Finding the Right Book

As a reading teacher, I saw many students struggle with picking a book that was just right; not too hard and not too easy.  Here are a few questions you can ask to help your child figure out if a book is a good fit.

  • Do the cover & back look interesting?
  • Can you read most of the words on the first page?
  • Have you read a book like this before?  (If they haven't that doesn't mean they shouldn't try it.  They should just be aware if they're choosing a book that's 300 pages longer than they usually read.)
  • What do you already know about the subject or setting of the book?


It's also not a bad idea to check in after the first few pages or chapters.  You can ask:
  • Can you tell what you've read in your own words?
  • Is it interesting?

When they've finished the book and are ready to choose another, you might want to ask:
  • Did you like it?
  • Can you tell what it was about in your own words?
  • Would you read another book like this one?

As a teacher, I encouraged my reluctant readers to try a series.  If they liked one book, they were sure to like the others and they already had background knowledge about characters and storyline.  Good Reads also has a great list of book suggestions.


2 comments:

  1. like...your project...btw thanks to passed my blog......:))

    marda@http://www.bellecaketopperandmould.net/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the idea of the sliders for charts! Might have to adapt this for next year! Thanks for posting!

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