The High School's Library Week Ideas
For high school students, Library Week presents an opportunity to promote awareness of the school library, books and functions and encourage literacy in students. Librarians, teachers and administrators can work together to create engaging, educational events that will encourage high school kids to read and learn about libraries and, in particular, their school's library.
Other People Are Reading
-
Writing Contest
-
Writing contests help students flex their creativity. A contest centered around recommended books from the library can engage creativity while broadening students' literary horizons. Participating students choose a book from a list created by the librarian, and submit a creative work based on that book. The work can be anything from a new ending to a haiku of famous lines. For example, if the work is "A Tale of Two Cities," the haiku could be something along the lines of: I remember then:/ It was both the best of times/ And the worst of times. A student could rewrite the ending of "Sense and Sensibility" so that Marianne ends up with Mr. Willoughby, or the Harry Potter series so that Voldemort defeats Harry. The winner of the contest can receive a prize such as a gift certificate to a bookstore or the ability to chose a handful of books to add to the library's collection.
Play
-
Groups of classes can put on a performance illustrating the sections of the library for the school. Plays can be as imaginative or as straightforward as they like. For example, those who cover the fiction section can do a dramatic presentation of a book or play. More creative ideas include condensed or humorous versions of Shakespeare's plays, a different interpretation of a classic, like putting "The Grapes of Wrath" in the real estate crash or turning Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" into a musical. For non-fiction sections, classes can present information about the section through a character. Darwin, for example, could talk about the science section. Students dressed as various historical figures can present the biography section. Showcase the reference section with students dressed as Samuel Johnson. Each presentation should be creative and entertaining.
-
Art Projects
-
Art projects can help students celebrate the library as well as the history and function of libraries. Projects ideas include a mural of libraries in pop culture and film, like the library from "Beauty and the Beast," "The Breakfast Club" and "Ghostbusters." Students can also build a model of historical libraries, like the destroyed library of Alexandria, or fictional libraries, like the magical underground library in "Beautiful Creatures." Students can also get creative by designing cover art for various books; ideas include misleading titles (illustrate "The Grapes of Wrath" with really angry fruit) or favorite scenes, such as leaving gifts for Boo Radley in the tree in "To Kill a Mockingbird."
Library Scavenger Hunt
-
Familiarize students with the different areas of the library with a scavenger hunt. Split a class into groups and send them looking for hints leading to a prize. Hints can be card catalogue numbers, descriptions of areas or equipment in the library, or even a page on the school's website. For the winning group, prizes can include books or book accessories, such as bookmarks or book lights.
-
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
