Celebrating 8 years, Books in Motion® (BIM) is a FREE literacy program that encourages reading through dancing by focusing on Common Core Standards for Reading Literature for children, K-3rd. KDA is proud to work in collaboration with the Kern County Library and Kern County dance organizations by bringing this beloved summer reading program back for a full summer of reading, dancing, and fun. Families will have the opportunity to visit Kern County library branches and watch a dance performance based upon a children’s book. Post-performance, children will engage in kinesis by learning choreography and will create a craft that coincides with the book’s theme. At the culmination of the session, children will be divided into groups based upon age/level and posed questions to evaluate their comprehension- open completing the evaluation, children will take a FREE book home.

Summer 2024 program information will be released later this spring.  Stay tuned. . . 

CALL TO PERFORMERS

DEADLINE TO APPLY: Friday, March 15, 2024

Books in Motion is seeking performers for our 2024 season!  Click the links below to learn more. 

Kern County dance organizations are invited to apply to be the official Books in Motion performers. Dance organizations will be responsible for choosing a story from the Books in Motion bibliography, create a performance reflecting the story (maximum 15 minutes), and choreograph a 1 to 1.5 minute dance that relates to the story to teach the participating children. 

Dance organizations will be provided a substantial honorarium for their Books in MotionⓇ participation.

Dance organizations will be required to:

1) Narrate/perform the book or a segment of the book

2) Create choreography for children to learn that corresponds with the book theme

3) Provide high quality costumes and theatrics to ensure maximum performance experience

4) Provide at minimum 4 performances on tour to Kern County libraries and at Kern County-based social service organizations

5) Provide portable sound system for performance

6) Provide proof of insurance

7) Cooperate with Kern Dance Alliance as artistic collaborators

8) Verify KDA Organization Membership- not a KDA Member? JOIN HERE! 

Books in Motion Schedule:

Friday, March 15: Books in Motion Performer Applications DUE

Monday, March 20: Books in Motion Performers Selected and Notified

Monday, April 1 @ 10:30 am: Mandatory Books in Motion Information Meeting at Kern County Library

April 1 – June 30: Book in Motion preparation

July 8 – July 31: Books in Motion performances

Books in Motion Bibliography:

Do you have a beloved children’s book you would LOVE to perform?  Let us know via the application below.  If you are not sure, our team is busy creating a bibliography full of options for you to choose from!

Books in Motion Performer Perks:

~ Honorarium for participation in Books in Motion

~ Opportunity to advertise dance organization to over 3000 participating Books in Motion children

~ Featured on the official Books in Motion website as a partner- name/logo/bio

~ Featured on the official KDA social media as a Books in Motion partner- name/logo/bio 

~ Featured on all Books in Motion marketing materials- press release, social media, posters, flyers

~ Opportunity to participate in Books in Motion press on local news/radio outlets

~ Give back to the Kern County community through dance while influencing literacy goals


For More Information:

Contact: info@kerndance.org

Books in Motion features story-telling, performance, choreography, and crafting.

Story-telling + Performance – Children will listen to the narration of a children’s book while viewing an accompanying dance performance.

Dance – Children learn/perform choreography in an injury-free, nurturing environment from dancers based upon the Books in Motion text. Kinesthetic learning, attitude, and confidence are emphasized during the class.

Small Group Crafting – Children create crafts corresponding to the Books in Motion text. Children and guardians are encouraged to work together, producing a creative product reflecting the session’s teachings.

Evaluation– Children are prompted to answer questions via critical thinking about the Books in Motion text reflecting the Common Core Standards for Reading Literature. 

Learning how to read begins at birth and continues through 3rd grade.  Once a child enters 4th grade, studies show that those that are not proficient readers will find difficulty in adjusting to complicated English, Grammar, and Literature applications.  Children begin to read by learning the sounds of spoken word.  They begin to understand written language when they are read to, and their comprehension of reading and writing is increased upon entering a formalized education (K-3rd).

Studies also show that not every child learns at the same pace, nor in the same manner; therefore, offering multiple ways to grasp educational applications is necessary for the growth of every child.  Books in Motion will provide a visual, aural, verbal, and physical (kinesis) opportunity to engage in literacy. By utilizing kinesis, movement and action replaces more passive forms of learning, such as listening to a lecture. We have all forgotten facts once memorized in a classroom, but we seem to be able to remember dance moves we once learned. By connecting the different ways in which we learn, Books in Motion enables effective understanding and retention of information in addition to infusing abstract literacy concepts with a physical meaning. Because movement allows a student an alternative approach to the information, students learn when they are receptive.

Locally, only 28% of Kern County 3rd graders meet or exceed grade level standards for English Language Arts (Ca Assessment of Student Performance and Progress 2014-15). 15% of Kern County adults have not attained a 9th grade literacy level (US Census Bureau, 2010). 13.9% of Kern County adults lack the basic literacy skills necessary to perform daily job functions (US Census Bureau, 2010), and 16.2% Kern County adults over 25 years are high school dropouts (CA. Dept. of Education, 2014).   Books in Motion was conceived to assist in combatting these dismal numbers. Providing a free, hands-on, innovative approach to assisting children with their literacy journey is the main objective.  According to the Kern Literacy Council, one of the top factors for predicting school success for students is to increase the number of spoken words for children in early childhood.  Books in Motion celebrates the opportunity to increase accessibility to literacy and the arts, while also focusing on the 34% of Kern County residents that do not have an income sufficient to meet basic needs and whose children growing up in these low-income households hear approximately 30 million fewer words by the time they reach their fourth birthday (Report on the Status of Women + Girls in Kern County 2015).

Books in Motion is geared for children in the early literacy stages (K-3rd grade) and is designed to tap into their imagination and encourage them to read. For some, reading is a concept that is too foreign to understand due to age and brain development. Books in Motion will bypass this intangible feeling by allowing children to see the magic of a book laid out with real characters coming to life. Children do not have to read the words – they can read the dancers’ movements to understand the story. By tapping into curiosity, children are motivated to explore literacy, which leads them back to the written words that brought the book to life. Books in Motion has reached over 10,000 children and has given away nearly 6,300 free books since 2016. 

  • -Create motivation and interest in reading – The Books in Motion bibliography taps into curiosity via dance performances. Children will be motivated to explore literacy, which leads them back to the written words that brought the book to life.

  • -Create motivation and encouragement for movement through dance – Children learn choreography to reinforce their critical thinking of the story.

  • -Cover Common Core State Standards in Reading Literature for grades K-3rd grade- Books in Motion text covers Common Core Standards for Reading Literature including but not limited to: Ask questions to demonstrate understanding of a text; recount stories from diverse cultures; determine the central message and explain how it is conveyed through key details; describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

  • -Instill a sense of connection and ownership of reading through listening and viewing of stories- Children dance choreography corresponding with the Books in Motion text. Children produce art reflecting the session’s teachings. Children take a free Books in Motion book home.

  • -Foster creative abilities of youth through cultural arts learning- Books in Motion supports literacy development through unified thematic experiences of dance, crafting, and story-telling.

  • -Activate Youth Voices- Books in Motion actives youth voices during the craft session with children speaking about the book and creating a craft that coincides with the session’s teachings.

  • -Critical Thinking- The Books in Motion evaluation promotes critical thinking by asking questions about the book.

Books in Motion is FREE to all participants and is made possible by generous donations from our community. You can help others to participate in Books in Motion by becoming a donor:

~ $25 affords four free books for one Books in Motion session

~ $100 affords craft supplies for one Books in Motion session

~ $2,000 affords crafts for an entire summer of Books in Motion

~ $10,000 affords free books for an entire summer of Books in Motion 

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