How To Give Your Students A Love of Reading
By Susan M. Krings
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Second grade teacher
Susan is one of our expert teacher columnists. You can write her at SKrings235@aol.com One very simple, very "doable" activity to get the kids interested in books is to do an Author of the Week lesson. There are many authors who have web sites who give valuable teaching ideas to use with their books. Jan Brett (janbrett.com) is one author who is particularly teacher friendly. Her site offers teacher tips, coloring pages, author tips, and much more. I took 2 weeks to feature her books because of the many activities that went along with the readings. Every morning 15 - 20 minutes is set aside for "Author of the Week". On the first day I introduce the author, giving the students some of the personal information that I have compiled with the help of the interned author sites. Each day afterwards I select one of the author's books to read aloud. If the book is a chapter book, I take two or three days to read it. At the end of the week or into the next week the students write letters to the featured author. Many authors do take the time to write back. This excites the classes and the author who writes back is instantly their FAVORITE author. After spending a week reading H.A. Rey's Curious George stories I had the class write their own Curious George stories. They had to put in the phrase "Now don't get into trouble, George!" We typed the stories in the computer lab and then bound them into a class book. I was searching for books about cats one day and happened to find the "Molly" books. These books are written by Joseph S. Bonsall who is probably more known for his singing abilities. He is one of The Oakridge Boys. I brought his two books to class and the children thought they were really neat. And they went home asking their parents to get them the books that that Oakridge guy wrote! The web site is www.mollythecat.com. An unexpected surprise was finding out that Joseph Bonsall was going to be interviewed by a local radio talk show. I called the show, put it on the speaker phone in the classroom and the children got to talk to a real live author! Of course he immediately became their FAVORITE author. At least for that week! I know that this simple daily activity is successful in getting kids interested in books because the parents make it a point to come to me and tell me how their children have begun to ask them for books by the author's name! Parents tell me that they take their children to the library and they immediately ask for a certain author's section. Some teaching suggestions seem impossible to fit into the schedule, but this one is worth the 15 minutes each morning. Reading and writing skills do improve and it is an enjoyable way to begin the day! Books on Teaching: 101 Ways to Develop Student Self-Esteem and Responsibility: The Teacher As Coach by Jack Canfield and Frank Siccone. To order click here. 150 Ways to Increase Intrinsic Motivation in the Classroom by James P. Raffini. To order click here. An Apple for My Teacher: Twelve Authors Tell About Teachers Who Made the Difference by Louis Decimus Rubin. To order click here. Setting Limits in the Classroom: How to Move Beyond the Classroom Dance of Discipline by Robert J. MacKenzie. To order click here. Classroom Teacher's Survival Guide: Practical Strategies, Management Techniques and Reproducibles for New and Experienced Teachers by Ronald L. Partin. To order click here. 101 Ways to Put Pizazz Into Your Teaching by Bonnie Williamson. To order click here. 501 Tips for Teachers: Kid-Tested Ideas, Strategies and Inspirations by Robert D. Ramsey. To order click here.
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