How do you motivate students to read in your classroom? Sometimes motivating students to read can be a tricky task. Some students see reading as work. However, we need to help our students to see reading as something they do for pleasure. It should be something that is so great they want to share with friends and classmates what they are reading. I am all about cultivating a love for reading in students. Here is what I do in my classroom for motivating students to read.
First of all, have plenty of options for books for students to read in your classroom. That doesn’t mean you need to spend a ton of money on tons of books. But try to have books of all different kinds and genres in your classroom. I found that my most popular book bins is my Pokemon bin, my nonfiction animals bin, and my weather and space bin.
Also, I try to make my bins appealing to students in how I organized them according to topic, not level.
However, I have all different reading levels throughout my classroom library. Each student can find something to read. Having a good book selection will help you in your task of motivating students to read.
Next, have a way for students to make goals in their reading. In our classroom, I help in motivating students to read by having a “Look What we are Reading” wall display.
After reading a book, students fill out a simple form to hang up on the wall. Every Friday, students bring me their forms and they get a punch on their punch card for each form they filled out. When the students fill their punch card, they get a reward. That is my way of helping students work towards a goal to help motivate students to read.
Rewards or incentives are a great way for motivating students to read. Students love to know that they are working toward something that means something to them. On the top shelf of our classroom library, we have “featured books.”
These are books that are on display that students can read. At the beginning of the year, I displayed some of my favorite books from our classroom library. When students fill up their punch card, they get a pick a book for our “featured books.” I make this a big deal to help for motivating students to read.
With creating goals and incentives, it is important to give students time to reach those goals. I have a silent reading center each day that students go to. This is the time when students are really focused on reading and filling out those forms. Reading books independently or with a partner is always a great fast finisher activity as well. I also let students take blank forms home to help students read at home. Reading is reading no matter where it takes place!
Finally, my last strategy for getting students to read is giving them opportunities to share what they have read. This is a natural response for children. When students find something they love or find interesting, they want to share it with their friends. When students fill out a form for our “Look What we are Reading” Wall students display those forms for other students to find ideas on books to read. The form allows students to rate how they liked the book. Other students can come up and see what books their friends like and read them as well. I love seeing my students sharing what they read with their classmates. Sharing what they read helps in encouraging students to read.
Above all, I hope this blog post has helped you see where you can help in encouraging your students to read. It’s really all about helping your students find a love for reading. It’s not a chore. It is something they do for pleasure.
Here are some other reading blog posts that you may like:
- Reading Intervention Activities for Struggling Readers by Katelyn’s Learning Studio
- 3 Steps to Create Meaningful Experiences Through Read Aloud by 4 Kinder Teachers
- Elementary Summer Reading Activities by Anna Kelley’s Creations
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