Use Your ABCs 2009-2010

As I mentioned previously, our Use Your ABCs program is one of my favorite projects in the Reading Tub®.  It is our chance to get great books to the places that need them most: readers-in-need and their teachers.

Use Your ABCs is a school-based project to assist at-risk readers. These are readers whose test scores show they are failing benchmarks for their grade level. It is a chance for them to practice reading, comprehension, and writing skills as they work to become successful readers. In general, these are students third grade and higher who are reading at a mid-second grade through seventh grade level.

Use Your ABCs partners generally need at least one book per student. In middle and high school, those numbers can go higher, as teachers often have more than one class. We carefully select books from the shelves so we can match reading level ranges, subject areas of interest, format type, and balance gender interests. Here is how Use Your ABCs has been used in classrooms:

• Some teachers ask upper-elementary students to read picture books to with younger kids, either lower grades or siblings.
• Some teachers ask for multiple copies of a book so that students can work together on a review.
• Some teachers ask for books on class-related themes.
• Some teachers need High/Low books.

The needs vary, but we do our best.  Even though summer vacation is here (or nearly here), many teachers are already thinking about next fall.  This year, we are using an online application to identify partners for this project.

Although we would love to accommodate every request, it’s just not possible. That said, this isn’t a first-come, first-served process. We will read all of the applications and select as many classrooms/schools as we can matching classroom needs and what’s on our shelves.

This year we will keep all of the applications active so that as opportunities come up later in the year, we can (hopefully) send out a second set in the spring.

If you’re interested – or know someone who may be interested, we’d love to hear from you. The application has all the details you’ll need, but if you have a question, I’m just an email away at thereadingtub [at] gmail [dot] com.

If you’re an author and you’d like to donate books for this project, just contact me at this email address.

The deadline for submission is 30 July 2009.