5 Ways to Increase Interest in Neglected Classroom Books
Display a variety of books around the classroom.
I don’t think anyone will be surprised by this advice, but it’s been an area of growth for me over the past few years! As many of you know, my classroom library is organized by labeled book bins. On the one hand, I love this because my students can easily find the type of books they enjoy, and I don’t have to spend hours straightening up sloppily placed books each week. On the other hand, a book bin (no matter how beautifully labeled) is not going to entice a student to read a book outside their typical area of interest. Students need to actually see books if they are going to be tempted to read them. This year, I got a pack of cheap book stands from Amazon, and I placed them all over my classroom. Each morning, I make sure every stand has a book on it, and I continue to replace them throughout the day because these books get checked out ALL THE TIME. I wish I would have done this sooner!
Use your wardrobe to your advantage.
Book twinning has been one of my greatest joys this school year. Maybe that sounds terrible when there are so many more important things going on in my life and in the world, but dressing up to match book covers just makes me happy! My students know that I dress to match a book cover every Friday, so I have students who will peruse my classroom library, trying to find which book I am twinning with. They' are always so excited when they guess correctly, and many times they have discovered a book they weren’t aware of before!
Consider a “Wall of Shame” for books you hate.
I wish I had paid more attention in my college psychology classes because I’m sure there’s a very good reason for this, but my students are OBSESSED with books that I hate. The second I say a book was stupid or boring or overly dramatic or creepy, hands shoot up all over the classroom because my students are dying to read it. A couple of years ago, I had to read the book What Katy Did for a class I was taking. I hated it. It was one of the worst books I have ever read. I mentioned it to my students one day, and suddenly every kid wanted to read it. Now I always make it a point to share my most despised books with the class. For one thing, it shows students that it’s o.k. to not like a book, and for another, it exposes them to books that are different from the ones I usually recommend.
Challenge students to read books in unique, monthly categories.
Sometimes students get stuck in a rut with their reading. Sometimes teachers do too! I have found that it can be fun to have a monthly challenge with random categories like “book with a purple cover” or “book with the word end in the title.” Click HERE to purchase monthly book-challenge posters that will bring your readers out of their comfort zones!
Let students see you reading during silent-reading time.
I start each class period with 10-15 minutes of silent reading. Our class periods are only about 45 minutes long, so this is a significant investment. Still, I believe it is incredibly important to give students time to read in class. To show that I value reading time, I sit on my teacher stool and read during this time, as well. Because I have six class periods each day, I am able to read anywhere from 50-100 pages a day. This exposes me to a wonderful variety of books that I can share with my students, and my students are much more likely to read a book that they have seen me reading each day — especially if the book has made me laugh or cry during class, which is often the case.
Choose one of these ideas to implement in your classroom this week and let me know how it goes! Tag me on social media @distinguishedenlishteacher so I can follow along on your adventures!