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Volunteer Voice
Curious about what your new volunteer role might entail? Wondering just how great it will be? Hear it from our volunteers!
This month, Denise, Adventures in Creative Writing coach extraordinaire, shares her favorite part of the dozens of field trips she's joined us for: the much sought-after "a-ha!" moment!
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Open Boxes Sale
Browse through over 10,000 CHEAP fiction, nonfiction, and kids books at the famous Open Boxes sale!
Books will be refreshed
throughout the weekend and, as always, purchases support our literacy programs!
Softcovers $2
Hardcovers $3
Kids' Books $2
Box Full $30
Saturday & Sunday
March 5-6
10 am - 3 pm
Member Preview
Saturday 8-10 am
Not a member yet? Don't fret, we'll be selling memberships at the door!
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Are You A Teacher, An Administrator, Or An Expert In Your Field?
If so, then we want to meet you! Open Books is launching
ignite: an open series of workshops for educators, designed to help teachers hone their craft and reinvent their classrooms. We are seeking lively education enthusiasts to present workshops on all manners of education-themed topics for classroom teachers.
Want to find out more?
Email Program Director Anna today!
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Upcoming
Orientations
February 23
6-7 pm
(full!)
March 11
12-1 pm
March 22 6-7 pm
Sign up now to join us!
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Dearest friends of Open Books,
Could it be more convenient that February is known as the loviest month of them all? When we are all tempted to hibernate the month away, how lucky that we can instead focus on the people and things that make our hearts swell. For us, it's the readers and writers of Chicago that we work with each week, and the kind, funny, smart, generous (the list goes on), people who give their time to make our programs come alive. So this month, when it gets so cold you stop appreciating the fact that at least February is shorter than the rest, warm up by thinking of the power of shared love of reading and writing!
Two more tips - frequent our Flickr site for reminders of smiling students with books and/or pencils in hand, which I like to do often, AND, join us at Valentines for Volunteers!
Ava Zeligson
Volunteer Manager
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Valentines for Volunteers
Our annual volunteer event, Valentines for Volunteers, is tomorrow! Beloved volunteers, please come to the store tomorrow evening and be feted -- you deserve it!
Catch up with Open Books staff, meet and mingle with your fellow very cool volunteers, take advantage of an exclusive 25% discount at the bookstore, feast on a smorgasbord of pies, and maybe even win an exciting prize. Feel free to bring a friend or loved one, too! We'll see you there!
February 16
6-8pm
The Open Books Store
213 W Institute Pl.
Planning to join us? Fantastic!
RSVP to Ava (volunteer@open-books.org) now!
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Volunteer Opportunity Highlights
A Brand New Opportunity: Spring Teen Book Club
This March, Open Books will pilot a Teen Book Club at Chicago Talent Development High School (CTDHS) in Garfield Park. During an 8-week session, volunteers will work each week with struggling teen readers on some great pieces of multicultural literature. These students are very high-need and stand to benefit greatly from the dedication of our wonderful volunteers!
If you have availability on Fridays from 2:15-3:30pm and would like to join the group at CTDHS, please email Ava ASAP at volunteer@open-books.org for more information.
Note: If you would like to participate in this program but have not yet been to an orientation, email Ava to discuss scheduling.
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February Vol-Star: Amy Fatall!
The lovely Amy Fatall has been a tremendous help to both the Open Books staff AND its volunteers! Buddies, you may recognize Amy from the extremely helpful session she ran on The ABCs of Teaching Kids to Read a few months ago. If you haven't gotten the chance to meet Amy yet, fear not! Buddies, you can catch another ABCs session on March 1. And, tell your teacher friends about the professional development session she'll be leading on February 24! (Email literacy@open-books.org for more information or to RSVP!)
Amy has been extremely generous with her time and expertise, and we absolutely love having her around Open Books! She is also a wonderful example of the many ways you can contribute your unique skills to strengthen our efforts. Can't wait for the workshops? Read how Amy answers our 10 Questions!
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Tips For Working With Your Buddy As an Open Books Buddy, you have the unique ability to help your student develop the skills, attitudes, and confidence needed to make reading and writing enjoyable. Here are some ways you can support their growth: Use these tips when your buddy needs help at the word level: - Look for the little words in big words (point out it, when reading sitting). - Look for clues in the pictures to identify unknown words. - When your Buddy comes to a tricky word, say "Skip it and read to the end of the sentence. Now try again -- what makes sense that looks like the word you see?" Use these tips when your buddy needs help with comprehension: - Ask open-ended questions, such as "What do you think? What in the story made you think that?" - Ask questions which have your Buddy make "text to self" connections: "What would you do if __? How would you feel if __?" - Ask your buddy to make predictions about the story: "What do you think will happen when ___?" And finally, for those days when your Buddy just doesn't feel like reading, don't forget you can play word games! -Make lists of words in the same family (can, ban, sand, land). -Play games for making words with words. "What are all the words we can make with can?" (Cannot, can't, candy etc.) -Play 'I Spy' games for sound/symbol practice -- "I spy something that begins with a 'buh' sound." For more great tips on working with emerging readers, check out these resources from Reading is Fundamental! |
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Open Books is a nonprofit social venture that operates an extraordinary bookstore, provides community programs, and mobilizes passionate volunteers to promote literacy in Chicago and beyond. We enhance lives through reading, writing, and the VOLUNTARY power of used books. Learn more and sign up to join us at www.open-books.org! |
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