High School Library BookTok Class Activities: Making Libraries Fun Again by Lauren Lankford

Create a BookTok Video

llankford3 — 2024-09-02 22:13:31 UTC

Students will create their own BookTok-style video recommending a book from the library. They'll use smartphones or computers to film and edit a 15-60 second video highlighting why others should read their chosen book. This activity encourages creativity, public speaking skills, and promotes reading.

Design a BookTok-Inspired Book Cover

llankford3 — 2024-09-02 22:13:31 UTC

Using the Cricut machine and design software, students will create alternative book covers inspired by popular BookTok aesthetics. This activity combines graphic design skills with literary analysis as students capture the essence of their chosen book in a visually appealing way.

BookTok Trend Analysis

llankford3 — 2024-09-02 22:13:31 UTC

Students will research current BookTok trends and create a presentation on how these trends are influencing reading habits and book sales. They'll use computers to gather data and create visually engaging charts and graphs to present their findings.

Library Scavenger Hunt: BookTok Edition

llankford3 — 2024-09-02 22:13:31 UTC

Create a scavenger hunt throughout the library based on popular BookTok categories or challenges. Students will work in teams to find books that fit specific BookTok-inspired prompts, encouraging them to explore different sections of the library.

BookTok Recommendation Algorithm

llankford3 — 2024-09-02 22:13:31 UTC

Students will develop a simple 'recommendation algorithm' based on BookTok trends. Using spreadsheet software, they'll create a system that suggests books based on user preferences, mimicking how social media algorithms work.

Virtual BookTok Book Club

llankford3 — 2024-09-02 22:13:31 UTC

Organize a virtual book club where students discuss books popular on BookTok. Use video conferencing software to connect students, encouraging them to share their thoughts and create collaborative BookTok-style content about the book.

BookTok Marketing Campaign

llankford3 — 2024-09-02 22:13:31 UTC

Students will work in groups to create a marketing campaign for an underappreciated library book, inspired by BookTok strategies. They'll use computers to design digital posters, write catchy slogans, and plan a theoretical social media campaign.

BookTok vs. Traditional Reviews Debate

llankford3 — 2024-09-02 22:13:31 UTC

Organize a classroom debate on the merits of BookTok recommendations versus traditional book reviews. Students will research both methods, prepare arguments, and engage in a structured debate, enhancing their critical thinking and public speaking skills.

Create a BookTok-Inspired Library Display

llankford3 — 2024-09-02 22:13:31 UTC

Students will design and set up a physical display in the library based on current BookTok trends. They'll use the Cricut machine to create eye-catching signage and arrange books in an attractive manner, learning about visual merchandising in the process.

BookTok Audio Snippet Challenge

llankford3 — 2024-09-02 22:13:31 UTC

Inspired by TikTok's use of audio, students will create short, engaging audio snippets from books. They'll use computers to record and edit 15-second audio clips that capture the most intriguing parts of a book, which can be used in future BookTok videos or library promotions.

AI & BookTok - a Padlet by Lauren Lankford

llankford3 — 2024-09-02 22:25:58 UTC

One of the key things that I have been working on in my library this year is teaching both the students and teachers that there is a time and a place for AI in education. It has the potential to be one of the most powerful learning tools we have ever seen, but it comes with many potential issues as well. I developed the LVHS Traffic Light System for introducing AI tools in the classroom, and I have spent the first few weeks of school introducing the ideas to our students. I have met with almost every student in the high school, and by the 6th week of school, I will have seen all of them - including the LifeSkills classes. We are talking about the benefits and pitfalls of AI. We are talking about what it means to cite information, what it means to cheat and plagiarize, and how to recognize AI hallucinations. Students are now asking teachers if this is a Red Light assignment (no AI tools), a Green Light assignment (be creative with AI tools) or a Yellow Light assignment (specific AI tools like Grammarly for editing). This dialogue is key to teaching our students that there is a time and a place for using AI in our educational journeys. As John Gilman says in the attached article, "Open discussions, thorough evaluations, and informed decisions should guide any choices regarding the use of AI technology in schools."

When we take these tools, like I have with this Padlet, and combine them with popular ideas like BookTok, it can help us to come up with wonderful examples of how we can integrate BookTok ideas in our libraries in fun and meaningful ways. The example class activities on this page have been generated by Padlet's Class Activities Tools based on the guidelines that I gave it about incorporating fun BookTok ideas.

BookTok & Students - by Lauren Lankford

llankford3 — 2024-09-02 22:36:40 UTC

BookTok has been an amazing way to connect students with reading physical books again, and has helped them to become excited about reading in general. Having #BookTok as one of the top searched terms on Instagram is a great coup of lovers of the written word, especially librarians. Take this quote from the article "As Seen on BookTok:" "For librarians, it may prove challenging to assemble physical displays of #BookTok hits if all the titles are checked out. But creating reading guides online and across a library’s social media presence can showcase the library’s interest in serving #BookTok readers while prompting other patrons to discover #BookTok. Librarians can also tap into the language of #BookTok and suggest read-alikes that don’t have dozens of holds."

As any librarian knows, it can be difficult to stock books that become popular quickly - students expect that they can get the book they want the moment they learn about it on a BookTok. By keeping up with the popular trends on BookTok, librarians can create read-alike displays and posts. For example, if you like Colleen Hoover, you might also like the drama and gritty realism of Jodi Picoult. You could create a display of Picoult books, and compare issues in them with Hoover books. Picoult we have on-hand - Hoover, we may not, and in Texas at least, stocking them in a high school library is very problematic. Read-alikes give us the opportunity to showcase books and authors that we know, while still connecting to new and innovative ideas on BookTok.