Saturday, June 22, 2013

Get Those Kids to Read-- 100 Club!

We all know that the more you do something, the better you get at it... and that includes getting our students to read!  And read a lot!

A few summers ago, I read The Book Whisperer and loved it!  If you've not read it, it's so inspiring and motivating!  Well, as I was waiting for my new professional reads to come in the mail this summer (Teach Like a Pirate and  Comprehension Connections), I revisited The Book Whisperer for inspiration while I waited.

Now, the first time I read it, I wanted to do something like she did in the book to motivate my students to read, read, read and so I started something in my classroom called "The 100 Club".  Is it just me or will kids do anything to be in a "club"?  {On a side note, I had 23 out of 26 kids miss three or fewer homework assignments this past year so they could be in my homework club!}

Back to the club... to be a member of this club, kids just have to read.  And they can read as few as 50 books to join.  Kids reading 50 books, on their own time- NOT during Daily Five in class, can be BRONZE members.  Kids reading 75 books (again, on their own time at home or school- NOT during time I give them for reading) are SILVER members.  And the biggie... kids who complete 100 books (home, own time, etc...) are GOLD members in the club.

I have a banner hanging in my classroom and I add students' names on a sticky note to the level of the club they've completed...  I made this banner on VistaPrint.

they get a Brag Tag...
 

and they also receive a printable award!  At the end of the year, we have a celebration for the club members!

Students have a recording sheet they keep in their FALCON folder (which is a school to home to school folder) and they write down book titles as they read them.  I also use this as a way to help them remember to take AR tests since they're writing down things they've read at home!

The way I have it set up is that they have to read 35 assigned "types" of books and then 65 of their own choosing.  The 35 include things like 8 chapter books, 2 books about our state, a book by an author from our state, 5 biographies, 5 math concept books, etc...

Now, if you're thinking that 100 books is too many and that this isn't possible... when I first started it three years ago, I was worried.  I actually thought parents would be mad at me for suggesting such a thing!  This is #1 OPTIONAL and #2 COMPLETELY do-able.  Parents were very receptive and excited to see their children excited about reading and making a goal.

I did it for 2 years when I taught 1st/2nd grade and had HUGE participation.  One of my 2nd graders completed it FOUR times!  If you require nightly reading and you have 170 days of school, students have to read almost one book per night and they can complete this.  And it's at each students' individual level so they are choosing books that are readable for them.

I love this club.  One hundred is such a magical number and kids get so proud and excited to have accomplished the feat of doing 100 of something... and it's BOOKS... so that's even better!

After re-reading The Book Whisperer, I was so re-energized about the 100 Club!  I completely re-vamped my awards, reading list, etc... and added a ton of goodies to the pack!

I have just listed it on TpT and will give away a set to a random commenter tomorrow!  So, let me know what you think in the comments and check it out on TpT if it sounds like something that could help your kiddos love and grow as readers!  This would work for grades 1-5 and I think even K could use this program with parent support!

Click the pic for more info!
Find the 100 Club on TpT or TN or my blog shop!
You can use the coupon 5OFF at my blog shop to get $5 off a purchase of $20!

66 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, what a fabulous idea! I will be teaching 4th grade next year and would love to implement this.
    jkmatuch@aol.com

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  2. This sounds like a great idea! I would love to win your pack.....seems like it would be very helpful in organizing and tracking all the books! I'll have to check out The Book Whisperer, too!

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    1. oops, just in case I win =)

      jojo051515@gmail.com

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  3. This looks amazing! What a great idea.
    Liz
    Teaching in the Valley
    teachinginthevalley@gmail.com

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  4. I love this idea! Although I wonder about those kiddos that are reading chapter books. Do you not have them do chapter books for this, or maybe 1 chapter =1 book? Hope I win!

    Anhudacek@gmail.com
    Amanda

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    1. Chapter book kids didn't have any trouble. As the teacher if a kid was reading a CRAZY long book, you could say (in the part where they read books of their own choosing) that it counted for more than one of their selections.

      I personally would not do 1 chapter = 1 book only because then you're getting into books that have "chapters" but the chapters are like 2 pages long- like early chapter books and things like that.

