Building Choice Into Your Students’ Reading

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As more and more teachers are building choice reading time into their daily classroom schedules, making a variety of books available to a diverse group of students can be challenging. Inspired and challenged by several teachers (including Brian Sztabnik—see “Igniting a Passion for Reading”) to incorporate daily independent reading into class, I have set aside 15 minutes in each 90 minutes block for independent choice reading.
After making the jump, I quickly realized that I needed a way to keep a variety of books for selection in front of my students. The goal is to get the right book in the hands of students while protecting reading time as much as possible. Here are a few suggestions for introducing students to books and creating a literacy-rich environment.
SPEED DATING
Book “speed dating” is a great activity to do at the beginning of the year or semester because students can be exposed to several books and begin to build a reading list. When we arrive in the library, several books are arranged on tables by our media center specialists based on information I have given them about the class. Students find a table, and the dating begins as students fill out a guided note page. A timer buzzes after three or four minutes, and students move to another table and start the process with another book. After students have completed several cycles, they rank the books, deciding which book to begin reading immediately and which ones to add to their reading list. Speed dating can be varied by genre or theme, or kept wide open. This past Valentine’s Day, students speed dated books complete with candles and chocolate.
MINI BOOK TALKS
Every couple of weeks I have a staff member or media center specialist share a book that has been important to them or one they’re currently reading. Students love to hear about the reading habits of teachers, administrators, and custodians, plus they get to know different people on campus on a more personal level.