THIS BOOK IS COOL! In School, and So Are Those That Are Participating

When the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading launched the THIS BOOK IS COOL! in School (TBIC in School) program, it was with the hope that the program would provide some relief to teachers who were teaching in the wake of the pandemic. Since then, the program has evolved into a strong and widely valued program for educators in our four-county area. With 575 educators participating this school year, the connections created through the program continue to resonate. 

Classroom educators receive three curated books, educator-created lesson plans, parent letters, and information to add to their teacher toolbox. They also receive a copy of each of the three books for each student in their classroom, enabling them to teach with the book and then send it home to add to the student’s home library. For many of the students, these are the very few books they get to call their own. 

On the back of each book is a QR code linking to our website and providing fun activities for the book that families can do together to continue learning. For example, one of the PreK books, The Little Red Hen, includes a fun pancake-making activity that is kid-friendly (with adult involvement of course!). As you can see from the picture with Alison, a Bayshore Elementary VPK student, making pancakes made her VERY happy!

Teachers also have shared their excitement about the program. East Elementary School’s Michelle Seekings shared their “First Grade Space Day” in a quick video highlighting how her students enjoyed The Universe: The Stars. Virgil Mills Elementary teacher Tara Legowski shared pictures from a happy mom who reported, “Jameson loves taking out his book from school and reading to our family. It’s so nice seeing how much progress he’s made with his reading and the confidence he has when he picks up a book to read a” home.”

TBIC in School is a program that is so much more than just giving books to teachers.  It is a connection hub:

• Teachers are connecting with students and their families.
• Families are connecting over a shared love of books.
• Teachers are connecting with each other as they share their Cool Ideas on how they made a book come to life in the classroom, all connecting with the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.  

Teachers, students, families, and engagers all connecting and working together to help foster the love of reading in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto county. That’s the beauty of TBIC in School!