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  5. This is such a fantastic idea. I motivate my students to read more by offering prizes for students who receive Reading Counts points starting at 200 and increasing by 200. This year I had a student who earned 1,240 points in a year-I wish I knew how many books that equaled!
    sleepnght@yahoo.com

    Hunter's Tales from Teaching

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  6. I do something similar to this in my second grade classroom, but I would love to reenergize the program. This year I only had 2 of my 25 students complete it. :( It is such a great idea to motivate! shanolsen@aol.com

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  7. What a fantastic way to motivate readers! My colleague and I do a similar program in 2nd grade, but this year participation was down. We need something new to jumpstart our program- this looks perfect! I love the levels to encourage readers and the brag tag as well as the banners! Thanks for sharing!

    Jennifer

    edmundsje@gmail.com

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  8. Love, Love, Love this idea!
    I read The Book Whisperer, as well. Great book!

    Regina

    giles.regina@yahoo.com

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  9. Thank you so much for posting about this! I will be co-teaching for the first time next year and I'm the reading teacher! Can't wait to use this with my classes!

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  10. I do a similar program except with pages instead of books. My kids love it. This year the class read 60,000 pages. I would love to try using books instead. This sounds like a great way to do that.
    caroaf@comcast.net
    Carol-Ann

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  11. What a wonderful idea! I am in a Book Whisperer book club right now. Adding an independent reading club would be very motivational for my students.

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  12. Oh my gosh I LOVE this idea! I am reading The Book Whisperer right now and I am addicted! I can't put it down. I love this idea of the 100 Club. Quick question though, how do you know they are ACTUALLY finishing each book?! We don't do AR testing at my school. I'd love to do this in my class but any suggestions on how I know the kids are ACTUALLY reading the books?! :)

    -Allison
    Adventures in Room 204

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    1. Good question! In doing this for three years, I haven't come across anyone who I think is being dishonest. I know my kids and their capabilities. But I also feel like (and this is where it gets controversial!) if a kid needs affirmation in themselves and their abilities so badly that they will lie just to have their name on a chart, I probably need to dig a little deeper to find out what's going on that they need this THAT badly. I have found that kids want to feel good about making this accomplishment and, if a kid or two has slipped through the cracks and gotten recognition where it was not deserved, I guess I'm not so worried about that. You could easily ask a question very now and then about a text on the list or require a parent to initial by each title though! :)

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  13. Love the idea! I keep thinking about reading The Book Whisperer as everyone in the blogging world seems to be reading it. I just finished Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids and loved it!

    Allyson
    suttonal821@gmail.com

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  14. What a great idea!!!! Book Whisperer is on my reading list this summer!

    Bridget
    Literacy Without Worksheets

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  15. I LOVE this idea! I may try the club idea with my students next year. I think it will be a huge motivator!

    P.S. ~ you only have 170 days of school? We have 180!

    Sara :)
    Smiling In Second Grade

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  16. We have a 1000 minute club that our students participate in over the summer. Last year was our first and the biggest motivator was ice cream and having lunch with our principal. The students also got a T-shirt and they proudly wore that T-shirt throughout the year! I tried to make personal contact with students when I saw them wearing the T-shirt! I like the idea of a motivator to reinforce reading in the classroom. The Book Whisperer definitely is a book that provides food for thought.
    By the way, Comprehension Connections is super...a must read! I'm not familiar with the other book you mentioned.
    Nancy
    nancydrav4@hotmail.com

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  17. This is awesome! I am sure you could tell that the more they read, the better readers they became! I have never done this but I am sure firsties would love the challenge! I would love this pack, by the way. Thanks for being so creative!
    saljo023@gmail.com

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  19. This sounds like a do able idea. Thanks for the inspiration! Msbee61@live.com

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  21. What a great pack! I was looking for something to spark more reading this year! :)thanks to you I have it!

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  22. I think this is very doable and a great idea. If we hold high expectations for our kiddos, they will rise to the challenge. You are so right. 3rd graders love any kind of a club. I was also inspired by The Book Whisperer. Loved that book. I am reading Teach Like a Pirate now. Love that book too. I love all of your products and it looks like this one is also amazing. Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful creativity. bozekn@nashua.edu

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  23. This looks like a fun and motivating way to encourage reading! I loved that book too!
    hlr2482@verizon.net

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  24. This sounds like an awesome incentive program. I need to get the Book Whisperer and put it on my summer reading list!

