I can’t decide. Is it getting more difficult to get kids interested in books or has it gotten easier? There are a lot more titles to choose from! And reading books on tablets has surely increased student interest. What do you think? Please share your opinions and your ideas for getting kids into books!
Wild about reading!
Diane
Books are knowledge and I try hard to instill a love for books in every child in my classroom.
I use a Pete the Cat doll and all of his books that travels home with each child through the year. The parents have gotten so into this Pete has become our school mascot. Along with the doll, books and cd I send a notebook home for the child to dictate his adventures with Pete. The families are so into that they have started adding pictures. Pete has been everywhere in our town.
The other thing I do that the kids like is if at all possible I make a flannel story to match the book. Forst I read the book and then I tell them the story. Flannel stories are easy to make if you use interfacing available at any fabric story.
Then I connect our story to a art project as well. It should be every teachers mission to make our children a book lover.
I find that if I’m excited about something, kids will be excited as well! Also, reading doesn’t just have to be ‘literature’. Kids like all sorts of things… look for comics, graphic novels, non-fiction, etc. to get kids into something! I have my kids make their own stories up, and we bind and share them with other classes.
There are so many skills enhanced when kids read that it is vital. Yet, I do see it is harder to get them to read than years ago. TV, videos, and games don’t take as much effort for slower readers. I gave book report assignments and required fun projects to accompany them, such as shadow boxes of a book scene, mobiles of characters, setting, author, etc, and even acting out of a scene.
It’s getting harder. I work in a school & at our local library. Children are more interested in the internet then they are with books.
Like someone else mentioned sparking their interest is key. There’s a quote by Maya Angelou that says “Any book a child chooses to read is good for him” & I think it’s spot on.
I see my 2nd graders as very excited about their reading. With programs such as the Literacy Cafe, and Reading Workshop, students are given the tools to become more independent in terms of their literacy, and are better equipped to select and enjoy a variety of great literature. I also connect many read alouds throughout the day to the various content areas, and strive to read with a great deal of inflection and enthusiasm : D
I have always found it easy to get kids into books. However, it may be due to the fact that I love books so much.
Each week, all of my classroom books are connected to the theme we are studying. I find it exciting to make the book characters and vocabulary come alive. I also love to discuss the books’ authors and illustrators. The students really do get excited when they see and learn about the people who write the story and create the artwork. 🙂