Broaden a Student's Interest in Books
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Theresia Grundner, a Tip of the Week reader, wrote in with this question:
"I was wondering if you have any ideas on how to broaden students' interest in books. Our librarian is discouraged that some students only check out books from the same series or reread the same books over and over. How do we encourage students to go beyond?"
Four things come to mind:
1) Our first instinct is not to worry. When children, or adults for that matter, reread favorites, a number of things happen. Comprehension deepens, fluency improves, and enjoyment is enhanced. Oftentimes students who stay with a certain series do so because of the comfort of the characters, the predictable storyline, and the familiar writing style. Having patience and not forcing the issue can be important, especially for our struggling readers. It can mean the difference between creating a confident reader who reads for pleasure and potentially causing long-term damage to a fragile, reluctant reader. Also, many series progress (Magic Tree House for example), so students working through a series may be increasing both reading levels and text complexity.
2) Tantalize them. It isn't uncommon for teachers and students alike to remark, "If you love that series, you might want to give this one a try!" We also believe it is critical to deeply know our students' interests and passions. This knowledge comes through one-on-one conversations and from being voracious readers of children's literature so we can always be ready to match a reader with a book.
3) There are some wonderful resources for finding a new book or series once students have completed one. Obvious choices like Goodreads and Amazon are always available. Others with which you may be less familiar are: What Should I Read Next? and Lit for Kids. When children learn to use resources like this, they'll develop a life skill that will last well beyond their time with us.
4) We believe strongly that one of the best ways to hook students on new genres, series, and authors is by reading them, or parts of them, aloud. Students usually clamor to get the book after we've read it. Carefully chosen books become pathways to help children become readers who love to read and willingly expand their interests.
