Jennifer McCoy, a third-grade teacher at Crawford Elementary in Colorado, likes to add an element of surprise to classroom Book Celebrations and reading engagement activities.

The fun begins when students walk into class on the day the book box arrives. “I put their books on their desk so when they walk in, they walk into a surprise,” she shares. The students are thrilled and exclaim, “Oh, Book Trust is here!”

After students have 10-15 minutes to explore their new books, the entire class gathers around for a reading engagement activity that incorporates spontaneity and choice. Jennifer uses a random generator to select a student. “They have the option to choose whether I read one of their books from Book Trust, they read it, or they can just talk a little bit about it,” she explains.

This is an especially engaging activity when students have chosen some of the same books. Jennifer recalls one month when the student selected by the random generator wanted her to read The Gingerbread Pup aloud to the class. “There were many kids who had chosen that book, so when I read it to them, I could see that they were all engaged. They were quiet, they were answering questions regarding the story, and they were thinking ahead of what might happen next.”

After discovering the success of this activity with her students, Jennifer has made it a tradition when Book Trust orders arrive. “You can see the joy that it brings them!” Jennifer shares. “I’m really thankful to be a part of Book Trust.”