Summer Reading Celebration

Any day we get to wear our blingy reading shirts is a great day.  Give us two hundred middle school readers, a BINGO cage, and some flying glitter?  Now you understand why we have the best jobs in the world.

Our Summer Reading Celebration is held annually for all students who exceed expectations and read over 1500 pages during summer vacation.  They are the future crazy reading ladies and gentlemen of America, and we shall treat them well.  

Prize Table Numero Uno

In my four years as Reading Specialist, we've had three incarnations of the celebration.  I came into the position to a previously scheduled folk singer ('nuff said), then moved to an ice cream sundae party.  Though it was both budget-friendly and a big hit, we knew it was not the best message to be sending our kids.  As an ELA department, we (and a new federal mandate) decided we needed to celebrate accomplishments without hot fudge and Oreo cookie crumbles.

Book BINGO was born.

We've always had an issue with the name - Summer Reading Celebration is "meh" at best, and Book BINGO sounds downright lame.  We're working on it.

Here's how the Crazy Reading Ladies spent the $500 budget:

$100 on piddly prizes - sunglasses, fancy pens, clipboards, and all manifestations of yellow rubber duck
$400 on books - Scholastic Teacher Store has class sets on sale in early September, and I'm not afraid to pick up "looks like new" used books at libraries or on Freecycle throughout the year to add to my stash 
$35ish on decor - as many balloons as possible, dollar store tablecloths, glitter, centerpieces, etc.

I know.  First of all, you're not reading about the Crazy Math Ladies.  Second of all, you know we need spectacle.  So if we have to dig deep for some extra reading bling, we're going all in.

Besides, once you have a BINGO set, the only cost is the cards themselves - which are dirt cheap.  I think 500 paper cards cost $3.99.

The loud, the proud: the 6th graders

Our Principal is apparently a closet BINGO player and he let me purchase the Cadillac of Cages this year, which kind of makes up for the taunts he yelled my way, leading the kids in jeers of: "Those aren't real numbers!" and "NO ONE HAS THAT!"

Sure, they look sweet and innocent

The parade of 80-something sixth graders invaded the cafeteria first, followed by seventh and eighth.  Brave parent volunteers were a bit taken aback by how quickly the air in the room changed.  Some collapsed into their chairs when the last child left.  Middle schoolers will do that to you.

Representing over 50 books 
read this summer!

If you think tween readers are the quiet, sedentary, non-competitive type, you've never been to Book BINGO.
Yikes.
Within minutes, I had to give The Look to a table of screaming boys who were bashing each other with mylar balloons.

It's about to get crazy.

I didn't help matters by announcing to the packed cafeteria that THE BOOK was in the room.  Kids gasped and pushed themselves out of their seats for a look at the wrapped box.  For twenty-two days straight, we have been asked to reveal our selection.  The kids are desperate.  There has been wailing and gnashing of teeth.  I've been followed into the parking lot twice by a gaggle of girls promising they won't tell anyone.

Isn't that awesome?!

The entire festivus took just over an hour.  We played five raucous rounds of BINGO.  As winners pranced to the prize table, their names were cross-checked with an attendance sheet (you'd better believe it) and they selected both a novelty prize and a brand-new book.  On their way out, they took chalk and signed a banner proclaiming the best book they read this summer.

And then they could visit THE  BOOK.

Not yet...

After they exited the cafeteria, students could approach the table and record their guess on video (one brave, well-protected mother was on paparazzi duty.)  As I called BINGO numbers, I couldn't resist peeking over my shoulder to watch the line of kids waiting to guess the selection.  Some shook the box, others stroked it.  One student believed it all a farce - there was no way we'd have the box out in the open - and declared it a bag of flour.  Some were certain they knew, others were at a loss for words.  After reviewing the footage, we have about five clear "favorites" along with a smattering of other titles.

The Crazy Reading Ladies aren't revealing quite yet.  Watch for that first snow fall...and then, be ready for anything. 

Mary @mzcotillo and Erin @allinoleary
Survivors of Book BINGO 2013

How do you celebrate your students' accomplishments?  Share your incentive ideas in the comments!