K-8 teachers have the responsibility to make sure their students learn to read well, but they must also motivate them to read in and out of the classroom. Avid readers have larger vocabularies and greater background knowledge to bring to their academic work, and unfortunately, this learning gap between readers and non-readers grows exponentially as children mature.
One way that teachers can help keep children interested in reading for pleasure is to continually introduce them to the best in children's literature. Recommending the right book to a non-reader often becomes a catalyst for a lifetime of reading enjoyment and learning. But teachers must stay current in children's literature themselves in order to be able to meet the reading needs of their students.
Learning About Authors and New Books
The best way for teachers to learn about children's books is to read them regularly and keep a notebook with titles, authors, impressions of the book, and possible curriculum connections. Read publishers' releases, book reviews, authors' websites, and journals related to children's literature for new ideas, and ask the school and local librarians to make recommendations whenever they find books of interest.
Featuring Children's Literature in the Classroom
To promote language and reading development, K-8 teachers should have a literacy-rich classroom environment, with an abundance of reading materials featured predominantly throughout the space. Keep a table with books related to the content areas currently being studied, and refer to these resources during instruction. Reading aloud from a novel each day also helps pique the interest of non-readers, especially if additional works by that author are readily available.
Allow children to bring their favorite books to share, and provide time for them to give brief book talks about the author or story to their peers. Have children write book reviews for the class newsletter and provide a notebook or small file in the classroom library for students to write recommendations by genre. Have parents and other adults within the school visit the class to discuss the books that they loved as children.
Sharing Children's Literature Resources
Rather than relying solely on their own efforts, teachers can share their resources by holding regular book talks by grade or by primary and intermediate grade spans. At these meetings, teachers recommend books they have used with particular units of study or books that have interested their non-readers. They may also share ideas for literature studies or book response projects that have been successful with their students.
Community librarians will make recommendations for books that coincide with social studies or science units. Contact the children's librarian 1-2 weeks before beginning a unit of study and request a selection of books for the unit. Ask them to include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or magazines if these reading resources are appropriate. The purpose is to provide enough variety within the classroom library so that even the most reluctant readers find reading material to enhance their learning.
Staying current in children's literature helps teachers find the best books to enrich their instruction and to capture the interest of reluctant readers. Actively learning about new releases and authors, featuring children's literature in a variety of ways in the classroom, and sharing resources with other teachers and professionals keeps teachers abreast of what is new and exciting in the field, and allows them to develop more avid readers among their K-8 students.
Resources
Hancock, Marjorie. A Celebration of Literature and Response: Children, Books, and Teachers in K-8 Classrooms (3rd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2007.
Lesesne, Teri. Making the Match: The Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right Time, Grades 4-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse, 2003.
Barbara Abromitis - Barbara Abromitis, Ed.D. is a freelance writer and educational consultant, with degrees in reading education and educational psychology, ...
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