5 ways to get your kids excited about #shelfchallenge

Why a challenge?

Kids love challenges, and this is one of my favorite ways to see even my best readers step outside their comfort zone. When I taught I challenged my kids to read 40 books in my class, and I was always impressed with the grit and tenacity required to complete such a daunting challenge. And it, well, forces them to read a book outside of their normal genre choice. Seeing a die-hard fantasy reader get super-excited about a historical fiction they would not have picked for their next read.

5 ways to get your kids excited about #shelfchallenge

1.Make it visible and decorate for the occasion.

Have a display of bookmarks and plastic shelfmarkers out in a visible spot. Think about ways to make it interactive and fun for your kiddos to join the challenge.

2. Can you say shelfie? 

If your students can, have the take pictures of themselves with their shelf and then share it with others. Or you could post pictures of students and their shelves and add it to your #shelfchallenge display.  Have students take pics of their favorite books from their shelf and share it with the #shelfchallenge PLN on Twitter or Pin it to our SLM Shelf Challenge Board on Pinterest.

3. Share your reading journey with your students.

Talk about what books you are reading with students. Make announcements about the #shelfchallenge and share your "gems" with the entire school. Invite others to reread books that didn't thrill you as a reader.

4. Become their reading cheerleader.

Give high-fives or fist bumps to your successful shelf readers and check in on their progress as often as you can. A thank you for finding a "gem" can make a kiddos day.

5. Reward participants and finishers.

A certificate would be nice, but ultimately I love to reward readers with more books. Or even bookmarks to commemorate the occasion. And if your budgets allow, pizza is always an option!

How do you get your kiddos excited about #shelfchallenge? 

Shelf Challenge 2016 is coming soon, so mark your calendars.

Another year, and once again we are celebrating School Library Month in April with our 2016 Shelf Challenge. 

The Shelf Challenge was started in 2012 by Matthew Winner ( All the Wonders, & The Busy Librarian) as an opportunity to really get to know your collection. In 2015 Colleen Graves (Create, Collaborate, Innovate) took over the Shelf Challenge and this year Kristi Taylor (First Floor Librarian), will be continuing their awesome legacy as we look forward to the Shelf Challenge in April of 2016. 

Here is your quest, if you should choose to complete it:

• Find a shelf in your collection to read daily throughout the month of April. Your goal may be to read what you really have on those shelves, find some hidden gems, discover weeding material, or just have fun expanding your PLN on Twitter. (Some librarians choose a shelf in Easy Fiction to read cover to cover, some read a section of Fiction, just by actually looking at the cover, inside and reading a blurb from every book on one shelf in Fiction. Or dive into your Graphic Novels.)
• Sign up for the challenge on the Getting Started Google Form. Attempt reading each book on that shelf for the month of April. Let me know what shelf you are reading and your other info so I can be your shelf challenge cheerleader!
• Share your finds on social media (See links below.)
• When you are done, please fill out this Finished with the Challenge Google Form and let our PLN know how you did! 
• Check out our download page for free posters and bookmarks.

 I'll be blogging and vlogging about my shelf reads here and on my blog First Floor Librarian. I'm a middle school librarian and I'm passionate about creating a space that fosters a love of lifelong reading, creating/making/innovating, and building learners that are future-ready. Follow along as I learn, share, and explore librarianship in it's many forms.

Follow our Pinterest Board. And add to the board, remember to complete the Getting Started Google Form, add your email and we will add you to the group. Happy Pinning!

    

Tweet it out with our #shelfchallenge hashtag and join our PLN of librarians and makers.

Tweet out our "I'm in on the 2016 #shelfchallenge" banner, and invite your colleagues to join in on the fun.

Tweet: I'm joining the 2016 #shelfchallenge to celebrate #SLM. Are you in? http://ctt.ec/fpEs9+

So, come join us as we explore the depths of our collection by reading one shelf during the month of April.

-Kristi 

Days 25,26,27

I looked at three different graphic novel styles last week and created a Nutshell video for a sneak peek. Unfortunately, it doesn't have an embed feature, but you can view it here.

The three distinct styles:

• An Edgar Allen Poe Adaptation  - Pit and Pendulum -This is a good retelling if you'd like to use this book in conjunction with teaching the short story. It's dark, it's creepy, basically everything an Edgar Allen Poe book should be.

• Manga- Prince of Tennis - This manga is not something I'd normally pick up, but I enjoyed the light hearted teen banter.  I read that it is actually quite popular with girls and it was published in Shonen Jump!  This should be a quite popular book among tennis players, but you'll probably have to promote it.

