S A READ-ALOUD Mentoring Program PreK–8
SAMPLE GUIDES
Scholastic R.E.A.L. is a literacy-based mentoring program that gives schools, districts, public libraries, and community- based organizations the tools they need to recruit and equip mentors—caring individuals from the community— to be reading champions. Through high-quality, diverse books and companion guides, mentors will read aloud and discuss books with children. A Read-Aloud Program with a REAL Impact
• • Implementation and recruiting strategies • • Communication and resource plans
Our Guides Offer Support :
• • Engaging and thought-provoking book discussion prompts • • Tips on how to connect with children, overcome mentor obstacles, and more!
Table of Contents Implementation Guide..........................................2 Community Recruitment Guide............................6 Mentor Success Guide..........................................9
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R.E.A.L. A Read-Aloud Mentoring Program with REAL Impact
Research shows that reading aloud to a child is the single most important thing a caring adult can do to nurture a child's reading and learning skills. Mentors—community members who visit schools to read aloud and discuss books—help inspire children to discover the joy of reading and develop the literacy skills, while reducing the number of kids who are disconnected from school. Program Overview A Simple Model 1. Recruit
District and school leaders recruit volunteers within the community to be literacy champions for each class of students within preK–grade 8. • Use the letters and forms provided to make recruitment and communication simple. Head to real.scholastic.com to download additional support in the Community Recruitment Guide . 2. Read Students gain new models for thinking more deeply as they listen to mentors read aloud and participate in class conversations about issues from the book. • Mentors read and discuss high-interest, grade-appropriate books during one-hour visits. The r ead-aloud guidance and easy-to- use discussion prompts provided in the Mentor Guides will get conversation flowing . 3. Inspire In the words of a R.E.A.L. Mentor, “I was amazed to see that in one hour a month, I could have such a positive impact on a child.” Students are excited by the mentor visits, and everyone is enriched—students, mentors, and the community. • All your students receive their own copy of each book to build their home libraries. Activities in the Student Guides elicit thinking and writing, while Family Guides support at-home literacy involvement .
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Implementation Guide Everything you need to set up and facilitate a successful mentoring program
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R.E.A.L. Sampler Guide
Components That Work
The R.E.A.L. titles are curated to provide an enjoyable listening experience and spark meaningful discussion between mentors and students. In the books, students will encounter a diversity of topics, characters, settings, experiences, authors, illustrators, and genres. The books are a rich opportunity to make real-life connections, develop self-awareness, and build background knowledge. Books Diversity.
Race and culture. Physical disability and mental health. Immigration, friendship, space, plants, animals, ghosts, food, loss, achievement, and much more.
Interdisciplinary. Literacy, history, science, math, social- emotional skills, and creativity come together with these books and guides.
Values and Role Models. Both fiction and nonfiction books express the importance of social-emotional skills such as persistence, respect, teamwork, patience, courage, and relationship-building. Students will carry these values off the page and into their everyday lives.
Titles are subject to change.
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Implementation Guide Everything you need to set up and facilitate a successful mentoring program
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R.E.A.L. A Read-Aloud Mentoring Program with REAL Impact
Mentor Guides Mentor Guides are easy to use and designed for mentors who are not educators. Scripted Approaches. Mentors begin with tips for previewing each book with students and building background knowledge. Discussion. Read-aloud guidance, such as “pause points” with open-ended questions, drives conversation both during and after the read-aloud.
Student Guides Student Guides provide practical ways to comprehend, analyze, and connect to the books. Standards Connections. Students will look for evidence, read for meaning, and respond to the ideas in the book through speaking and writing. Real Life. Engaging activities help readers connect each book to their own lives and to the world.
Age-appropriate approach
Family Guides Family Guides provide easy, actionable ways to respond to books and build literacy skills at home. Joyful Activities. Families will enjoy crafts, hands-on play or construction, games, and much more. Thought-Provoking Discussions. Books act as the jumping-off point for crucial conversations about social-emotional skills as well as understanding our world.
All guides are available at real.scholastic.com
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Implementation Guide Everything you need to set up and facilitate a successful mentoring program
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R.E.A.L. Sampler Guide
¡Scholastic R.E.A.L. llega a nuestra escuela!
