Speed_Dating




 * //Hello Book Lovahs, How You Doing? You're Lookin Good! //**


 * //Are you ready to make a love connection and to hang out //**


 * //... with a good book? //**





=** Get Engaged! **= So, I've been inspired by a lot of amazing teacher librarians who have written about doing this lesson or some kind of variation (resource links below) and though they all sounded awesome, they were too much work. Decorations, tablecloths, candles, writing activities, dating profiles on [|Good Reads], [|Shelfari], [|LibaryThing], or [|Shelfari] -- so being naturally enthusiastically indolent, I wanted to find a quick &amp; dirty way to get kids looking at books, checking out books, and moving around the library. Voila!

This is my version. Think Chuck Woolery cheezy Love Connection with a dash of Marvin Gaye! How YOU Doin?



= Hot Set Up! = Take a book cart and shop for some hot books around your library media center. That's right, be deeply shallow and choose books that have the most attractive covers, are hot popular, and just plain fun. why not make up a table of graphic novels &amp; popular non fiction selections for our informational readers? Have some of your media helper or frequent flyer kiddos pick their faves and pile them loosely on your tables. The messier the better. Kids love to dig! Stand a few up. Grab twins wherever possible, multiple copies of the same book, that way you have backups or friends can read the same book or.....double date ** ! [obvious wink] You're welcome!**
 * Get graphic: **



** A Daring Blind Date! ** Laminate some [|butcher paper book covers] with cuts out on the back for bar codes! I made just four. Choose a few books, write short provocative blurbs on oversized post-it notes and rubber band em up! (I deliberately chose books I had several of copies of that I hid on a cart- so that if they were checked out I didn't have to do all the work over again - pop in the next copy! Boom!

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I wrote a [|fun, silly, cheezy, (you've met me, right?) tongue-in-cheek script]with the directions for this activity set to the INSTRUMENTAL version of Let's Get it On by Marvin Gaye, set the Love Time Bomb for 1 or 2 min and Booya! Sometimes I read the script live with the Marvin Gaye track going on in the background &amp; sometimes I play the recording and pantomime the directions in a goofball exaggerated way! (saves the voice, too! LOL) Then start the timer for this quick, conversation filled, and fun active book check out activity. No sitting down - to find true love you have to be quick on your feet &amp; ready to pounce on that right book! During the 3 or 4 activity rounds you can also play [|Love’s Theme] by Barry White. OR the LOVE Boat Theme, embedded below! I also said that for the first 5 books checked out they got a special scratch &amp; sniff bookmark and could hang out in our reading love lounge. The last round the kiddos can go anywhere in the library to find that just right book and then-- in the space of about 15-20 min almost every kid has a book &amp; they're all smiles!
 * Smooth Talkin! **
 * Let's Date! **

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 * Do You Vocaroo? **
 * Well, Don't Because it's LAME & it Expires! **



I recorded the script &amp; activity directions on [|Vocaroo] - a fun, free, easy voice recording site that requires no sign-up and gives links, embed code, and a QR Code! =2017 UPDATE: And then it EXPIRED on me! That's right.....all that work and embedding for NADA! So, Pppht! I did it using iMovie above. Didn't take as long as I expected, either. Must be getting better at it. Shocker!= Have you discovered the **[|classroom timer collection]**? Too fun! Animated &amp; sure gets their attention! =To the kiddos: "Don't want to check out a book today? Not in the mood? It's ok if you're already in a committed relationship - I don't want you to cheat on the book you're already reading! You also don't have to check out a book today if you're not ready to start a new book relationship! I'm not about to force you - I just want you to see what's out there! It's all good!" LOL=
 * Love Time Bomb **
 * Not in the Mood? **

=You can also Speed Date by Book Genre! Check out this Blog Post I did with my friend Mary Clark from California= =[|The Daring Librarian: Speed Dating by Book Genre: Personal Ads]=


 * Resources & Inspiration **

[|Blind Date with a //Book// --or--//Speed Dating// for //Books//]
===[|//Book Speed Dating// - YouTube]===

[|Mrs. ReaderPants: Book Speed Dating: How I Did It and Why I'll Do It ...]
Hey there, I mentioned to you about this Speed Dating With Books activity. I only used this with 8th graders. Part of the fun was setting up the room. My assistant was really into this job and we had (plastic)tablecloths, heart balloons, and flickering candles (electric, of course). It is pretty self-explanatory but it helps if you luck out like I did and worked with a teacher who knows many books. The teacher, my assistant and I wore buttons (my assistant made them) that said "Matchmaker." This just means that kids that want help in picking a book may "consult" with us. There was a separate space called "The Blind Date" table where we placed good reads, face down, to be selected blindly. One other caveat: You will need a lot of books - toward the end of the day, I was wishing I had more copies of certain titles. Anyway, here you go. Hope you have fun. Mary
 * From my friend Mary Roepke at Lime Kiln Middle School:**

Speed Dating with Books Article PDF Mary Roepcke (Now retired) Media Specialist