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Shadowing is flexible; you can decide how you want to run your own scheme. The simplest way is to work with a volunteer group, reading and swapping books, meeting regularly to discuss progress, then holding a judging meeting to decide your winners.

Read the Case Studies for an overview of other groups' approaches to their shadowing projects, or try some of the ideas below - these have all been used by shadowing groups over the past few years.

You can find examples of resources such as review sheets, sent to us by shadowing groups in the resource section. You can also use the message board to swap ideas with other group leaders.

Use the message board
The forum for Shadowing Group Leaders.  Exchange ideas and set up links with other groups.

Tips and ideas

Carnegie/Greenaway Forums
Meeting up with other groups to share discussions and vote for favourite titles.  Very successful in many parts of the country: E.g. Islington, Abingdon, Berkshire, Surrey.

Text messaging
Connect up with students from other shadowing groups.  Exchange messages at pre-arranged times, discussing the books, of course! Use the Message Board to see if another group wants to connect with yours.

Video conferencing
If you have a web cam and suitable software, try connecting up with other shadowing groups via video conferencing.  It may take a while to sort out all the technical details, but it’s worth it for the experience of talking on the telly! Use the Message Board to see if anyone wants to set up a connection.

Webcast
Check the Message Board for details of any live webcasts this year.  You can log in and see other groups debating the books.

Make a video
How about interviewing students as book characters, getting them to answer questions as though real events were taking place?

Carnegie Hotseat
Students are assigned a character from one of the books & have to bring a prop to look the part.  When they are in the ‘Hotseat’ they have to answer questions about the plot - in character. 

Carnegie/Greenaway Computer Games
Any IT-gifted students able to create online computer games based on a shortlisted title? A Stop the Train ‘click and play’ pairs game was created last year, accessible from a school web site.

Competitions
… for best reviews, best book cover re-designs, wordsearches, crosswords, quizzes.  Send in your ideas for everyone to share!

Making things
How about practical activities linked to the titles?  Last year’s Carnegie shortlist inspired kite-making, knot tying and a train workshop!

Drama
Dramatic interpretations of scenes from the shortlist. Which one fires the group up the most, and which scene comes over the best, when performed to the whole school for a vote?

Balloon debate
Students have to debate which book from the shortlist deserves to be saved in the hot air balloon.

Powerpoint displays
Challenge students with the task of creating Powerpoint presentations on each of the shortlisted authors, using information from our website, and other Internet sources.

Booksharing
Take secondary school students into infants’ or primaries to try storytelling with Greenaway shortlist titles. A hugely rewarding experience.

Pre-reading activity for Kate Greenaway
Try introducing the Kate Greenaway books by wrapping them in clear plastic first so they cannot be opened and passing them round for "reading" of the cover designs /discussing in groups the sort of story you would expect to find inside from the visual clues.

Our thanks to the following groups for contributing ideas:

St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School, Glasgow
Emlyn Review Club, Carmarthenshire
South East Essex Virtual Education Action Zone
Queen Elizabeth’s Girls School in Barnet
Mount Carmel Technology College, Islington
Prince Henry’s High School, Worcestershire
St. Peters High School, Devon
Burford School, Oxfordshire
John Penrose Secondary School, Northwood, Middx.

If you’ve got any ideas you’d like to share, use the Librarians’ and Teachers’ Message Board, or email us at ckg@cilip.org.uk