Encouraging students to read independently is one of the most important things that we can do to help our students become better readers. Kids who enjoy reading read more and build their vocabulary and comprehension strategies at a faster rate. In addition, books increase the background knowledge students have and help them better relate to other books, as well as topics covered in science and social studies. Independent reading is important during the school year, but also during school breaks and over the summer. Here are some suggestions on how to encourage independent reading that could be used during the summer months or at any other time during the school year:
1.) Connect with an extrinsic reward program. While it is extremely important to make reading intrinsically rewarding, sometimes we need a bit of a carrot to get our reluctant readers to pick up the first book. There are lots of reward programs already out there through libraries and private companies that let students read a certain amount of time in order to win a prize. Often I find that once students start reading to accumulate their hours, they get “hooked” into a book or series and read much more than the designated amount of time, because they have found some intrinsic reward as well! Some reading reward programs to check out are: Six Flags Read to Succeed, Pizza Hut’s Book It Program, Scholastic Summer Reading Program and Barnes and Noble’s Imagination’s Destination.
4.) Give students to respond to books they read in fun ways. Kids love watching movies based on books, why not give them the opportunity to create a movie, or a movie trailer, or some other fun projects based off of a book they read. This can be a fun “reward” when they finish a book from a suggested list, which might encourage them to read books they wouldn’t have found on their own or simply a way of responding to any book chosen independently. For specific suggestions on possible book projects, check out my Online Book Report format which is a free download at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
6.) Create a Selfie Book Pic Project. We all know that kids like taking selfies, how about asking students to take a selfie of themselves reading books in different places? This would work really well for school holidays or summer break, but could be done as weekend or even evening homework. Ask kids - Where do you read at home? In your bedroom? In a tree house? At your sibling’s soccer practice? Collect all of the selfies into a bulletin board or ask students to create a photo album of themselves reading. For suggestions on how to create online photo albums, check out this old blog post called: Using Photobucket In the Classroom.
8.) Read a Preview Chapter. Use read aloud to get kids interested in new, interesting books by previewing books with them. Choose a variety of books. Each day over the course of a week or two, introduce a book to your students. Talk about why the book is interesting and then read them a chapter or a few pages, just enough to get them hooked. Think of it as a movie trailer, give them just enough to get them interested in reading it on their own. Then leave those books in your classroom library, or give them a list to possibly check out from the school or public library.
9.) Start students on a book blog. Whether you have students each create their own book blog, or you create a collaborative class book blog, this could be a great way to keep track of what they have read and encourage others to read books they have enjoyed. Students don’t need to write long blog posts – a quick critique would do the job, although more advanced readers may be asked to do a summary. They could include a picture of the book – or even one of those selfies! – and a link to where other people could find more information about the book. Not only will students enjoy sharing the news about what they read with the world, they can get ideas about new books to read by looking at their classmates’ blog posts.
10.) Create a Genre Challenge. Students often get stuck in one genre and forget there are plenty of different kinds of books out there. Get kids out of their box by challenging them to read at least 3 books from a new genre. Encourage students to read science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, historical fiction, narrative, poetry, etc. Perhaps students will find out that there is a whole world of books out there that they never thought to read before!
I hope that some of these suggestions will help you encourage your class to read more and read independently. A teacher’s main job is to inspire the love of learning and reading is learning. If you have another great idea for us, please feel free to share in the comments, as we build a community of learners right here at Raki’s Rad Resources.
For more posts about reading check out:
Top 10 Reading Websites for Kids
Book Reviews for Kids
Online Books for Kids
Top 10 Authors to Have in Your Classroom
