I am never without a book. I take a book in my purse because I never know when I might have a few extra minutes to spare where I can read a few more lines of the novel I’m currently digesting. There are books in every room of my house and my children and I read story after story every night in bed. Does that mean that my children spend hour upon hour reading independently or that they wax poetic about their love of reading? Of course not. But observing my passion for reading will undoubtedly instill in them the importance of reading and that it is something that can be enjoyed, rather than simply a chore.
While I do not currently have my own classroom, I can speak to what I’ve done in the past as well as what I do with my own children. I am a firm believer in the read-aloud. Children love to be read to. When I read to children, I use voices and gestures and sometimes even props in order to engage the children. They are undoubtedly captivated as I read, whether it be from a picture book or a chapter book. Even when reading from an informational text, I pause to rephrase and discuss with the students frequently so that they will be more engaged and not tune out the voice that’s droning on about natural resources or sound waves or some such thing. But how to get children to want to read themselves?
Source: https://www.readingrockets.org/article/revisiting-read-alouds-instructional-strategies-encourage-students-engagement-text
In her blog “How to Stop Killing the Love of Reading,” Jennifer Gonzalez interviews “Pernille Ripp, author of Passionate Readers. (She also mentions two books that I am eager to read: The Book Whisperer by Donalynn Miller and Readicide by Kelly Gallagher.) Ripp writes about her personal experience beginning with teaching students how and what to read to trying to develop a love of reading in each child. (You can listen to an interview with Pernille Ripp here). 
Source: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/stop-killing-reading/
Ripp speaks about having finally asked students why they dislike reading. They said that they don’t like sitting still, that they wanted to be able to choose what they read, and perhaps most importantly, that they didn’t want to have to do work about what they read. She suggests giving students time each day to read with no strings attached. I would take this one step further and say that not only would there be no activities associated with the reading, but they can choose whatever they want to read. They can read picture books, graphic novels, comics, or world record books. They can read about gaming, coding, or pop culture. They can read a book, a magazine, or on a screen. As long as they are reading something that interests them, it counts! Choice is also important so that children can choose the level at which they are reading. “Kids won’t enjoy reading if they can’t do it – no one loves doing something that is really hard” (Aguilar 2013)
Source: https://oqslibrary.wordpress.com/2018/12/14/why-your-kid-should-read-graphic-novels/
Having authentic conversations about books is also important. Referring to books you have read, connecting books to current events or things that you are studying, and looking things up with children are all ways to encourage children to see the value in reading. While creating book clubs, anime or comic clubs and other such groups may prove to be helpful for some students, I would argue that the students who would be most interested in these clubs are students who already enjoy reading to a certain extent. Not all students will love reading, just as not all students enjoy sports or enjoy music or any other hobby. But as Ripp says to her students: “I’m not here to make you love reading. I’m here to make you hate it less. And if you already love it, then I’m here to protect it with all my might” (Gonzalez 2017).
Bibliography:
Aguilar, Elena. (2013, Feb 13). Ten Ways to Cultivate a Love of Reading in Students. Retrieved from: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/cultivating-love-reading-students-elena-aguilar
Gonzalez, Jennifer. (2017, Dec 3). How to Stop Killing the Love of Reading. Retrieved from: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/stop-killing-reading/
Hopper, Chandler. (2016, May 23). 10 Ways to Foster a Reading Culture in Your School. Retrieved from: tnclassroomchronicles.org/10-ways-foster-reading-culture-school/
Lubman, Leah. (2019, July 30). A letter (with pictures) to all the kids who hate reading. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/@ThisIsNotBoring/a-letter-with-pictures-to-all-the-kids-who-hate-reading-eddee926d44f
*featured image source: https://medium.com/@ThisIsNotBoring/a-letter-with-pictures-to-all-the-kids-who-hate-reading-eddee926d44f
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Taryn Bennett
February 7, 2020 — 6:37 pm
I also take a book in my purse, Melissa! I bet that is a fairly common practice among our TL peers.
What a great idea to include a Podcast link! I listen to them all the time. Jennifer Gonzalez’ idea that reading programs involve lots of worksheets and very little book reading is actually one of my biggest pet peeves as a teacher. Yes, there is merritt to doing reading comprehension and vocabulary exercises, but it doesn’t need to be at the expense of reading actual books! I work as a TOC currently, and I am sometimes surprised at how many people are still teaching their reading blocks this way. Perhaps it’s because I am only there for the day that the teachers leave me with these sorts of tasks, but having reading time where students have choice in what they are reading fosters a love of reading in ways that these programs never can. What she refers to as “our push toward developing close reading skills” (Gonzalez) really inhibits a love of learning. I appreciate that she also points out how important it is to have “a robust classroom library” (Gonzalez). And if our classrooms are unable, we need to provide that need in our School Library Learning Commons.
I really enjoyed listening to the Podcast and reading through the ideas shared there. Great idea!
Works Cited:
Gonzalez, Jennifer. (2017, Dec 3). How to Stop Killing the Love of Reading. Retrieved from: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/stop-killing-reading/
Danielle St-Jules
February 9, 2020 — 10:10 am
I’m also carrying around books and magazines! What I find interesting is that my 5-year-old son has picked up on this habit and regularly has a Chirp magazine, or picture book in the car, and other books in every room in our house. I really appreciate that you have drawn attention to modelling a love of reading. While reading aloud to students is important, I think that showing that you have your own reading interests, that reading is an option for free time, and sharing what you are currently reading all model great lifelong habits. When I worked as a classroom teacher, I would read while the students did silent reading and share what I liked about the book. I think this helps to show the value and pleasure in reading when we have time. I’ve observed that many teachers use this time to mark or check their email, but I use this time to enjoy a good book with the added benefit of sharing my love of reading with my students.
Thank you for the podcast link. I’ve heard of Pernille Ripp, but I haven’t yet read her book. This will be the perfect listen on my way to school tomorrow.
Darcy
February 9, 2020 — 7:58 pm
I so agree with you about the importance of the read-aloud. There is something magic that happens when a good reader brings a book to life for others. Modelling how to read and how and what we think while reading is so important. You link to some excellent resources here. Many good takeaways for your reader. In your next post, you might want to try adding categories. This will help you stay organized as your blog grows. I see that you are starting to post your blogs to Twitter. You have excellent ideas! They are worth sharing.
melissa hunt
February 10, 2020 — 3:14 am
I’ve created tags but not categories. This is all new to me: what’s the difference?
Laura Breckenridge
February 10, 2020 — 12:41 am
I did not hate reading your post. I think if you read my blog you will see that we are on the same page. I am also a firm advocate of the read aloud even though some of my admin see it as old school librarianship and that I should only be doing inquiry lessons, blah, blah, blah. It is a great way to model reading and to introduce students and teachers to great books. I run an after school club for reluctant readers that are learning how to hate reading less. I think some of your resources might come in handy. Thanks.