Estimadas Familias: Nuestro distrito escolar se complace en anunciar el lanzamiento de un nuevo y emocionante programa de mentores, Scholastic R.E.A.L. , por sus siglas en inglés Read. Excel. Achieve. Lead. (Leer. Sobresalir. Triunfar. Guiar.) Este programa está diseñado para fomentar la lectoescritura y desarrollar el amor por la lectura en nuestros estudiantes, con el apoyo de mentores que compartirán una hora de su tiempo una vez al mes. Luego de que los mentores hayan despertado el entusiasmo por la lectura en la escuela, continúen las conversaciones sobre lectoescritura en casa con charlas entretenidas y actividades prácticas para realizar en familia que ayudarán al desarrollo de la confianza y la motivación para leer de su niño o niña. La lectura en casa es parte de la conexión de aprendizaje entre el hogar y la escuela que apoya el éxito académico de su niño o niña. Cómo funciona el programa R.E.A.L. • Se invitan personas voluntarias de la comunidad para ayudar a los/las estudiantes, incluido su niño o niña. • Los mentores leen y comentan un libro diferente en cada una de las visitas a clase. • Los/Las estudiantes reciben un ejemplar de los libros para llevar a casa. Anímenlos a compartir los libros con ustedes, sus hermanos/as, primos/as o abuelos/as. Además, los/las estudiantes recibirán una Guía para el estudiante y una Guía para la familia con cada libro. Las guías contienen preguntas para reforzar la lectura del libro y actividades de lectura y escritura especiales para hacer en familia. Lean los libros con su niño o niña y completen las actividades juntos. Dedicarle tiempo a las actividades compartidas de lectoescritura ayudará a desarrollar las destrezas de lectura y pensamiento crítico de su niño o niña. Si alguno/a de ustedes desea participar en el programa como mentor o conoce a alguien interesado, por favor, póngase en contacto con nosotros.
Scholastic R.E.A.L. is coming to our school!
SCHOLASTIC R.E.A.L. 11 How the R.E.A.L. Program Works • Volunteers within our community are recruited to mentor our students, including your child. 8/4/22 2:35 PM • Mentors read and discuss a different book for an hour during each of the class visits. • Children receive their own copies of the books to take home. Please encourage your child to share the books with you and their brothers, sisters, cousins, and grandparents. In addition, students will receive a Student Guide and Family Guide for each book. These guides provide questions to support the reading of the book and include special reading and writing activities to do as a family. Read the books with your child and complete the activities together. Investing time in shared literacy activities will boost your child’s reading and critical- thinking skills. By the way, if you or someone you know would be interested in becoming a mentor, please let us know! Dear Family, Our school district is pleased to announce the launch of an exciting mentorship program called Scholastic R.E.A.L.—Read. Excel. Achieve. Lead. This program is designed to deepen literacy and to instill a love of reading in our students through mentors, who will share an hour of their time once a month. After mentors build reading excitement at school, continue the literacy conversations at home with fun discussions and hands-on family activities that will help build your child's confidence and motivation to read. Reading at home is part of the home-school learning connection that supports your child's academic success.
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R.E.A.L. A Read-Aloud Mentoring Program with REAL Impact
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Begin by reading the Implementation Guide. You’ll find an overview of the program and a recruitment plan, as well as basic templates for communicating about REAL. This Community Recruitment Guide dives deeper, with templates for recruiting and engaging with mentors through the life cycle of the program, developing relationships that can continue into a new school year and beyond. Visit real.scholastic.com to download editable digital versions of these letters. From there, you can: • Keep It Simple! Simply fill in your personalized details/contact information, paste them into an email, and you’re done! —or— • Go Deep. Customize for your community or show off what makes your school unique. This Community Recruitment Guide dives deeper, with templates for recruiting and engaging with mentors through the life cycle of the program, developing relationships that can continue into a new school year and beyond. Letter Templates Visit real.scholastic.com to download editable digital versions of these letters. From there, you can: • Keep It Simple! Simply fill in your personalized details/contact information, paste them into an email, and you’re done! —or— • Go Deep. Customize for your community or show off what makes your school unique. Begin by reading the Implementation Guide. You’ll find an overview of the program and a recruitment plan, as well as basic templates for communicating about REAL.
Mentor Outreach Emails • Nonprofit/Corporate .............................. 3 • Sports Team ............................................... 4 • Civil Service Professionals .................... 5 Mentor Outreach Emails • Nonprofit/Corporate .............................. 3 • Sports Team ............................................... 4 • Civil Service Professionals .................... 5
Mid-year Check-in Email • Encouragement ....................................... 6 End-of-Year Email • Thank You / See You Next Year............ 7 Mid-year Check-in Email • Encouragement ....................................... 6 End-of-Year Email • Thank You / See You Next Year............ 7
Letter Templates
Photos ©: cover: PeopleImages/Getty Images; 8: FatCamera/Getty Images. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. Copyright © 2022 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. Printed in the U.S.A. ISBN 978-1-338-86719-0 • SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
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Community Recruiting Guide Ready-to-go templates for personalized recruiting and communication with mentors
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Scholastic REAL 2 Photos ©: cover: PeopleImages/Getty Images; 8: FatCamera/Getty Images. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. Copyright © 2022 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. Printed in the U.S.A. ISBN 978-1-338-86719-0 • SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
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R.E.A.L. Sampler Guide
Nonprofit/Corporate Outreach (Can be customized to corporate engagement programs, civic organizations, faith-based organizations, etc.)
