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Launching the New & Improved #SummerThrowdown

June 24, 2013

Welcome to #summerthrowdown year 2!!!!!

This year we’re making a few changes to improve #summerthrowdown based on what we did with our  students this past school year as part of our Sister Classroom journey of interstate collaboration.

Because we love our librarians, and don’t want to wedge the stake of competition between us [Brian’s description] we wanted a more collaborative and supportive experience, not a competitive experience.

We’re still throwing down…but now it’s ALL of us versus our huge piles of books!

Because this year is more of a readathon than a competition, we will have a slightly different objective. Certainly, little competitions will come up naturally [Brian’s note: I’m going to try to not let Jillian beat me this year. . .let me rephrase: JILLIAN WILL NOT BEAT ME THIS YEAR!] [Jillian’s sidenote: Hmmm, friendly competition to push me to read more. Challenge accepted.], but we do want to avoid making the entire thing a competition. That gets away from the idea of reading being its own reward.
Dates: July 1-31
  • Upon signing up on the spreadsheet, the participants will put their Twitter handle (if they have one) as well as a reading goal for the month
  • We will add up all these individual goals and that will be our overall target
  • The spreadsheet will have a “countdown” in the upper left
  • We will also try to beat last year’s one-month total of 2,873.25 books read
  • Reminder to help with goal setting: we averaged 17.8 books per person last year
  • Book counting just got easier: if you read a book, any book, it counts as one book. So keep in mind what kinds of books you plan to read when setting your personal goal.
  • Spreadsheet link
Together we are stronger…teachers and librarians united in reading.
Come join us!
Jillian
Brian
Sherry
Kathy
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Comments

  1. Unknown says

    July 1, 2013 at 4:20 pm

    I am number 88 on the list and my goal is 31 books. Book one is "Togo" by Robert E. Blake about a dog's incredible emergency journey to bring a serum that will save Alaskan residents form an outbreak of diphtheria. It is the sled journey that inspired the Iditarod. Who doesn't love a dog as a hero story. Thanks to Jillian, Brian, Sherry, and Kathy for keeping me on my reading toes. I am one of those type who loves to rise to a challenge. Game on!

  2. Shannon says

    June 26, 2013 at 4:51 am

    What an awesome idea:
    US vs.THEM!! 🙂

    Headed to sign up now!

    Shannon
    http://www.irunreadteach.wordpress.com

  3. Mrs. Kenyon says

    June 24, 2013 at 11:23 pm

    I think this is a great idea. Question: I read one book for every two audio books I listen to. For this TBR adventure, would it be just "read" or will "listen" also count? It will make a difference in my goal.

    • Jillian Heise says

      June 26, 2013 at 8:40 pm

      Reading with our ears always counts!

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