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Getting Started

This page will guide you step by step through how to run the Reading Dragons and connect you with helpful guides and tutorials.

What is Reading Dragons and Friends

Watch this short presentation.

Reading Dragons Presentation.png

Quick Start Guide

This will go over the minimum of what you need to start this program.

  1. Edit, print, and fold the reading trackers.

  2. Print and cut cards on cardstock and organize them in a binder.

  3. Make a checklist of cards that kids can earn. (optional)

  4. Give participants 1 reading tracker, 3 starter cards (phoenix, kelpie and unicorn) and 1 how to play card.

  5. Reward participants for completing goals.

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Read below if you would like more in-depth guidance.

First Lets Make Some Decisions

You will need to make a few decisions to help you determine what you will need to run this program at your library.

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1. How many months will you run the first session of this program?

Some libraries start with a 2 month summer session to see if this program will work for them. Other libraries like mine run an 8 month session during the school year and run a different program for Summer Reading. Some libraries run this program all year round.

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2. How will you track progress?

We recommend tracking progress with time. (minutes or days) The goal of this program is to encourage struggling readers and help them build confidence in their reading skills by reading regularly at their own pace. You are allowed to use a different method of tracking progress, but we strongly recommend time and here is why.

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3. What age group will you run this program for?

Many libraries run the Reading Dragons and Friends for school age children and teens, however you can run it for all ages. Some libraries have seen success with adult participation.

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4. Do you want to create your own cards?

This program has over a thousand cards that are ready to print. Created by librarians like you. You do not have to make your own cards if you do not want to. You can run this program for years without ever needing to make a card. 

 

However if you or a staff member enjoys digital art or wants to learn we have art tutorials and editable art files with line art of the mythical creatures that you can color in the art program of your choice.

 

It is incredibly satisfying to have something you created shared with others in the community. And if you are able to create your own cards you can bring the creations of your library kids to life. Every year we run a coloring contest with the kids and choose a few of their designs to turn into new cards for our library kids to earn. They absolutely love it.

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Want to make your own Cards? Read more in this Tutorial!

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​5. How are you going to track stats for the program?

Decide how you want to track stats for the program if you plan on tracking stats. What numbers do you want to know by the end of the program? The number of participants? How in-depth do you want the information to be? The number of minutes read? The number of participants who earned all of their cards?

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My library keeps it simple. We tally the number of people who pick up a reading tracker for the program. Children are not required to officially sign up on a list. Some libraries keep a detailed spreadsheet of how much each child has read. Some libraries keep an overall general count across all participants of how many minutes were read. It is up to you to determine what stats you want to track and how much staff time you are willing to commit to tracking those stats.

Choose Which Cards to Use

Video Tutorial for Finding Cards in the Card Collection

 

Choose which cards you want to use. We recommend using 4 card sets per month. Print them on card stock and cut them out. If you are using a checklist, make sure all of the cards you are using are on the checklist. We recommend printing from the print ready pdfs, however we do have instructions if you want to print the individual card images.

 

Print Ready PDFs Printing Instructions

  1. Open a PDF. 

  2. Note which pages you want to print.

  3. Open the print menu.

 

In the print menu

  1. Load cardstock into the printer.

  2. Pages: Select Custom if you only want to print specific pages.

    1. Type in the page numbers you want to print. Use a hyphen to print a range of pages that are grouped together. Use commas to print individual pages that are separated in the file.

  3. Copies: Type in how many copies of each page you want to print.

  4. Color: Color

  5. Scale: Fit to Printable Area

  6. One-sided printing

  7. Print


- or -
 

Individual Images Printing Instructions

  1. Download the cards you want to print.

  2. In the Downloads folder select the images you want to print.

  3. Right click on an image and select print from the drop down menu.

 

In the print menu

  1. Load cardstock into the printer.

  2. For cardstock: change paper type to Thick 3 or Cardstock setting (this raises the heat in the copier so that the toner will stick to the card stock with minimal flaking)

  3. Select the wallet (9) option in the sidebar. It shows 9 small images tiled on one sheet of paper.

  4. Type how many copies of each image you want.

  5. Unselect “fit picture to frame”. (*important: it is selected by default and will cut off part of the card if it stays selected)

  6. Print

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Supply List Blog

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Card Storage

Our preferred method of storing the cards is to use a binder with baseball card sleeves which have 9 pockets to a page. We are a medium sized library so we usually print 9 of each card to put in the binder and refill as needed. Each pocket holds about 18 cards comfortably so we usually have 9 front facing cards and 9 back facing cards so we can optimize the binder space.

Edit and Print the Reading Tracker

Now that you have decided how many months you are gong to run the program and how you want to track progress, you can edit and print the reading tracker.

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Link to Reading Tracker Tutorial

Customize and print your Reading Tracker

We have set up a tracker template on Canva that you can customize to suit your needs, or you can make your own tracker.

Link to Reading Tracker Template in Canva.

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Reading Tracker Print Instructions

  1. Open the Reading Tracker PDF

  2. Load Regular copy paper into the printer.

 

In the print menu

  1. Copies: Type in how many copies of each page you want to print.

  2. Collate: should be checked

  3. Color: Color

  4. Scale: Fit to Printable Area

  5. Double-sided printing: Flip on short edge

  6. Print

  7. Fold into a trifold brochure.

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Print out 3 starter cards (recommended)

You will include these 3 cards with the tracker so children will be able to play the Rock Paper Scissors game right away.

Link to Starter Cards Search.

 

Print out How to Play cards (optional)

The instructions for the basic game are also printed in the Reading Tracker, but it is nice for them to have rules that they can store with their deck of cards.

Link to How to Play Card Printable.

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Print out a checklist (optional)

This is a fun way to help kids track what they have collected. It also helps them decide which cards they want to ask for before they come to the library. You will still have a lot of kids who will need help choosing, so having a checklist at the desk is recommended.

Here is the Canva Link to a Drag and Drop Checklist Template.

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If you prefer to announce the new cards each month so it is a surprise then a checklist for each child may not make sense. You could just update the checklist at the front desk, or you could make a bookmark each month announcing your new cards and any events and serving as a checklist, or you could make a mini checklist on a quarter sheet of paper.

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Process

Give participants a Reading Tracker, 3 starter cards, a how to play card, and a checklist (optional).

Explain how to track their progress.

Emphasize that everything they read counts. They can read whatever they are interested in.

And anything they read for school will also count.

Show off some of the cards they will be earning.

Explain how they will return with their tracker to receive the cards.

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(Make sure all of your staff understand how to share the program with patrons, and how to register, and reward participants.)

Ideas for Promoting the Reading Dragons Program

I’m sure you have several methods of promoting children’s programs at your library, like posting
on social media, newsletters, press releases and posters.

Link to blog post with social media and poster templates


Our most effective method for promoting the Reading Dragons is a verbal invitation to join from
library staff at check out, and showing off the cards. They get super excited when they see what
the cards look like.


Another very effective method is throwing a dragon party. Introducing the cards and trackers at
a dragon themed party is so much fun and is a great event for boosting program participation
stats. Here are some activities you could do at a dragon party.

Link to Party Ideas Blog Posts TBA

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