How-To Hook Kids on Books with This Simple Reading Strategy
Are you interested in helping your intermediate students find a book they love? Are you launching a book project, or Book Clubs? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, and you have 15 minutes, then Book Pass is the Reading strategy for you. Read on!
- What is Book Pass?
- Simple Steps to the Book Pass Reading Strategy
- Detailed Steps for Bringing Book Pass to Your Classroom
- Using Book Pass to Launch a Project
- But, teacher, I didn't get to read that book…
- Let's Connect!
- Need More Ideas for YOUR Classroom?
What is Book Pass?
Book Pass is a really simple Reading strategy to hook kids on books, and it’s perfect for launching your Book Clubs or for having kids do a Book Project. By the end of 15 minutes, every student in your class will have a book to read. But better than that, they will likely have one or two more that they would LIKE to read. And helping readers build a reading plan and live a reading life is one of our greatest privileges as teachers. Read on for the simple how-to!
For a Book Pass, all you need is one book per student and about 15 minutes. I use this strategy to launch Book Clubs, so I gather multiple copies of each title – usually I offer 5 choices for a Book Club. So, I need about 5 copies of each book. Arrange the books in a circle on the floor, putting the books in a repeating pattern. You want the books to be organized so that students will see each book but not preview a book more than once.
Simple Steps to the Book Pass Reading Strategy
Book Pass is simple, and once you have gathered the books, all you need is sticky notes. So, no prep needed!
- Gather one book per student.
- Set the books out in a circle, making sure that the books are in a pattern to ensure that no student previews the same book.
- Have the students sit in a circle around the books, and set a timer.
That’s it!
Detailed Steps for Bringing Book Pass to Your Classroom
Choose Great Texts
I use Book Pass to launch Book Clubs, so I start with 5 copies of each text. I find texts with a variety of reading levels, generally around a common theme. Five choices of text provides enough choice that students can usually find a text they are excited about. In the image, you can see recent Book Club choices centered around a theme of classics – old and new. I chose traditional classics like “Shiloh“, but also included a non-fiction choice about Black soldiers in the Revolutionary War – “The Untold Story of the Black Regiment – Fighting in the Revolutionary War” and “Outcasts United”, a modern story about a soccer team made up of refugees from around the world. The variety of texts captured student’s interest, and our guiding question was, “What makes a classic book?” We had some outstanding conversations about that question.
Gather Students Around the Books
The students sit behind the books and begin by previewing the book in front of them. Remind them that good readers preview a book by looking at the cover, reading the blurb and opening the book and reading an excerpt. Set a timer for two minutes. In that two minutes the students are quietly perusing the book and asking themselves one question. “Is this a good book for me?”
Once the two minutes are up, students pass the book to their right. Then, they take their new book, and spend 2 minutes with it. Keep to a two minute timer. I’ve found that it is long enough for a student to get a good sense about a book but not so long that they get bored and start talking. 🙂
After 10 minutes, every student in your class has previewed 5 books. I then collect the books and pass out a sticky note to each student. On the sticky note they write their name and their top three choices, in order. Within a few minutes, I can sort through the sticky notes and most often can get a student their first or second choice of book. Just like that, we are ready to get started with Book Clubs!
Using Book Pass to Launch a Project
I love using projects in my classroom. If you do too, Book Pass is a great way to launch a project. Sometimes, I like to let students choose any book for a project, but there are times when I do want some structure. When you want that structure, begin with a Book Pass. If you limit the choices for a Book Project and use a Book Pass to launch the projects, you get a couple of benefits.
- You don’t have to read 27 different books – just the books that you offer!
- Kids who are reading the same book can meet to talk and share ideas.
- Students will get excited about reading the books their friends are reading.
But, teacher, I didn’t get to read that book…
I love having the solve the problem of not-enough-books for all the students who want them. After a Book Pass, you are likely to find several students who want to read more than one book, I mean, they REALLY want to read them. And, after their friends have read the book, that itch may become unbearable for some students. One year I offered “Artemis Fowl” as a choice in the first Book Pass of the year, and kids were so upset when I didn’t have enough copies for them all. What a lovely problem to have!
No worries – the solution is pretty simple. After the project or Book Club cycle has finished, I always make the copies available to the whole class. Intermediate students are a little like lemmings – if their friends are reading it, they are happy to go along and read it too. I can still hear the sighs of relief after that first Book Pass when kids realized they would ALL get to read “Artemis Fowl” if they just had a little patience. One of the really lovely things about this simple strategy is the conversations that happen organically all year when you hear kids say things like, “Have you read Artemis Fowl yet? It is so good! Can you believe….”
Book Pass is a really simple Reading strategy that helps your students find a book to read – you will hook them on at least one book, and maybe more! Try this strategy every month or so to expose your students to new books and keep them reading!
Let’s Connect!
You can find Ms. Cotton’s Corner in various corners of the Internet – TPT, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube. See you there!
Check these places to ensure that you don’t miss a thing!
And don’t forget to tell your teacher friends. Sharing is caring!
Happy Teaching!
Susan
Need More Ideas for YOUR Classroom?
Check out these recent blog posts. Enjoy!
Christmas Kindergarten Math Activities: FREE Gingerbread Math Game
December can be a crazy time! Keep the learning going strong with Christmas kindergarten math activities like this gingerbread-themed number sense game. This FREE download includes 2 versions – Make 5 AND Make a Ten! You also get spinners, differentiated recording sheets, and two independent practice pages. It is easy to prep, and engaging for…
Decoding in Kindergarten- The Science of Reading
Recently I’ve been blogging about my journey of exploration into the Science of Reading. Be sure to check out some of these other posts if you’ve missed them: The more I dive into the Science of Reading, the more I am using the Simple View of Reading and Scarborough’s Reading Rope to guide instruction in…
Mastering Decimal Place Value with a FREE Game
This blog explores the importance of foundational understanding of decimal place value and whole number place value. Strategies include using games like Place Value Spin to build concepts of place value, connecting whole numbers to decimals, and a free instructional video to use with your students.
