My students are passionate, curious, enthusiastic and full of life. They love sports, music, dance, performing, history, their families, the beach, animals, and a million other things. My school is a high poverty elementary school, with 88% of our students receiving free or reduced lunch. We are also an arts magnet which provides our students with a variety of opportunities to explore music (orchestra, band, and vocal), dance, and theater.
A passion for reading doesn't come naturally to all of my students, some of them need a spark or challenge to get interested in reading for enjoyment.
Shared reading experiences and book talks open a window to a deeper comprehension of reading. The opportunity to read engaging books and develop a love of reading is critical to developing life-long readers.
My Project
Each year Florida awards fifteen third - fifth grade books the Sunshine State Young Readers Award. As a class, and within our school community, we are able to build excitement and friendly competition using these books. Reading these books together, in partners or small groups, serves as a springboard into book discussion and a deeper analysis of author's craft.
Defending their thinking about the merits, or lack thereof, of each book encourages my students to examine their thinking and helps develop the skill of conversation.
Over the course of a school year, my students will spend a lot time discussing, ranking, defending, and talking about the books they read. Providing multiple copies of the same book promotes collaborative talk. There is something magical about overhearing students in deep conversation about a book they are all reading. By the end of the year many of my students who begin the year as readers who only read when they are told to end the year sneaking in a few pages whenever they can. They turn into curious and inquisitive readers, able to recommend a good book, or many good books, with no trouble at all.
More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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