2007 Printable Manual - Texas State Library and Archives ...

Introduction
Sail Away With Books!
Theme
The theme of the 2007 Texas Reading Club is “Sail Away With Books!” The Spanish
translation of the theme is “¡Navega lejos con libros!” The programs and activities in the manual
focus on oceans, lakes, boats, voyages, water sports, pirates, and many related topics.
Goals and Purpose
The goals of the Texas Reading Club are to encourage the children and families of Texas to read
for pleasure, to help children maintain and improve their reading skills, to encourage them to
become lifelong readers and library users, and to establish reading as a foundation for academic
success.
The purpose of this manual is to assist library staff and volunteers who serve young people by
suggesting programs and materials that will attract children to the library for enjoyable learning
experiences. When all children and families in Texas know that the library is a friendly and
welcoming place and have the opportunity to enjoy library materials, programs, and services, we
will have achieved our goal.
Research has shown that when children have the freedom to select books that they want to read,
they read more. School curriculum frequently demands that students read certain books, and
school programs may require that they read books from lists and be tested on those books.
Reading for pleasure means having the freedom to read what is pleasing to the reader. Programs
like the Texas Reading Club are designed specifically to encourage free-choice reading.
Research also shows that reading during school vacations allows children to maintain and
improve reading skills achieved during the academic year. This is especially critical for new
readers and for children who have difficulty reading. Children who enjoy regular visits to the
library are more likely to continue to be readers and library supporters as adults. In many
communities, the library plays an important role by equalizing access to information, technology,
creative experiences, and educational and recreational materials for all children and their
caregivers. For more information on research related to summer reading and public libraries,
consult the section of this manual titled, “Research Related to Summer Reading.”
Using This Manual
The 2007 Texas Reading Club manual is available online at
http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/projects/trc/2007/index.html and on CD-ROM. The chapters in this
manual are arranged by age level to allow library staff and volunteers to select program ideas
that are appropriate for toddlers, preschool children, elementary school children, and young
adults. Ideas are also provided for opening and closing celebrations and a family event that
includes a variety of ages. A bilingual programs chapter provides ideas for programming for
young Spanish-speaking children and their families.
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