
How to Get Started With Take Home Literacy Book Bags
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The Reason to Use Take-home Literacy Bags
How to Get Started
Create the same number of take-home bags as you have students in your class. So, if you have 10 students, we are going to make 10 take-home bags. It is helpful to have a couple of extra bags on hand.
What to Put in the Literacy Bags
Acquiring Books
- Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
- My Truck is Stuck by Kevin Lewis
- We’re Going on a Bear Huntby Michael Rosen
- Peekabo Morningby Rachel Isadora
- The Three Bears by Byron Barton
- Is Your Mama a Llama by Deborah Gurano
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear ,What Do You See? By Bill Martin Jr
- More More More Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams
- Leo Can Swim by Anna McQuinn
- The Wheels on the Bus illustrated by Jerry Smath
- Blue Hat Green Hat by Sandra Boynton
- Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell
- Five Little Ducks by Raffi
- Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- The Eensy Weensy Spider by Mary Ann Hoberman
- Hickory, Dickory, Dock: And Other Favorite Nursery Rhymes illustrated by Sanja Rescek
- Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley
- Lots of Feelings by Shelley Rotner
- Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Here are a couple of special occassion titles.
- We Have a Baby by Cathryn Fallwell
- Pottyby Leslie Paricelli
The Book Buddy Sheets
Storing Suggestions
When to Send Bags Home
A weekly checkout routine is manageable and predictable. I like to do a Monday checkout. You can send home a Thursday reminder to return books on Friday. Then, you have the weekend to repair or replace any pieces in the bags.
To monitor which family has which set checked out, I keep a simple list of take-home bags. It has several columns to keep track of which bags are checked out each week. I place the child’s initials in a column when the book bag is checked out. Then, I circle the number in the column when a bag is returned.
You could also use an electronic system such as the free service called Book Source Classroom Organizer.
Introduce the Program to Families
A back to school or open house meeting is a great time to share the program with families. A letter home explaining the take-home bags also works.
Be sure to cover the following points.
- The purpose of the take-home bags
- What can be found inside each bag
- How and when to use the bags
- When the bags will come home and when they should be returned
- What to do if a bag or its contents are damaged
- The program is not mandatory but highly encouraged
I Really Want Something Where Most of the Work is Done For Me!
I hear you! If you would rather spend your free time doing something else rather than writing all the questions and activities for over twenty books, creating a parent letter, and putting together all the management forms, I have you covered.
I’ve created a nice neat package for you. All you need to do is print, gather the books and bags, and assemble your bags. Yep, I’ve got all your book buddy sheets and forms done. Here is what you get in the download.
- An easy step by step guide/checklist (cheat sheet) of all the information provided in this post
- Suggested book list and shopping list
- 22 Book Buddy Sheets for the books listed above plus a blank template for other titles you may choose (before, during, and after questions, activity experiences, and further reading book suggestions for families)
- Introduction letter for families
- Check out master sheet plus a blank check out sheet
- Family due date reminders
- If lost, please return notes
Get all of this for the affordable price of $6.
*Please note this is a downloadable file. Once you make your purchase, a PDF file will be emailed to you to download. It does not include the actual books or bags. You must have Adobe Reader to use the editable fields portion of the document.
Have a question. I’m happy to help you get this project off the ground. Feel free to leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.
Get ready to help families bond over books at home with these literacy bags.
P.S.- If you have a need for preschool/kindergarten literacy bags, I have those for you too.—>PRESCHOOL TAKE HOME BAGS
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