Do I love basketball? Nope.
Do I look forward to March? YES!
For me, March isn’t about basketball at all. Shh! Don’t tell my husband! Instead, it’s about something that I love so much more – children’s books & classroom fun!
Every year when March rolls around, I start to feel amazed at how much we’ve accomplished in room 429. I’m also amazed at how many books we’ve managed to squeeze into those first 6 months or so! We read books in all content areas – reading, writing, grammar, math, science, socials studies, mindset – so it really is a ton. There are also the books that have nothing to do with what we’re learning that I read just because I love them! Tip: I keep those books in a special book box called “Mrs. E’s Favorites”. That way I know that I can read them whenever we have a few extra minutes and it won’t mess up future lessons. When I bring out the March Madness Book Bracket we get to revisit so many of our favorite stories.
First, I ask them to name their favorite books that we’ve read throughout the year and I make a list. I typically already have the covers printed out and laminated, but this makes them feel like they’re the ones planning the fun. Also, sometimes they do bring up a book that I don’t have in my pile! Here’s what my book covers look like:
Then, I give tables piles of laminated book covers and have them narrow down their favorites in their pile until we are down to our “Sweet 16”. Be ready for some excited Littles!
Finally, is the voting. You can do this two ways.
1. Vote in one week: Monday – 1/2 of the Sweet 16, Tuesday – other 1/2 of the Sweet 16, Wednesday – Elite 8, Thursday – Final 4, Friday – Championship Game
2. Vote over multiple weeks: You could follow along with how the Actual March madness games are going or just do 1 or 2 votes a day.
Ways to Vote:
There are probably WAY more ideas that I haven’t thought of, but here are a few that I use:
1. When in a hurry, I have students put up their privacy folders and vote on their whiteboards. Then, they hold up the board when I say the book title they voted for.
2. They also love a secret, anonymous vote like on Survivor! They all put their vote in the basketball trashcan … I mean hoop. Then, I read them out loud one at a time in the most dramatic way possible (picture Jeff Probst on Survivor).
3. My favorite way is a basketball shoot-off! They each get a 1/2 sheet of paper to write their vote on. Then, they crumble up the paper and take turns shooting. Only the ones that make it into the basket are counted. I love watching and hearing them cheer each other on during this one!
Watch the fun!