All About Reading Groups

Reader Zone is all about Reading Groups and Activities! Reading objectives are made and all reading data is collected at the Group or Activity level.

Any Reading Program have can an unlimited number of Groups or Activities.  For example, a public library can have one program with four groups for various age ranges: Pre-K, 1^stto 5^th Grade, Middle School, High School and adults.  An elementary school can have a single Reading Program, then groups for each grade, classroom or other designation.

The first step you take after creating a Reading Program is building a Group or Activity.  

You will first create a name for the Group or Activity. It’s best to use a descriptive name such as “Pre-K Readers”.  This way, your participants will know which Group to join within a Reading Program.

It’s a good idea to place a description for the group or activity.  A description is visible during sign-up and gives prospective participants context and allows them to be confident with the Groups or Activities they join.

Your next step is deciding what type of group or activity this will be. You can make a Group with a specific goal, like 400 minutes per month, 1000 books before kindergarten, etc. Or you can select “Reading Log” which will give participants the opportunity to make reading entries, notworking against a specific goal.

Make your selection and click “Next”.

If you select a Goal Based Group, you will be prompted to create a reading goal. You will first select a metric, then the goal type which can be a daily, weekly, monthly or duration of group goal.

For example, If I want my readers to complete 400 minutes per month, I would enter 400 in the “Goal Amount” field, then “Monthly” in the “Goal Frequency” field, then click “Next”.

For Reader Log Groups and Activities, you will not see the “Goal Setting” options.  You will first select the metric, an then then the following options:

Any reading group can be a part of a contest or not.  Contests can be created at the group vs. group level, or among readers within one reading group. Most groups or activities will select the Promote Reading option.

You will now select the metric for your group or activity.  Metrics are: Minutes, pages, chapters, books, a yes/no response or you can create your own metric by selecting “other”.

Now enter the dates for which this group or activity will be active. Participants can join a group or activity before it begins and there is no limit to the length of time a group or activity runs.

Select your dates and click Next.

You can create questions for participants to answer as they sign up.  Click the drop-down and select either one of the pre-made questions. Or, you can click “custom question” to make your own.  Questions can be required or not.

Your last step is the Group Book Bank. The Group Book Bank is an optional step wherein you can add books as suggested reading for this group. Click the “Add Book” icon, search for the book and add it. You can add and remove books anytime.

When I click “Finish” this group is complete and I can see it here on my dashboard.

With the Group or Activity made, I can make additional edit sand additions to it.  Click on the Edit icon here to see more options:  Awards and Tasks, Past Entries, Photos as well as Archive and Delete options.

*Best Practices:

1. Keep     the names of Groups and Activities simple and descriptive so prospective     participants can easily find the group to which they belong.
2. Enter     Descriptions for Groups and Activities.
3. Think     through how many Reading Programs you need to serve your readers.  It’s a good idea to have a minimum of Programs.    
4. If you     are building a Group or Activity that has books as the metric, you can decide     whether or not to require participants to tie specific book titles to     reading entries.
5. A     Reading Program with no Groups or Activities will not be able to enroll     readers.

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