One Teacher's Adventures

As middle school teachers, one of the most challenging tasks is fostering a love of reading in our students. Almost all of my Grade 8 students last year told me they hated reading, but I’ve heard that if kids don’t like reading, they just haven’t found the right book yet. Enter the concept of "book tasting"—a creative, engaging way to introduce students to a variety of books and genres, all while making the experience fun and memorable. What is a Book Tasting? A book tasting is an event designed to give students a “taste” of different books. Think of it as a literary buffet where students sample a variety of genres and authors in a short period. The goal is to spark interest in reading by allowing students to explore books they might not normally pick up. Typically, a book tasting is set up in a classroom or library, with tables arranged to resemble a café or restaurant. Each table features a selection of books—these could be themed around a genre, topic, or author. Students ...

When I was in University, my reading professor gave us the idea of a one-page basic book report for young readers.  She called it the Bare Bones Book Report.  Basically, she folded a piece of paper into quarters and had us fill in each quarter with a different aspect of the book (character, plot, setting, and conflict).  She only wanted the bare bones of the book. I've used versions of this idea for so many assignments, with elementary, middle, and high school students.  Last year, I used it as a note-taking strategy in Grade 8 Social Studies.  As my students watched a film about the crisis in the Middle East, they took notes in the four section of the paper with these headings: Important People, Important Places, Vocabulary to Know, Questions I Have.  With a Grade 4/5 class, I used it when I was teaching connections in reading.  My students made notes about the connections they made in their free choice books. The ...