Right now, my classroom library consists of one small shelf with books funded by myself. About 99% of these books are fictional. Year after year, I watch my many struggling readers express their disinterest in reading; finally, a student told me he didn't like reading because it was "too many words on a page" and all "fake" content. I realized then that I wasn't doing enough as a teacher to provide my students with options when it came to the books they were "allowed" to read. I stuck mainly with fiction books because they were most likely tested books (for which students earned a grade). I wasn't exposing them to books from other formats and genres. Graphic novels, informational texts, and narrative nonfiction texts were extremely underrepresented in my classroom library, even though these are often high-interest texts to many students who are tired of fiction.
If I want to create a true culture of reading in my classroom, I need to be able to surround my students with books of all different types to meet them at their interest and reading levels.
I can completely understand why many of my students have lost touch with reading. This school year, the only grade I'll associate with free-choice reading is a book commercial for which students must advertise a great book to their peers! Also, they'll have at least ten minutes to read every day. I want to remind my students how much fun reading can be. If I can't get them interested in reading, they'll not get the reading practice they need, and in turn, won't benefit from the countless educational opportunities that being an avid reader offers: increased vocabulary, grammar skills, fluency, comprehension—the list is endless, and a high-interest classroom library is the first step to achieving this goal.
About my class
Right now, my classroom library consists of one small shelf with books funded by myself. About 99% of these books are fictional. Year after year, I watch my many struggling readers express their disinterest in reading; finally, a student told me he didn't like reading because it was "too many words on a page" and all "fake" content. I realized then that I wasn't doing enough as a teacher to provide my students with options when it came to the books they were "allowed" to read. I stuck mainly with fiction books because they were most likely tested books (for which students earned a grade). I wasn't exposing them to books from other formats and genres. Graphic novels, informational texts, and narrative nonfiction texts were extremely underrepresented in my classroom library, even though these are often high-interest texts to many students who are tired of fiction.
If I want to create a true culture of reading in my classroom, I need to be able to surround my students with books of all different types to meet them at their interest and reading levels.
I can completely understand why many of my students have lost touch with reading. This school year, the only grade I'll associate with free-choice reading is a book commercial for which students must advertise a great book to their peers! Also, they'll have at least ten minutes to read every day. I want to remind my students how much fun reading can be. If I can't get them interested in reading, they'll not get the reading practice they need, and in turn, won't benefit from the countless educational opportunities that being an avid reader offers: increased vocabulary, grammar skills, fluency, comprehension—the list is endless, and a high-interest classroom library is the first step to achieving this goal.
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