It IS possible to celebrate books virtually and to spread book love without physically being present with a student. We could not believe the excitement that students exhibited when presented with the Charlotte’s Web checklist for our virtual book celebration. The students eagerly and enthusiastically chose their topics for exploration and begin the process of working diligently to prepare for the fair.
Our specialist teachers joined in on this virtual celebration. Several students chose to create a playlist of music for the fair. Our music teacher graciously agreed to teach a class on how to develop this playlist. She included how to research songs, examine genres and create a list in Google drive, linking to youtube. Our art teacher held a special Google Meet, where she taught a mini-lesson sharing “how to create a ribbon for a baking competition”. Our physical education teacher helped students learn how to square dance. Our specialists have always played a vital role in book celebration when we are in our building, and by asking them to “guest lecture,” they were able to be a part of our virtual celebration too.
Students loved the language Arts challenges. Here are some of the Instagram inspired posts students created:
STEM is always a huge part of book celebrations and the virtual fair did not disappoint. Students used art materials, toys and even recycling that they had at home to complete the STEM challenges. Some highlights of this challenge were Wilbur’s pen and building a piggy bank.
What fair would be complete without a baking competition? Students wrote recipes using customary and metric units of measurement and created all sorts of food items, from ice cream to apple pie. This was an authentic way for students to practice using the customary and metric units of measurement they have been learning during our math unit on this topic. They baked their products, shared them with their families and shared photos with our classes. We must admit, we were a bit jealous that we were not able to try some of these goodies! A bonus here is that we didn’t need to worry about allergies; there wasn’t any food sharing.
Finally, many students created fair posters and other art projects for “judging.” The results were amazing.
We prefer to celebrate books in person, as a grade level, but we have not been able to do that right now. A virtual fair is the next best thing. Any activity that celebrates books and keeps students reading is worth it, whether it is in person or together in our online community. Read on, readers. Read on!
