Tuesday, August 14, 2012

10 Days of Back to School Frenzy: Day 5

Today marks our halfway mark in our 10 Days of Back to School Frenzy. I hope you have been enjoying the ideas and activities I've shared so far. Your comments have been wonderful and they motivate me to keep on writing.

Ok...so today I'd like to share a booklet I have my students complete at the beginning of the year to get them to think about how reading has impacted their lives. The booklet is titled My Journey as a Reader.


In this booklet, students jot down:

  • Book they've recently read
  • A book that made the most impact in them and why it's special
  • Books they remember reading when they were much younger
  • A sketch of their favorite place to read and a description of it
  • A "bookography" where they describe three all-time favorite books
If I have a student that just can't think of books they like or books they've read, I just encourage them to think about books or stories that their parents or teachers have read to them in the past. If you happen to have students like this be sure to always encourage them with a positive and loving gesture. These may be the students who haven't had a positive experience with reading in the past and you might be the teacher who could turn that around.

After students complete these booklets, we share them in groups and then have a few share outs. It's a great way to get students revved up for reading and recommend books to one another. Can you tell how crazy I am about reading? I just know that it's life changing and that reading doesn't have to be something kids do in school just because they have to pass a test. Reading stays with you for a lifetime and it's about time more kids have great positive experiences in and out of school with reading. Don't you agree? 

If you would like to use this back to school activity with your kids, you've come to the right place. By clicking on the image below you'll be taken to my Teachers Notebook shop where you can download it for for a small fee.


I hope you like this idea and I can't wait to share with you other ideas in the next few days. Best of luck to you as you get ready for a new school year. Have a magical day!

5 comments:

  1. Oooo! I love this idea. What do you do for those persnickity kiddos that "have no favorites" or "can't choose"?? I struggle with forcing them to pick something...maybe you have a fresh idea for me???

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    Replies
    1. Hi Morgan,

      What I do with the persnickety kiddos who say, "But I don't have a favorite book" or "I can't remember or choose one." I sit with them and we talk about any books they might have read in class with their previous year teacher. I may also start mentioning some book titles to help them brainstorm and choose. Basically, I do more of a one-on-one conference to try and help them think of books they've read in the past and how they may have felt. At times, if they need a refresher and I happen to have the book in the class, I'll just have them look through it again so they can remember why they read it and liked it. Hope this has answered your great question. Take care!

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  2. Love this! Love that it gets them thinking about books and about ENJOYING books!! Would be interested, like Morgan, to know if you have any recommendations of how to handle the "no favorite" crowd. There is always one it seems.... ;)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Amanda for your comment! You and Morgan have great questions and really valid ones. Take a look at my reply to her comment above and see if that answers your question. Wishing you the best!

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