As a first grade teacher, one of my most important jobs is to foster a love for books. Opinions on how my students enjoy reading, and how they see themselves as a reader are formed so early. It is my obligation to start them out on the right foot with school. That is why I love “hooking” my students onto a chapter book series!
My students have at least fifteen minutes to read every day.
Every single day.
It’s a non-negotiable in my book.
They book shop for books. I help them pick out books. But they get to a point in the year where they want more.
Around December, I start reading the Mercy Watson series.
They eat.it.up.
- That begins a wonderful discussion on book characters. Following book characters.
- Better understanding them. Noticing their relationships.
- Retelling their adventures. Rereading to understand the details better.
- Learning important lessons. Predicting and wondering what each story will teach them. Then, comparing and contrasting the books.
- Examining their character traits. Changing their voices to show the character’s feelings.
- Reflecting on stories they have read. Learning lessons from books by comparing.
We both win. They develop a love for reading. I know that they are learning important skills.
Starting this love doesn’t always happen right after I finish a chapter book series.
I just need one student. One student to hook on and take off. One student to make a goal of reading an entire book series.
Then..everyone wants in.
I make my students lists so that they can follow along with their goal.
They put the list in a page protector. They tell me a summary of the book when they are finished, and then cross it off with a Mr. Sketch marker.
If the book series is picked correctly, they can easily finish one a day. Which means that finishing an entire list is absolutely doable.
My students are always asking for new lists, and I am also always seeking out new book series.
So, I decided to compile it all into one resource.
At this moment, I have over forty book series lists with levels from E-S. I’m excited to keep adding more and more.
Do you have any other great ways of teaching a love for reading to your students? I would love to hear them!
