School-Wide Program: The 12 Days of Reading: Home

PreK-5

MASL School Library Instructional Standards: K-2: Reading Engagement: Identify reading choices.

12 days before Winter Break, teachers can share the book read aloud or play the video of the book read aloud during the class on each of the 12 days. This is a school-wide event directed by the librarian.

This lesson was created by Stacey McMackin from Carver Elementary/Hodgen Tech Elementary. 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

This "lesson" is a school-wide 12-day celebration of winter-themed books, with daily titles and activities featured for all students.

• original printed materials
• daily "favor/activity"
• original or linked video read alouds of 12 titles
• bags for each student
• copies of 12 chosen titles

This program is a celebration of reading that involves every student at school!

Learning Objectives

• Students will listen to and comprehend an award-winning selection of 12 winter-themed, age-appropriate books and successfully engage in discussions and activities about the theme of each book.
• Students will participate in a school-wide celebration event, highlighting their knowledge of the books, and rewarding them for participating with a free book(s) to take home with them.

I Can Statements

• I can listen to and understand award-winning winter-themed books and share my thoughts about their themes in discussions and activities.

• I can celebrate my learning by participating in a school-wide event. 

1. Choose 12 titles of books that span the interest ranges and reading levels of the school.
2. Find and/or create free and non-copyrighted videotaped read alouds of each book.
3. Choose a small, inexpensive object to purchase or make for each student that reflects each day's book theme. Design a discussion prompt, or activity to go with the daily "favor".
4. Develop a calendar for the school with: Day #, Book Title, "Dress-Up" Theme (optional), Favor/Activity for that book, Link to read aloud.
5. Purchase/make bags of favors/activities for each day for each classroom teacher, with enough for each student.
6. Publicize/announce that day's book, possibly adding daily contests for "best dress-up", or allowing students to read aloud excerpts from a book over the PA to the school as part of daily announcements.
7. Provide print copies of each book, at least one of each of the twelve books to rotate around to the classroom teachers to use in class. Preferably a set of all 12 for each classroom.
8. Schedule/produce a school-wide celebration on the last (12th) Day of Reading, with prizes, free books, a chat with "Santa" or an "Elf", refreshments and games.

• A feedback form should be available to teachers to assess the level of engagement of each class in each day's book.
• Informal observation in the classrooms each day is mandatory for the school library media specialist to troubleshoot and support teachers in the implementation.

Each day's "favor" and/or "activity" should have the flexibility to be successful at any level of ability. An example of this would be, for one day, an origami paper folding activity would be chosen for older students to be featured with a book about Japan's holidays, but that activity could be a simpler foldable for younger students, preprinted with festive messages or graphics, or selections from the book.