When I introduced the idea of International Book Giving Day to my students a few months ago, they were so excited! I asked students to check with their families to see if they had any new or gently used children's books at home that they would be willing to donate to others. Students were great about bringing in books to give to others! The response was wonderful. I collected some books from Scholastic orders with my bonus points, but students and their families were the main donators of the books that we gifted. Between the 24 students in our classroom, we collected over 60 books to give away to others!
My class' initial idea was to find a younger classroom of students to visit and present with books. From there, they expanded their idea to reading to their younger peers.
I found a first grade classroom in our district that was excited to partner with us. A few weeks prior to our visit, students selected books to read aloud to their buddies and also books to give as gifts. The kids rehearsed their books to be read aloud and practiced their skills as fluent readers.
We spent time filling out bookplates to glue inside each of the books to be gifted. Our class also decided to wrap the books to make it more exciting and special. Some students even made extra gifts for their first grade buddies that related to the books they were reading.
Since our classroom of first grade buddies had only 18 students, we had LOTS of extra books to give away. Students found other great ways to get those books into the hands of other children.
Some books children took to doctor's appointments to leave in waiting rooms.
Other students grabbed a book for a younger neighbor, friend, or sibling.
All of the other books that we still had left, our class decided to donate to a program sponsored by our local Keystone State Reading Association branch called Laundry and Literacy. This program donates baskets of books to local laundromats for students to read during their visits to do laundry with their families.
Because of all of my students' generous donations and hard work, I had a Book Giving Day surprise of my own for them. Throughout the past several months, I had been collecting books to give to them in celebration of International Book Giving Day.
When the students arrived back from lunch in the afternoon, they found our class meeting area covered with gift-wrapped books. We took turns opening them, sharing about the books we found, and had a class book swap among students. Each student went home with a brand new book to read and enjoy.
Overall, the students really enjoyed their experiences. I saw lots of smiles and excitement over the simple act of reading. And that makes me smile.
Did you participate in International Book Giving Day? How did you use a book to bring a smile to someone today? Check out other great stories of how people chose to celebrate.
Happy Reading!
Mrs. Hartman
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