Connecting people of all ages to
a world of opportunities through
literacy and creative expression.
Reading Seed Game Board FAQ
Q. What is the Reading Seed Game Board?
A. The Reading Seed Game Board is a tool used by our volunteer Reading Coaches to motivate their
students to read or be read to outside of the classroom. Each packet contains a themed game board
and the associated prizes (pencils, coupons, etc.) to be given to students when they reach specific
reading goals.
Q. Why should I use it with my student?
A. The Reading Seed Game Board is a visual representation for students of the time they have
dedicated to reading, adds an element of fun and goal setting to coaching sessions, and provides
extrinsic motivation in the form of small prizes to help encourage reluctant readers.
Q. How should I use it with my student?
A. We recommend that coaches put each student’s name on their game board and then bring them to
each coaching session. After the session is over, ask your student about what books they read OR had
read to them during the coaching session and outside of school during the previous week (at home,
with a babysitter, in afterschool programs, at church, etc.). Use your best judgment to tell your student
how many spaces they can color.
Q. What is the deadline for finishing the game?
A. For the 2014-2015 school year, Reading Coaches must send Reading Seed the information for each
student who has finished the game NO LATER THAN TUESDAY, MARCH 31st, 2015 to allow
Reading Seed time to order and receive the appropriate number of medallions before the end of the
year.
Q. Can I just tell my School Site Coordinator when my student finishes?
A. No. Please do NOT give your completed student names to your School Site Coordinator.
Reading Seed staff will coordinate the purchasing of all final prizes for the Game Board; the School Site
Coordinators are not part of that process.
Please call 520-882-8006 or email [email protected] with the FIRST and LAST
NAME, SCHOOL, GRADE and TEACHER NAME of each student who completes the game.
Q. When will final prizes be available?
A. Medallions and certificates will be sent directly to the teachers at your school by the end of April.
Q. Why can’t every student get a medallion?
A. If every student received a medallion, it would lessen the achievement of those students who
complete all 20 hours of out of class reading. Each student will receive a Certificate of Achievement for
their hard work in reading. The certificates will be sent to the school with the medallions.
Q. How can I continue to motivate my student after s/he finishes the game board?
A. Some coaches choose to go around the game board a second or third time with their student and
provide their own prizes such as stickers or erasers. This is NOT required or expected. Continue to give
your student free books and to talk with him/her about reading at home.
200 E Yavapai Road  Tucson, Arizona 85705  (520) 882-8006  LiteracyConnects.org
Connecting people of all ages to
a world of opportunities through
literacy and creative expression.
Q. What if my student doesn’t live by Bookmans, eegee’s, etc?
A. We realize that not all students have the ability to travel to Bookmans, eegee’s, Chick-fil-A, or Peter
Piper Pizza to use their free coupons. While we would love to be able to provide a local prize for those
students, our game board is made possible by the generous donations of local organizations. If
possible, we encourage coaches to use the Bookmans coupon to purchase books for students.
Q. Can I replace a prize with my own if my student cannot or will not use one of the coupons?
A. If you are concerned that a student will not be able to use a certain prize, it is ok to provide an
appropriate substitution (ex. a notebook or a small gift card to a place they have been to before).
Q. My student has yet to develop a concept of time and is unlikely to return a reading log. How
should I track the minutes s/he has read?
A. Skip the discussion of actual minutes. After getting to know how your student reads, have a
conversation with the student about the reading s/he did outside the classroom. Ask what the story was
about, who read it, what was his/her favorite part, etc. Think about how long it takes him/her to read a
story during your session and use that as a foundation to tell him/her how many spaces s/he can fill in.
Q. There is not enough time during my session to talk about the game board. Should I still use
it?
A. Yes! Save the game board until the very end of the session. Have your student choose a free book
while you are getting out the game board. Ask the teacher if it would be ok to add an additional five
minutes to your session, if you have that time available. If not, use stickers instead of a marker or a
wider tipped marker to fill in the spaces, which can take up a lot of time.
Q. I don’t think my student will finish the game. Should I still use it?
A. Yes! Even if students do not finish the game board, the milestones along the way can be good
motivators.
Q. My student cannot yet read independently and does not have reading support at home.
Should I still use the game board?
A. Yes! Be sure to give your students free books each week and ask if s/he has spent time “reading”
them even if s/he is only looking at the pictures. Encouraging students to spend time with books is
valuable.
Have additional questions?
Please call Reading Seed at 520-882-8006 or email us at [email protected]!
200 E Yavapai Road  Tucson, Arizona 85705  (520) 882-8006  LiteracyConnects.org