Like Beers, I have often assumed that if I love a book, then everyone else will. It's better to choose something students can relate to, even if we don't. She posed a good question to ask students: "If you absolutely had to read a book, what would it need to be like for you to read it?" Once we find out what they are looking for we will be able to find something they are interested in. Students may judge books by their covers even more than adults do. There were good suggestions on selling books to students.
#2: The read a tease... This happened several times in our class. Hearing bits and pieces of texts draws me to want to read more. I really liked the booktales idea too.
#3: Create book jacket bulletin boards... This is a neat idea, I like students being able to make a guess on what a book is about and then discussing it. This might allow them to find out they are actually interested when they thought they might not be.
#6: Know your students' interests... Knowing your students is so important for several reasons. Understanding their interests can help you point them in the right direction when choosing a book. I really liked the idea of putting their interests on an index card and connecting it with their picture. This not only shows them you are interested but they might find that they share some of the same interests with a classmate and they could connect over a book.
I believe that as a teacher one of our main goals should be to connect with our students. As an english teacher it is important for us to find subject matter that they will find appealing. I agree that the index card idea is a really great way of getting to know what the students like. It also provides an accessible way for other students to find out what their peers enjoy. From this they could possibly lend each other books and converse about what they have already read and learned about. I am for sure considering about using this in future classrooms.
ReplyDeleteI agree that one of the most important factors for finding a book that will appeal to your students is by knowing their interests. I mentioned in another comment that I love using the "search by topic" tool when I go to my library. I think it's helpful to teach students about this tool and to use it when finding literature for your students to read. But how do we find out what their interests are? We could take a poll, or at the beginning of class we could use an ice breaker by having them share different interests and group them up to talk about them. Not only does this help us figure out books they may like, but it creates that comfortable classroom environment that we read about that was so important in boosting confidence.
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