I cringe when I hear the words, “I hate reading.” My number one goal each school year, no matter the grade, is to get my students to fall in love with reading. One of my favorite things about being a teacher is watching a student who struggles with reading fall in love with a book. Here are 5 simple ways to light a passion for reading in your classroom.

1. Read to them DAILY!! (and make it fun)

If you want to be a memorable teacher, read to your kids every day. I remember my fourth grade teacher Mrs. Parmer because she read to us every day after lunch. She chose books that made us laugh and books that made us cry. We read about Lou Gehrig and Anne of Green Gables. She made those books come to life.

Don’t just read books. Make them come to life. Make them exciting. In my 2nd grade class, we started the year with The Mouse and the Motorcycle. I zoomed around the room pretending to be Ralph on the motorcycle. I made motorcycle noises and my kids hung on to every word. We just finished reading Charlotte’s Web. I changed my voice to fit Templeton the rat, Charlotte the spider, and of course Wilber the pig. We fell in love with the characters of the story. We now lovingly name each spider we see “Charlotte”. We laughed when Wilber practiced being “radiant” and we cried when Charlotte died. We recently started reading “Jotham’s Journey” to take us through to Christmas season. This book is filled with adventure and excitement. I jump up and get in kids faces. I act out the fights and gasp for breath when Jotham is running from his kidnappers.

2. Stock your classroom library with books they love.

Stocking your classroom library can be VERY expensive. However, I have found a few affordable ways that I can ensure that my classroom library is full of books that my kids love.

• Shop local discount book stores. I have one near me that sells books for $1.00.
• Find local flea markets. A lot of times you can find children’s books for $1.00 or less.
• Use Scholastic points. This is my favorite way. I encourage parents to purchase books each month. I allow my kids to pick out books for our library each month with our bonus points. My girls recently requested the Ivy and Bean series.
• Go to your school library or local library and check out books that match your classroom interests. If we are studying certain subjects, I like to check out books to match for classroom exploration. Thank goodness I can check out an unlimited amount of books from our school library.

3. Stop round robin reading.

“Is it my turn to read?”

“Gah! I wish Bobby would hurry up reading!”

“Ummm… where were we?”

“What did that kid just read?”

“What did I just read?”

If you have round robin reading in your classroom, you know that kids in your reading small groups have thought or said one of these at least once. Round robin reading is where teachers have students in a small group or large group read one at a time. Students are reading bits and pieces of a story and following along with others while they read.

Many of us may have grown up with this method. I did as a kid. I will be honest. I turned out alright, but I can remember zoning out and daydreaming in a story. To this day, the way that I can really comprehend a story is by reading the story myself. I need to hear myself whisper the words, if I really want deep comprehension.

Round robin reading breaks up comprehension. Allowing students to read the whole text, helps them comprehend what they are reading. They are more likely to make a connection to the text and monitor their comprehension. Jen Jones from Hello Literacy has a good post about round robin reading.

We start reading group with a warm up conversation about the text. We review making connections, inferences, monitoring comprehension, and asking questions. I work my way around the circle listening to each child reading. I jot down notes and record their reading on my iPhone or iPad. If a child finishes early, they go back and re-read or spend time writing questions about the text. We close reading group by having a conversation about the text. We discuss connections and answer questions. A lot of the time the questions about the text drive our discussion.

If you are doing round robin reading, change it for two weeks and monitor any changes you see. I feel like you will see a few things happen.

1. Students will love reading groups.
2. Students will read faster because they are not mimicking their neighbor.
3. Students will comprehend the text better.

4. Make time for individual reading conferences.

Demands of the classroom, sometimes make it very difficult to have time to meet with each student individually each week. I feel like you should know that I have 13 students and each Friday I have a parent volunteer (who is a professor of education) that helps me with this. We meet with each student and talk about their book choices in their book box. We ask comprehension questions and listen to them read. We encourage them and challenge them with good fit books. I love the individual time it allows me with each student. It is a special bonding moment to curl up with a good book while they read. I join them wherever they are located in the classroom. If they are reading under a table, I get under the table. If they are sitting on our back counter, I get on the back counter.

Find a schedule that can meet your classroom needs and plan individual time with each student.

5. Allow your kids to read where it is comfortable.

Think about it… Where do you read? I read on my couch or snuggled up in my bed. I love to sip on a warm cup of coffee and maybe a eat pumpkin spice donut. When I was a kid, I read outside in my tree house. Let your students find a place in the classroom that is comfortable to them.

Under a table? Okay! Sure! Sitting on the back counter? Why not!?!? Propped up with a pillow?!? Yeah that sounds comfy. Cramped up in a cubby??? Whatever floats your boat!

I allow my students to eat a snack while they read. You probably have a snack or a drink nearby when you read. Why not allow your kids to do this in the classroom? Our rule is… if you are hungry, you can have it. Just don’t distract the other students.

Hopefully you have found something that you can take back to your classroom or a word of encouragement. Comment with what you do to help your kids love reading!