Read Lovely Books
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Some don’t have the skills to read books appropriate to their grade level
Others haven’t been given the chance to explore new books and try new genres
With those reasons aside, many students don’t engage in reading because they haven’t learned how
It may sound simple, but it often just takes one book to transform a child’s indifference
I wanted to like them more, heck, I wanted to pick better books, but I wasn’t
I remember pushing through books just to get the little prizes offered by my local library
For the record, those free chocolate Frosties at Wendy’s were totally worth it
These books weren’t my favorite by any means, but they made me hunger for more
My mentors and teachers were essential in this reading journey
As educators, parents, librarians, we can’t always find that one book that will ignite that excitement,
How does one do that? By taking advantage of the learning environment
When reading a book with students, it’s important to employ multiple activities that can engage different
It also involves making adjustments to the content based on the books you’re reading and the
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For the sake of this article, I’m focusing on activities for middle school, but some of
This could be a map of the world or of a bedroom, restaurant, or other location
This will help students imagine the plot and engage their creativity! It can also spur on a
This is a good activity to prepare students for more complex discussions!
Pick a critical point in the story for your students and have them write a letter to
It also provides some insight into each student’s ideas about the book
I’m sure I’m not the only one who NEEDED to try Turkish delight from The
What about touch? Bring fabrics or other garments that characters would wear from King Arthur and His
Bonus points if you can find something that’s close to armor! There’s a lot of
Pretend there’s a storm in your classroom by letting students listen to thunder and other storm
Listen to the sound of crashing waves and stormy seas as you imagine a brave girl leaving
You could also play music that gets students in the mood to read based on the genre
To this day, I often listen to intense movie or video game soundtracks when reading fun adventures
Lastly, utilizing smell can be an exceptional tool when significant to the book
After finishing a book, it’s worth discussing alternative endings
Do you agree with the ending? Why or why not? How would you change it? This would
If they could change the ending, would they and how? They could write their response, discuss it
Have readers get into groups to put major plot points in order
Ask them to write down the five most important events in this book
Watch as they justify which events are more important than others! This is a great way to
This activity would be more or less fruitful for engagement depending on the book
Put the options in separate hats and have students choose one of each
You don’t have to create too many options because several students can have the same characters
Make sure to make time for students to present their finished work to the class
Additionally, they’d need a demonstration to get those pencils moving
Have your readers write a list of questions they’d ask some of the main characters in
If you want to take this a step further, assemble a small group of students who could
They could use the book and their own reasoning to provide some textual evidence for their answers
Okay, I know that any sort of celebration can take a lot of planning and work, but
At the beginning of a unit, you can present this as a final project that students display
Since the event will happen at the end of a unit, they can choose from an assortment
Require a sign up for each option so you know what the celebration will look like
You can even have students vote on their favorite performance, diorama, etc
I wonder what details students would put in their little motel
As you read each book, encourage the students to think about what they’d like to do
Don’t have a class full of students? Plan to throw a little party after reading a
Let your reader decide what to work on (acting out a scene, diorama, character backstory)
Choose a few notable treats from your books and include some book appropriate music!