In Chapter 14 of Kylene Beers’ (2003) When Kids Can’t Read, Beers focuses on several strategies for
helping students find the right book. In
the fifth suggestion, Beers describes an encounter she had while attempting to
assist a student in the library. The
student lamented that teachers always say the library is full of good books,
but the students do not know how to find them.
The student compared the library to a large department store, where it
is difficult to find what you need. She
mentioned that she prefers to shop at The Limited, because the selection is
indeed limited, narrowed down, making it easier to find something “good”. With this in mind, Beers (2003) decided to
create a Good Books Box, with a small selection of excellent books.
I love this idea! Joining a new world or activity, whether that
is a sport, a school, a club, or even the world of reading, can be intimidating
and overwhelming. There is always a lot
of new information to learn, it is often difficult to find exactly what you need,
and you do not yet trust your own instincts in this new field or
environment. It may not be immediately
obvious that a student could feel about the library the way we feel on our
first day at a new job, but if they are a struggling reader, this may very well
be the case. Narrowing things down in
the form of a Good Books Box makes the reading world seem less vast, and
therefore more accessible to hesitant readers.
Also, considering how
much of life comes down to self-fulfilling prophecy, the Good Books Box is also
a great way to start students out with the right frame of mind when beginning a
new book. Knowing their books came from
the Good Books Box, students will likely be more invested in the story, and
remain more open minded as they read.
I definitely want to
have a Good Books Box in my classroom.
What a simple, but brilliant strategy!
Reference List:
Beers, K. (2003). When Kids Can't Read: What
Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
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