Ideas to Motivate Young Readers

Teachers from around the country submitted these time-tested ideas to the BOOK-IT® Program. See which ones you can adapt to your classroom.

Buddy Books.

Assign each older student (fifth grade or older) a first grader to interview, finding out about family, birthday, friends, pets, and favorite things. Have each older student use this information as the basis for a written story that features the first grader as the main character. Publish the story in book form, complete with cover and binding. When finished, have the older students present the books to their first-grade partners and share some reading time with them.

Musical Books.

Place chairs back-to-back in a straight line with a book under each chair. Have students march around the chairs while music plays. When the music stops, each student sits in the closest chair and begins to read the book that is under that chair. Students continue reading for a few minutes until the music starts again. The game continues for several rounds. Then place the books in a special box marked "Musical Books" so students can find the books they want to continue reading.

Where in the World?

Give each student a U.S. or world map. (Let students select the one they prefer.) Each time a student reads a book that relates in some way to a state or country, he or she colors that place on the map. The relationship may be based on the following: (1) the author was born there, (2) the setting for the book is there, (3) the story begins there, or (4) the book tells about the state or country. Post the maps around the room.

Read to the Principal.

Select one or two students daily to go to the principal's office to read to him or her. Before starting the program, make a computer banner that says "I READ TO THE PRINCIPAL." Have students color in the letters or decorate the banner in some way. Hang the banner in the principal's office and ask students to sign it with different colored markers after they've read their selections. The principal may want to sign bookmarks that say "I Read to the Principal" and give one to each participating student.

Source: Education World Web site (link to http://www.education-world.com/).