Rules for Reading

Library time is fun, but.... I still expect READING to happen which, for some students, is decidedly "un-fun."

After nearly 15 years of book talks and library lessons, I'm finally happy with my Rules for Reading. I always aim to strike the right balance between positive and firm expectations and this set of rules has helped me set that tone.

Note: These are my rules for our library reading time - not general library expectations. These are written for older students (ages 11 and up) 

One Book per person - I don't allow "buddy" reading during silent reading time. The focus is to sustain silent reading enough to become immersed in a book. 

Do not disturb anyone - Again, reading aloud, even to oneself, can distract others. If a child needs to "whisper read", I recommend a different spot away from others.

Choose your seat wisely - This means one person per chair and away from those who might distract you. 

(The one person per chair rule is a constant rule - and it has made a huge difference so I don't have students crammed together and it ensures that everyone is seated vs. wandering or sitting on the floor)

Bring a book or choose quickly - This is the trickiest to enforce. The best way is to offer lots of help and keep on top of those who tend to wander aimlessly. Forcing a bit of conversation about what they're hoping for helps focus the choosing time!

Read without stopping - If I notice that a child cannot read for even five minutes in a sustained way, I intervene with some options: 

• perhaps we read over the blurbs and talk a bit about the story to give more context; 
• perhaps we read the first paragraphs together to be sure it's understood; 
• perhaps the child reads a bit to me so I can hear if the words are "just right". 
• And finally, perhaps I suggest other options that will be "more fun".

Library time is a privilege - If a student or a group is having trouble staying focused, their teacher may bring them back to the classroom to read there instead. Especially at the beginning of the year, this is an effective way to protect the expectations while in the library. Yes, I am lucky that grades 6-10 come with their teacher, so I have their support.

Save-a-Buck Booktalks

It's a common teacher-librarian problem: We prepare booktalks about a set of titles and generate so much excitement with students that all the books get checked out! 

Ack!

It's super frustrating to see a kiddo get excited about a story and not be able to have it. Sure, they can hold it, but it's just not the same. 

Enter Save-a-Buck booktalks: 

• I only talk about books that are IN the library. 
• If someone wants the book, I give it to them immediately with a "buck" to use as a bookmark. (They just saved themselves a bit of money by borrowing from the library instead of buying from a bookstore!)
• Rules: One book per person. Swaps wait until the end.

This works when you...

• know your collection really well, 
• can skim and scan book blurbs at lighting speed, 
• can talk off the cuff about books easily

Procedure:

• Gather a stack of books equal to the number of students in the class
• Prepare a set of "Save-a-Buck" bookmarks to give out with each claimed book (see Canva Template)
• Declare yourself a winner if you get rid of all the bucks!

Beat-the-Clock Booktalks

So many books, so little time!

This week, I'm doing "Beat the Clock" booktalks. The challenge is to talk about each book within 25 seconds before the slide moves ahead!

Students will hold up a "yes" or "no" card to show if they're interested in the book and then I'm on to the next book - no discussion - gotta keep moving!

We have a "Top 100 Middle Grade Books" on a visual and resource list, but I haven't officially book-talked all of them. This is a fast way to get it done! 

Most of the books I know well enough to improvise, but I wrote up notes to practice ahead of time. 

The notes are a mash-up of my own recollections of the story, goodreads reviews, and Canva's "Magic Write" to get a quick summary. Each cover links to the Goodreads page.

• Canva Slides to present
• Canva Template - to edit & add your own 
• Canva "Yes/No" voter cards - print, cut, laminate - lots of uses for these

Bingo Book Tasting

Here's a quick and fun way to ensure students are actually reviewing the titles we put out for them to sample: Combine a book tasting with a bingo board.

Grade 9 is coming to see our collection of books about WWII - and we have a ton! 

Fiction, nonfiction, memoirs, true survival stories, true rescue stories, DK books with engaging timelines and maps - it's fabulous but....

it can be overwhelming.

To help students focus, I create a Bingo Board that has lots of possible answers for each block. This helps students review the stack at their table with a sense of purpose.

They rotate around to different tables, gathering ideas of what to read and filling in their board. The ones with the most complete sheets get a mini Snickers.

To start, I show slides with the books and do quick booktalks about a few of them.

I create visual lists of the books for them to browse in our display.

Each student gets a bingo board and a pencil and then it's free time to explore the books!

Grade 9 LibGuide that highlights WWII books in our collection

Canva Template to the Bingo Board (I kept it simple for B&W printing)

Canva WWII Visual Book Lists (template) or public view

Extension Activity: Nicky & Vera

It's important to highlight the heroes amongst the everyday people who resisted the efforts of the Nazi party. 

The picture book Nicky & Vera, by Peter Sis, is a short and moving account of the Englishman, Nicholas Winton, who saved over 600 children from Prague by arranging foster families, train tickets, and documents to bring them alone on trains to London. 

After reading the story, I showed a clip from the British TV show "That's Life". 

In the show, we see the elderly Sir Winton surprised to meet some of the children he rescued all those years ago. It's an emotional moment for the students to see the characters in the picture book in "real life".

Visual Booktalks

Here's a quick way to add context when talking about a book: add pictures!

As I was preparing booktalks for this cycle's library time with grade 6-9 students, I found myself wanting to show some maps and "local color" like foods, vegetation, and settings to help students gain background about the story.

So after my usual bullets to highlight key characters and events, I added a collage of images (grabbed via the "search web" feature in google slides). The images show while I'm talking about the books - they engage the audience and they help me remember details to weave into the talk!

Visual Booktalks (slides)