 Building Blocks for Literacy Scrambled Fairy Tales | Soaring Science |
 |
Kudos | Past Programs The Gallery | Movies | Blog |
These programs were successfully implemented in various academic, social, juvenile justice, and medical institutions. If a program sounds right for your group, reach out to us.
Book Busters provides a 30 to 60 minute program that includes improvisational and scripted puppet shows, skits, magic and science tricks, audience participation, and songs. These programs are perfect for preschool to 3rd grade. All Book Buster programs are interactive, interesting, and generate huge smiles from our audience. Our programs appeal to a variety of students because we provide a variety of stories on a variety of topics. But we also excel at themed programs. Let us design the perfect program for your event.
This storytelling troupe is not only a great program, but an avenue for young adults to meaningfully interact with children and literature. In this program students are given the opportunity to convey their enjoyment and love of reading to preschool and elementary school students while learning teamwork, leadership, and presentation skills.
The troupe began in 2003 and has included students from a variety of schools. As of spring 2016, 77 students provided 27 unique shows, which were performed over 227 times in 22 different locations connecting over 7,200 students with books and reading.
Books and Art is an hour-long program provided monthly for the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. It began in April 2015. The goal of this program is to help children further their reading experience through art.
The program begins with a book reading and concludes with a book-related art project. Art projects have included a snowman created from a sock inspirited by The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming, a Chinese calendar coloring book inspired by I’ll Race You! by Christian Trimmer, and a paper kite inspired by Kite Day by Will Hillenbrand. The book is brought to life through the children’s creative efforts. The Literacy Alliance and the volunteers who attend the program provide all supplies.
This was a weekly program for the Eugene Gregory Memorial Youth Academy, a school for students who had been either suspended or expelled from a Seminole County school for an off-campus felony or have completed a Level Program of Juvenile Incarceration. The Seminole Public School, the Sheriff's Department, and the Board of County Commissioners jointly support this school.
The students, who are struggling with social and educational systems, are given the opportunity to provide an entertaining and educational program for elementary school students in their community. They learn teamwork, leadership, and presentation skills while enhancing their appreciation and understanding of children’s literature and other educational literacy elements. Through this program, the teens find a connection between reading and educational success. They are given guidance and the use of materials to write, act, film, edit, and produce a book-based puppet short.
From its beginning in the spring of 2011 to 2018, these students completed short films based on books covering a variety of subjects. In 2012, they received a countywide award for their film on bulling called, Say No To Bullies. In 2013, they produced their first original film called Halloween Night at the Library. They wrote the script, created the backdrop, and performed. We are excited to offer this program to energetic teens who are improving their own lives by making a difference in the community.
Visit our 
channel and view our films.
Since 2009, this program has encouraged students to read and engendered their interest in learning and curiosity about the world. This 30 to 50 minute program includes age appropriate fiction and nonfiction booktalks, poetry, science, and a short discussion on children’s literature. The books presented are from a wide range of genres that have both male and female protagonists, thus appealing to as many students as possible. Props, costumes, music, and accents are often used to enhance the booktalking experience. Each student receives a handout with information about the books presented as well as other age appropriate titles. The number of students reached during one visit ranges from 25 to more than 300. Invite us into your school and let us help you get students excited about reading!
Read through some of the booktalks we've developed and shared over the years.
Several teachers have shared their appreciation of our efforts to help children get excited about reading; read what they had to say.
This program, which ran from 2009-2019, provided an avenue for students who struggle with social and educational systems to meaningfully interact with children, literature, and their community. These students, who were admitted into the local Boys Town program, were given the opportunity to develop and/or enhance their love of reading and convey this to preschool and elementary school students while learning teamwork, leadership, and presentation skills. The program was a cooperative effort between the Boys Town classroom instructor and The Literacy Alliance qualified personnel. It was completed in three stages. Stage one—the students are instructed in the importance of children’s literature and reading aloud to children. A visit to the local library, where students read and evaluate 30 children’s picture books, is included in the lesson. Stage two—the students are given the skills to present a 30-minute puppet show, which includes scripted puppet shows, skits, magic and science tricks, and songs. This puppet show is presented at a daycare center. (Daycare centers with predominantly economically disadvantaged clientele are targeted.) Stage three—following the puppet show, the students are partnered with younger students, and they read together.
Sharing the fun and energy of the puppet show, followed by one-on-one or small group readings, transformed the struggling Boys Town students into reading mentors. They were looked up to by the younger students because of their enthusiasm and skill in the puppet show and because they had taken the time to sit quietly and share a book. This successful interaction with reading and children, and the community, was seen on the faces of the Boys Town students through their smiles and positive attitudes.
These students also created two puppet movies: The Valentines Day Bear and Earth Day. This was accomplished with help from John Kennedy, puppet master extraordinaire.
Pop-up Storytimes are fun literacy based programs that could happen anywhere at anytime. They just seem to pop up! This 30 minute program is designed to encourage young children to connect with books, to be curious about their world, and to embrace their desire to learn. Children will laugh and learn in this program which includes a selection of the following: age appropriate fiction and nonfiction books, puppets, audience participation, science, music, poetry, and perhaps a little magic!
An additional purpose is to model best practices to parents and care givers for reading aloud and interactive literacy techniques. Research shows that an early association with books stimulates children's interests, their emotional development, language development, and imagination. The benefits of listening to stories and sharing books with children include learning sounds for letters, developing thinking abilities, comprehending stories, understanding complex sentences, and learning new words and meanings.
The Literacy Alliance has partnered with Sebco Books to promote reading in our community! The program is available for all reading levels and offers advanced copies of the latest titles from best-selling authors and popular fiction publishers. This is how it works: Students receive a complimentary book. They read the book and write a review. The review is sent to Sebco Books and posted on their student review web page. The students keep the book! This kid-friendly program is a wonderful opportunity to get students excited about reading while encouraging them to explore different genres. It also reinforces writing skills and boosts literary confidence. We are proud to provide this free service to our community. Look for our Literacy Alliance reviewers here: http://www.esebco.com/studentreviews_view
This program is designed to encourage families to enjoy literature, to be curious learners, to take a break from their difficulties, and to smile. This program has been performed at the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida (2003-2019) and the Florida Hospital for Children (2012-2019). This 30-40 minute reading experience includes a selection of the following: puppet shows, picture books (often accompanied by music), magic, science experiments, creative stretches, poetry, fingerplays, and rhymes.
Gifts and activities, such as bookmarks, crafts, finger puppets, hands on science experiments, and books are often shared with the families at the end of the program.
These programs are lead by qualified Literacy Alliance volunteers and a select group of student volunteers ranging in age from middle school to college. The student volunteers genuinely enjoy this opportunity to participate in their community in a meaningful way while gaining a better understanding of the issues of their community.
