Keeping students engaged during independent reading time doesn’t always happen on its own — especially as we approach the tail end of the school year. By this stage, students may be re-reading books they read earlier in the school year, while other great titles may be left untouched.
Give your students’ independent reading a boost with these great strategies recommended by Alycia Zimmerman, a third grade teacher in New York.
1. Rethink the Classroom Library
For Zimmerman, one of the best ways to recharge independent reading is to reorganize the classroom library, making way for new titles and helping students re-discover ones they may have previously overlooked.
To start, Zimmerman recommends getting students involved in the selection process. She usually informs her students that they will be putting away books they are no longer interested in or have outgrown, before asking each student to note which books they would like to keep and which they would like to see go.
She then likes to make it clear to students that she is introducing new series or authors that she felt weren’t appropriate for them at the beginning of the year, but that they have now grown into.
“The excitement is incredible. Students shout out, ‘Whoa, check out this dragon series!’ and ‘Books about World War II! So cool!’ My students beg me to borrow the new books,” she says.
If you need to quarantine books after each student reading, class collections are one effective way to build your classroom library while putting a book in every student’s hands.
2. Incorporate Student Book Talks
To get students excited about independent reading and their new classroom library, Zimmerman likes to ask her third graders to do their own book talks. She reminds her students how frequently she gives book talks to introduce a book or series, and then offers students the opportunity to sign up to give their own talks about titles they want to recommend to the class.
“I set out a sign-up calendar and pass out guidelines for giving a book talk. I also explain that I would give book talks for the next two days to give students a chance to read some of the new books and to prepare their talks,” she says.
After a book talk, Zimmerman sets out an index card for students to sign up to read the featured book. She also has students record the books they want to read on their own “Can’t Wait” list.
3. Keep It Fresh!
To keep the momentum going for the remainder of the school year, Zimmerman likes to continually add new titles to the classroom library. One fantastic way to add more variety is to implement a Basket Exchange with a fellow teacher, where both classes can swap a basket of books with each other (if this fits into your school’s current safety guidelines).
Another effective strategy Zimmerman likes to use is “Shop and Tell.” Under careful supervision, she allows her students to read child-appropriate book reviews once a month during independent reading time. Students then let her know which new books they are interested in adding to the class library. Each month, she will buy and add some of their suggested books to the library.
To get started, shop books that inspire independent reading below! You can find all books and activities at The Teacher Store.