The Arkansas Department of Education and the Arkansas State Library are pleased to announce the annual selection process for a book to receive the Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award. The book to receive this award will be selected in April by students in kindergarten, first, second, and third grades. It is hoped that students in each school have participated in reading these books, and that teachers and library media specialists have selected some titles for reading aloud. Please note that students in Grades K-3 will need to have read or heard read at least three of the books from the 2002-2003 list in order to vote. It should be made clear to the students that they may vote for only one title.
Because of the age group involved in the Diamond Primary Book Award, the reading committee suggests that when books are read to the students, the teacher or library media specialists devise a plan for helping the students vote on the books. This may be done by reading all the books to the students in a condensed amount of time and then asking the student to vote, or reading the books to the students over an extended period of time and reviewing the books with the students prior to voting. Young students may have forgotten some of the books if the books were read at the beginning of the year.
Attached is a ballot (Form 1) to be reproduced by each school and used by the students to vote. The votes should then be tallied in each school and totals for each title should be indicated on Form 2. Then, Form 2 should be mailed to the address at the bottom of the form and postmarked by Tuesday, April 8, 2003.
The new 2003-2004 Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award Reading List of books published in 2001 is enclosed for the school’s convenience.
The results of this year’s Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award will be posted in May 2003.
Form 3 has been enclosed for each school to submit titles to be considered by the Arkansas Diamond Reading Committee for the 2004-2005 reading list. The copyright date must be 2002.