Subject Line Ideas: • [School/district/organization name] Seeking Volunteers • Volunteer Opportunity: Read Aloud in Schools • [School name] Needs Your Help • Opportunity to Connect With Your Community
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Dear ______________, I’m reaching out to you from [school/district/organization] with a simple yet impactful opportunity for your [employees/members]. Our [school/school district] is seeking community members to spend one hour [each month/ every other month] reading aloud to children [in classrooms], discussing books and the real-life issues within. Mentorship of this nature has far-reaching effects, not only on children’s literacy skills, but also on their social-emotional development and their investment in school. Research shows that reading out loud to a child is the single most important thing a caring adult can do to nurture a child’s reading and learning skills. We also know that mentoring within a literacy-rich program can instill a love of books in children, motivating them to read, and help close the opportunity gap. We have adopted an exciting program called Scholastic R.E.A.L.—Read. Excel. Achieve. Lead. This proven, successful program includes high-quality books as well as easy-to-use book guides for mentors, complete with built-in conversation starters individualized for each book. The only missing part is YOU! Engagement in mentoring is an investment that not only serves one individual, but also the community as a whole. Through R.E.A.L. mentorship, your participation will have a genuine and positive effect on children’s lives, while connecting your [company/organization] to the community and enhancing your [employees’/members’] “soft skills,” like communication, team building, and collaboration. I would like to talk with you more about how we can build powerful, effective partnerships to facilitate a meaningful and rewarding endeavor for both your [company/organization] and our community’s youth. I will follow up soon with a call to your office. Sincerely, Name Title School/district/organization Email address and phone number
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Community Recruiting Guide Ready-to-go templates for personalized recruiting and communication with mentors
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R.E.A.L. A Read-Aloud Mentoring Program with REAL Impact
Mentor Encouragement (Can be customized to celebrate specific program milestones and/or successes)
Subject Line Ideas: • Celebrating YOU: Thank you from [school/district/organization name] • Update: Your reading is working [or accomplishing great things]! • Thank you for making an impact!
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Dear [mentor name], We at [school/district/organization] can’t thank you enough for volunteering to read to our community’s children through the Scholastic R.E.A.L. program! The response so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Here’s a sampling of what we’ve heard so far: • A child told us, “[Insert quote].” • A [teacher/facilitator] let us know, “[Insert quote].” [Insert anecdote: “You might also be interested to know…” or “I’m also delighted to share that…”] I’m seeing students’ perception of reading shift from reluctance to excitement as they receive their book each month and look forward to seeing YOU! They find it easier to dive into a new book at home when they’ve already begun the process of reading and chatting about the book, joyfully, with you. [Alternately, if needed: I know it can take a few months for a mentor and students to get to know each other. We’re so grateful you’re keeping at it, building trust with students. I’m so appreciative that you’re investing in our children. You will make a R.E.A.L. impact on them.] If you have any questions or feedback at any point in the year, please feel free to reach out to me. Strong relationships between schools and community members have a deep impact on children, and we’re already seeing the results. We’re so glad to have you with us! [Warmly, / With gratitude, / Thank you,] Name Title School/district/organization Email address and phone number
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Community Recruiting Guide Ready-to-go templates for personalized recruiting and communication with mentors
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• Explain: Introduce yourself (you might mention your job, for a career connection). Explain that you are here to read a book aloud and then talk about it with them. Tell them they will get to take home a copy of the book to keep and read with their families! Plus, they’ll get activities to do. Let them know that you’ll be back [number of] times. (The teacher or facilitator will likely have explained this previously, so this will probably be a review.) 2 CONNECT | With Children
• Name Pronunciation: Have each child say their name (and perhaps share a short, easy, low-anxiety icebreaker, such as their favorite animal, time permitting). Write down how to pronounce any names you aren’t familiar with. If needed, you can say something like, “It’s important for me to pronounce your name correctly. Could you please say it again for me?”Then thank them. • Bond: Start by making small talk and getting to know each other a bit by eliciting conversation (only students who wish to talk can speak up). For example, you might say something like: “I’m looking forward to getting to know each other a bit! The book we’ll read today is about food. Personally, I can’t get enough of [your favorite food]. What are your favorite foods?” • Read: See the READ section below for detailed information about the read- aloud portion of the visit. • Wrapping Up: At the end of a visit, thank the children and your host for sharing this reading space with you. Say how much you enjoyed yourself and that you’re looking forward to next time! Remind the kids to take their books home and read them with their families.
BEST GUEST Remember, you are a guest in a teacher’s classroom or a facilitator’s space. built-in support system, so ask for help when needed, and thank your host. before you open supplies or move furniture and such. This means: • You have a • Be sure to ask
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• Voice and Emotion: It’s common, especially with young children, to do di erent “voices” for characters during read-alouds. • Avoid putting on other people’s accents. • Do match the emotion in di erent characters’ voices. This is a powerful way to help characters sound di erent while aiding in reading comprehension. You can also vary your speed and tone for di erent characters. • Personal Connection: As you read, show your reactions. Here are some examples: • Laugh or smile at the funny parts. • If something surprising happens, blurt out a “Whoa!” • If a character is in pain, your facial expression and voice can communicate your worry and empathy. • If a book is silly, you can exaggerate your expression. “I can’t believe there’s an alien in my living room” sounds very di erent from “I caaaaan’t beliiiieeeeve there’s an ALIEN in my LIVING ROOM!” • Overall: Reveal your genuine enjoyment of reading and your investment in stories in whatever way feels natural to you.
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To see what the R.E.A.L. program means to our mentors, districts, and children, watch now:
VIDEO FEATURED
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