MAINE STUDENT BOOK AWARD

What is it and how does it work?

In the decade since the Maine Student Book Award was initiated, more and more young participants across Maine have expanded their reading horizons. If you work with Maine students in fourth through eighth grade, there's no time like the present to encourage them to join in the fun.

Here's a quick overview of how it works:

SPRING: The MSBA Title List for the upcoming school year is available on-line (usually by April 1) and distributed at statewide conferences.

SUMMER: As you order new books, consult the Title List for titles appropriate to your intended readers. The Title List is annotated, and includes grade level guidelines. While we hope that you will find many excellent suggestions for your readers on the list, it is not mandatory that all titles be available to students in order to be a participating site.

FALL/WINTER: Talk up the Maine Student Book Award with students, parents, library patrons, and faculty! Encourage students to read three or more titles from the MSBA list in preparation for voting next spring. You may wish to devise a system to help students remember the books they have read, and their opinions.

THE FOLLOWING SPRING: Students who have read three or more of the titles on the MSBA list are eligible to vote for their favorite title at their school or public library.

Participating schools/groups add up their votes and submit their MSBA ballots for the statewide tally. The students' top choice from the previous year's reading list is announced at Reading Round-Up, as well as on the Me-Libs listserv and via postcard to those schools and groups who participated in the voting.

The Maine Student Book Committee encourages teachers and librarians to reward students' year-round reading with some sort of event or celebration - a cooperative display project; an ice-cream party; student skits or readings; or other activities. Consider using MSBA bookmarks, T-shirts and totes. Use your imagination (and let us know of your successful events!).

The MSBA Committee also depends on input as it works to create the next year's recommended reading list. Any readers--student, teacher, parent, librarian--may submit an MSBA review form for any fiction or non-fiction title published in the current year that is appropriate for readers/listeners in grades 4-8. The review form may be photocopied so that a new form can be completed for each title read.

For more information, please contact any Maine Student Book Award Committee Member.

This page was printed from "http://efolio.umeedu.maine.edu/~masl/msba/generalinfo.html"

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