Reading and Choice

In my fantasy classroom, all students would be busy reading books they chose for themselves. These books would be at an appropriate reading level and would be genres that the students loved, but they would also happily read books in other genres, just to challenge themselves. Since it’s a fantasy, I will have the time to conference with every student AND get all guided reading groups done. Now before you fall off your chair laughing, I’ll tell you what I usually get each year.

My students who love to read can find books with little direction, but often tend to read one or two genres, just like I do in my own reading life. I know I need to work at broadening their selection, but on the whole, they are readers. And then there are the other students. Some will find books after lots of prodding, or I can interest them in graphic novels, and that will later lead to other novels. But the ones that make me crazy are the students who are always heading to the bathroom during independent reading, or constantly browsing in the book bins, and who change books daily. I know they are mostly fake reading, and I struggle each year to find titles that will engage them.

One solution I have tried with some success is giving students some “guided” choice. I pull out about six chapter book titles, trying to pick books with a variety of levels and topics. I then give short book talks and the kids write down their top three choices on a post-it. I will usually try to give kids their first choice if at all possible, but I will also make sure they are in a book that I know they can finish. I then divide the books into three segments (total number of pages divided by three). Each week the students are asked to read one segment, do some general responses, and then we’ll chat in a group about what they’ve read so far. I think this has worked well because it gives the wandering students a focus – they know how much they need to read and when it is due. They’ve had a little choice, so I’m not forcing them to read something they had no say in. And they actually finish a book, and they feel pride in that. 

However, this year, I’m going to try something even more directed. In The Book Whisperer, Donalyn Miller requires her students to try and read 40 books during the school year, and in a variety of genres.  She lets the students know the number of books in a genre they need to read, and if they read a book over a certain number of pages, it counts for two books (so readers of long books aren’t penalized). I think some books will be picture books, so they will be shorter than chapter books, too. Even if the students don’t reach the goal of 40 books, they’ve still usually read way more than they read the year before.

This is a modification of her genre breakdown, but I think she would probably say you should make it work for you, so this is what I’m going to try:

Poetry anthologies: 2

Traditional Literature: 3

Realistic Fiction: 5

Historical Fiction: 3

Fantasy/Sci-Fi: 3

Informational: 10

Biography: 2

Graphic Novels: 2

Free Choice: 10

I need to make up a list so students can record their books, and I’m anxious to get this going and see if it makes a difference in my students’ reading lives. How do you manage reading choice in your classroom?