    Beth in CT

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  25. I love your 100 Club! I have wanted to implement something like this. I think next year will be the time!!

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  26. I love this idea! I am always asking my kids to read and our 2nd grade did a monthly book log, but it wasn't anything exciting or fun. I love that one of your kids did the whole thing 4x. I can definitely see some of my kids being that motivated. I think my kids would love this and really be motivated. Thanks for sharing!

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  27. How fun!! Kids love their clubs and this looks like a great idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  28. Sounds like a great idea! I will have to check out the Book Whisperer.

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  29. What a great idea. My principal was asking me for self-motivational ideas, and I think this is a great one to start!

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  30. I love this and I love love love The Book Whisperer! I need to re-read it this summer! :)
    -Melissa

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  31. I love this idea! I'm a librarian in a school K-2nd. I can see doing this in my library throughout the school year! Love your blog! :)

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  32. I love your idea and have heard nothing but good things about The Book Whisperer! I'll definitely be picking up a copy this summer!

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  33. Looks cool! Anything to motivate kids to read!

    mrsamynovellino@gmail.com

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  34. I haven't read The Book Whisperer....but think I will see about getting it soon.

    Your pack looks amazing and I would like to try to implement it with my gifted students this next year. I am always looking for ways to get these 2nd - 6th grade students to read more!

    Dee
    Mrs. B's Nook

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  35. Love this idea and how you celebrate it!

    Brandi
    Success in Second Grade
    successinsecondgrade@gmail.com

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  36. I love this idea!! I'll be wishlisting it for sure. I'm moving from fifth grade to 2/3 next year - a primary teacher for the first time since I was an occasional teacher!! This would be a great addition to my new classroom! :)

    ~Erin
    Mrs. Beattie's Classroom

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  37. LOVE your 100 Book club. I have been doing it for 3 years now!

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  38. This is an awesome product! I would love to win it and use it in my classroom!

    koolaid_1989@hotmail.com

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  39. I LOVE this idea! What a great way to motivate my beginning readers in first grade. I would love to incorporate this next year!!!

    jenniferjenkins7777@gmail.com

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  40. I read The Book Whisperer last summer & I LOVED it. I was so inspired by it. I'm heading over to check your pack out, I love that you've made it versatile to fit 1'st-5th grades. It gives all of us primary teachers the courage to try it with our little guys. I would love to win this, either way though I'll be adding it to my Tpt wishlist.

    Stephanie
    Polka_Dot_Palace@yahoo.com
    PolkaDotPalace

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  41. This sounds and look awesome! Also I think its exactly what I need next year. I wad trying to get a club together and couldn't find a name. I'm so excited got this. Puh-lease let me winthis one lil.

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  42. Wow! What a fantastic idea to get students motivated and excited to read! I'm a first year teacher, and I will be teaching second grade. This is something that I would love to implement in my classroom!

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  43. I love the idea of this club! I keep hearing about The Book Whisperer and have had it in my Amazon cart for almost a year! I think this Summer might be the time to finally order it!

    Love to Learn

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  44. Hi, Christina - This 100 Club is a completely new find for me! I LOVE the idea! I just jumped on Amazon and ordered The Book Whisperer and added your packet to my TpT wishlist. :) Do you do this instead of a required reading log? I was thinking about doing away with my reading log this year. This would be an awesome alternative! Thanks for the inspiration!

    Jessica
    Mrs. Heeren's Happenings

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  45. I love this idea. It sounds a lot more intriguing than nightly reading just because my teacher says so. I had very few follow through with their nightly reading last year, this would be a great opportunity to try it in a new way.
    Michelle S
    Inlikeflynnm@yahoo.com

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  46. I LOVE this idea! What a great way to motivate kids to read! I've heard so much about The Book Whisperer I really need to read that book myself! :-). Do you really have only 170 days of school? We have 181! Maybe you have longer days? If not than I'm super jealous! Lol! :-)

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  47. I recently accepted my first librarian position. I will be moving to a new school in a new district and this is something I would love to do as a librarian.
    -Abby
    www.saunderslovelies.blogspot.com