• Super hero style - Battling Boy  - This is an interesting Superman style good alien guy fights bad monsters on earth type comic story.  It's violent, it has weird monsters, and the story line is entertaining if not a bit convoluted.

Day 19, 20

Every once in a while, I read a graphic novel with breathtaking art and lyrical wording that leaves me thinking. Other times I might read something that inspires me to create. This simple collection of 3 stories by Shaun Tan did both! I loved the first short story so much that I want to use it to teach poetry and visual metaphor for my middle schoolers and high school students.

Take a peek at "Lost and Found" by Shaun Tan

I also read a graphic adaptation of City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau.  Once again, this adaptation just wasn't made for readers like me, so it's hard to appreciate it.  If a book is going to be made into a graphic adaptation, I like to see more thought brought into the illustrations and more visual figurative language.

Day 17 Little White Duck

Sorry for missing a few days, but I was at TLA conference in Austin! Fun times!

Today, I read Little White Duck: A Childhood in China by Na Liu and Andres Vera Martinez (who interestingly enough met in Austin, TX! Weird coincidence!)

This graphic novel memoir is told as 8 short stories, but it felt fluid enough for me to be written as eight chapters in one book about growing up in China during the time of Mao.  I love reading snapshots of time periods and cultures like this although I felt this book ended too abruptly.  

While reading, I thought about how I'd love to gather a collection of graphic novels centered around childhood and use them as the basis of researching different cultures (Including the culture of grief, toothloss or teendom.)

Other great graphic memoirs could include: 

• Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi -Iran
• Maus by Art Spiegelman - Germany WW2
• Bluffton by Matt Phelan- America 1900s
• El Deafo by Cece Bell - Deaf culture
• Bag of Marbles Kris, Joseph Joffo, Vincent Bailly, and Edward Gauvi - France during WW2
• Drawing from Memory by Allen Say- China during WW2
• Smile by Raina Telgemeier- Orthodontic Culture/MS America
• Dumbest Idea Ever by Jimmy Gownley - Everyday  MS America
• Harvey by Jerve Bouchard and Janice Nadeau - France (and Grief)
• Hidden: A Child's Story of the Holocaust by Loic Dauvillier, Marc Lizano, and Greg Salsedo -Paris 1942
• Matter of Life by Jeffrey Brown- Family and Loss

I'm going to keep thinking about this list and adding to it.  I feel a great research project coming on!

Day 11 - Mouse Guard Winter 1152

Day 11- Mouse Guard by David Peterson

So, I attempted reading this a few years ago and I didn't like it, but yesterday when I picked it up for the shelf challenge and read it with my 6 year old-- she and I both were enraptured! The eloquent writing style hooked us and the detailed illustrations had us up past bedtime.  These brave Mice are met with a murderous owl, a den of mice bones, whispering bats, and a traitorous mouse who attempts poisoning the entire village.  

The imagery is quite gruesome and the action is very violent, but we still enjoyed the story nonetheless! I have to admit that reading this after ChocoMimi is mind boggling. The shelf challenge has really been amazing and showcasing the depth and vast differences in the writing styles and illustrations of graphic novels.  I thoroughly appreciate the world that Petersen has built for these little mice and I think this is a good starter for children who will grow up to be fans of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones.

But my favorite thing? The bunnies that the mice ride like horses!

Days 9-10 A Graphic Adaptation vs. Manga

Normally I don't read graphic adaptations, but I do love to buy them for my students! ESL, SPED, and reluctant readers are usually able to enjoy these if they can't fully comprehend the full length novel.

This Vladimir Tod adaptation though is pretty tame compared to the action in the actual novel.  The drawing style is okay, but so far it hasn't caught much attention from my students.  (Looks like it's only been checked out twice this year.)

Now Choco Mimi is a totally different type of Manga than I was expecting! This sugary sweet cover is not what it seems! First of all this book is totally not appropriate for elementary students. Please do not get it for them.

Choco and Mimi are two 8th grade girls that are obsessed with Lolita fashion.  Choco is pretty smart and sardonic, where Mimi is totally obsessed with her looks and quite ditzy.  It reminds me a lot of Veronica and Betty from Archie! I love Chiffon, Choco's "manly" puppy, who seems to get pranked by his owner a lot.  At first I didn't like this book, but the more I read, the more it transported me back to my 1990's anime obsession. I think teen me would've loved reading about the girls fighting over Andrew, but the adult me thinks their skirts are too short and they are too disrespectful of their teacher, Mr. Take.

Also note, this is not a full story, but written more in a comic book style like Archie, each page holds gag cartoons that will make you giggle.  Again, this would be more for Kawaii obsessed teenagers and is not appropriate for elementary.