Program Aim

Our locally developed Readers' Choice Award program is designed especially for elementary school readers. The program aims to create opportunities for younger readers to participate in a reading and voting program similar to that developed for the Surrey Schools' Book of the Year Award (#SSBOY).

 

Program Goals

The central goals of the program are to promote a love of reading for enjoyment and to develop student appreciation for different styles of illustration in picture books.

 

Selection Criteria

Ten picture books (fiction) are selected each year. To be nominated for the Surrey Picture Book award, a book must demonstrate:

• a strong theme which generates discussion and extension activities

• content which reflects the diversity of Surrey's community

• a treatment of cultural and other values which is respectful

• a layout of text and image which is thoughtful, and promotes student engagement

• appeal to a wide range of learners

 

Selection Committee

Committee members, including the chair, are practicing Surrey teacher-librarians, who indicate interest in working on the program. The committee also includes the teacher-librarian helping teacher. Voting for the chair will occur in May of an outgoing program year.

 

Program Delivery

Teacher-librarians may choose to share all of the books with classes in the library, encouraging students to evaluate the stories and illustrations, and to identify their preferred title(s). To be eligible to vote, a student must read or listen to five of the ten nominated books, and in late April, students will cast votes for the books that they have most enjoyed. The book which receives the most student votes will be officially designated Surrey Picture Book.

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Alternatively, the collection may be circulated to teachers who wish to conduct the program as part of Language Arts activities, or to individual students who wish to read the books independently. As for the SSBOY award, a tally of votes from students participating at each site will be requested in late May.

The winning title will be announced in June of the outgoing program year.

 

Materials to Support the Program

Committee members create a variety of teaching activities and support materials. We would also love to share any of your ideas and activities. Please post your promotion documents through our Surrey TL Office 360 Team by clicking on the Surrey Book Award Programs channel and adding them to the SSPBOY Promotion Ideas tab. You can also click on this link: SSPBOY Promotion Ideas

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Kathy Gyori will transfer all posts to the SSPBOY website under their corresponding nominee title.

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On an annual basis, Learning Resources Services will provide teacher-librarians with award stickers for the winning title.

 

Communication

Teacher-librarians will receive information about the program from the Helping Teacher or committee members through the district email. Information will also be posted on the website, with a link being posted on the Surrey Teacher-Librarian Office 360 Team.

 

Surrey Schools' Award Program Links

 

Surrey Schools' Book of the Year http://thessboy.weebly.com/

Surrey Schools' Picture Book of the Year https://surreyschools.wixsite.com/sspboy

Surrey Schools' Narrative Nonfiction Book of the Year https://sites.google.com/view/surreyreadsnonfiction

Surrey Teens Read http://surreyteensread.weebly.com/