a book review format and do one.

Then, set up a Flipsnack account and copy and paste all the reviews into the Flipsnack book. You now have an online list of book reviews that the children can show their parents, and that promotes reading.

4. Set up a PADLET page.  All the children grab the site address and log on to that site.  Then they type up comments about the books they are reading.

5. In third or fourth term, each child makes a paper chain, where each link is the title of a book that they have read… and recorded in their diary.  (Forewarn the children about this in Term 1.)

6. In BOOKWEEK, go to the public library to hear a visiting author. (Or get an author into the school for a day.)  Don’t forget to do some research on the author / read one or two of their books / prepare some questions.

7. Let the children listen to some EASY books.  http://www.storylineonline.net/ Then the children write down some aspect of the story that appeals to them personally.  e.g. The dog in the story was lost and I was lost once.  Then have an ‘inner circle/outer circle’ discussion of what they have written.  The teacher then chooses someone to share what someone else told them.

8. Do a google search – ‘book trailers for kids’ Then, get the children to watch some of them.  Then, the children are to plan and to make a short trailer to promote a book.

9. Spend $20 on cheap props.  Photocopy scripts for reader’s theatre.  Allocate parts.  Let the children run with it.  They love it. (Restrictions – the reading of the script MUST be perfect.  So, before they can touch the props they must have read the script for a few days at least. (Pair up children for peer reading.)

10. Listen to the children read.  It is hard to find the time for this but it is important.  (If you have an educational assistant get them to take the weakest couple of readers out every day… and watch those children improve.)

11. Children use comic life to retell part of a class book.