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  48. I teach 3rd grade and this looks wonderful!!
    Julie
    julie_ann_@hotmail.com

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  49. Great motivator to read! Hope to win!

    rachelmd93@gmail.com

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  50. I love this!! I struggled with the read at home and color in the icon charts last year. I know they just colored and had their parents sign it. I wish we had AR. But, I love this "club" idea. I am going to give it a try next year! Thank you!
    Lindalouhoo
    piccolal@bellsouth.net

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  51. I am going to be teaching 5th grade this year (I've taught 2nd grade for five years) and I'm wondering if this would work for the! I know fifth graders don't want to read at all and standardized testing is incredible in fifth grade! I would love to win this freebie and hope that it will help me in my first year of a new grade level.

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  52. Looks great - would like to try it as a schoolwide incentive!

    roggenb@juno.com

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  53. This sounds like a great idea! I can't wait to try it in my classroom.

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  54. This is just awesome, Christina! LOVE it!

    Brenda primaryinspired@gmail.com
    Primary Inspired

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  55. I LOVED the Book Whisperer. It really changed the way I thought about reading and reading instruction. Looks like I'm going to have to go dig my copy out of storage! Thanks for the inspiration.

    ahmedara4@gmail.com

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  56. kenyastacey@gmail.com I think this is a great way for students to stay connected to reading. Young students tend to love reading anyway however, somewhere they loose that zeal for it. i think that this is a great way to keep them engaged in reading for a purpose/goal. great work.

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  57. Hi Christina!

    I got to this blog post by way of your Monday Made It link up post! I teach first grade, and I did a one hundred club this year, too! But I'm thinking of blending yours and mine together! On their first 50 books read the students got to pick out of a book bin that I stocked up with books from scholastic with bonus points, and they get to keep it forever. Haha, that blew their little minds...that they didn't have to bring it back! Then at one hundred I make them a personalized t-shirt that says they read 100 books in first grade with our school name and year on the back and their name on the front. Ohmygosh! They went nutso! And it wasn't too bad to pre-make the shirts and then put their name on it when they reached 100. Of course, this wasn't my original idea. I got it from a veteran teacher at my school. But I can say, it was very successful!

    I really like your different levels, though! I have two questions for you though:
    1. When did you start your club when you had first grade? I was thinking maybe explain it at back to school night? (I didn't start until after Christmas this year...when they're more independent. Maybe I should start right away...Did you include being read to in the beginning of the year? Esp., for those low readers who are still working on letter sounds?)
    2. Did you still assign the different genres with first graders? Did you require them to get those books done during the first 50? Do you require those again if they reach their first 100 and start on their second?

    Haha, we'll I guess that ended up being more than 2 questions! Thanks for the awesome post and ideas! Heading over to put your packet on my wish list. I have a TPT gift cert. that's burning a hole in my pocket! :)

    ~Heidi V.

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    1. Heidi-

      What good ideas! I'm sure they LOVED getting a shirt! :)

      I started my 100 Club in September. I taught a 1st/2nd combo class though, so 2nd graders were ready to start it early. However, since parents can read to the kids too and I required nightly reading homework starting on day 1, it was logical to start the 100 Club at the start too. Plus parents are so much more "gung ho" about school that, starting early helped them accept the challenge happily!

      Yes, the recording sheets in the pack are the same ones I used with first graders and, yes, every time they made it into the club they had to do all of those things again. The first 30 books they have to read are things like "a book about our state, a book about the USA, 5 biographies, 4 poetry books". After those 30, they need 20 of their choice to be a bronze member. Then 25 more for silver and 25 more for gold.

      Hope that helps! :)

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    2. Awesome! Thanks for answering my questions! Looking forward to downloading your packet. :)

      ~Heidi

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  58. Such a great idea!! I loved reading The Book Whisperer and implementing some of her ideas. But I agree with the whole club thing!! Kids love clubs and your idea looks great! thanks for the inspiration!

    Anu

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  59. This sounds like a great idea. I'm always looking for new ways to keep my readers motivated :)
    Storie
    Stories by Storie

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  60. I'm curious where you got your brag tags? I looked on VistaPrint but didn't see them there.

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  61. This is a great a way to keep the students motivated to read. I need to use this with my kindergarteners to get them excited about learning their sight words.

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