Creative Ideas

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Lamplighter Program Creative Ideas

Sharon Armke, Secondary Librarian at Brentwood Christian School, 2001-2002, implemented the following ideas to encourage participation in the Lamplighter Program. Click on any photo to see a larger version.

1. Tracking/Incentives/Awards

We use the Accelerated Reader software to keep track of the books students have read. This adds no more teacher paperwork, and the students enjoy taking tests on any of the six computers in the library.

Knowing human nature, that the Junior High students might not care which book won the Lamplighter Award, we also advertised the awards the students could earn for themselves by reading these books!

An attractive hall display contained the following information:
     Lamplighter Nominees -- Which book will WIN?
     7th and 8th Graders:
         - Read two books
         - Take the AR Test
         - Vote for your favorite!

2. Introducing the Program to Students

A. Each 7th and 8th grade class came to the High School Library during English class.

B. We told them we would take a "Quiz" to see if they were listening. This quiz was for fun, but the students weren't told if it would count for a grade or not! It helped them focus and generated a lot of interest and scrutiny of the wall display in the library!
        >> Click here to view our quiz {Microsoft Word format} <<

C. Goals: At the bottom of this "Quiz", we listed the Award levels they could earn for themselves and asked them to set a goal. We found that several readers put down higher goals than we had listed on the form!

E. Candy and Fame: We held up the big clear plastic jug with individually wrapped candy. Everytime they take an AR quiz and pass it, they earn candy! When they earn any of the awards for reading two books, five books, or ten books, their name is added to the Lamplighter Wall of Fame.

For 7th graders earning the party award:

• In the student's English class, we announced the names. We clapped for them and had them come to the front of the class.
• They came back to the library and we put a dot of hot glue on their laminated star and attached it to the wall.
• They went back to class feeling very special!
• Note: This public clapping may not work so well with 8th graders. They can be very easily embarrassed. Quietly putting their names on the wall may work better for them.

3. The Voting Party

Invitations to the Voting Party were given out about a week before the party. Once the invitations went out, several students did a lot of last minute reading and earned an invitation for themselves.

Students who have qualified came at the appointed time for canned soda and doughnuts. They voted for their favorite book, ate, and visited with each other for about 20 minutes.

4. Winners: Books and Students

Names of the winning books were posted immediately! Students were very interested to see if their favorite book won.

Also, the names of students earning any Lamplighter Award for themselves were called out in a school assembly. They came to the front of the assembled student body to receive their certificates and/or medals for reading ten Lamplighters.

A sixth grade teacher said her students were really pumped up to read the Lamplighter books next year in seventh grade, after seeing the award the 7th and 8th graders had earned for themselves at that assembly!