The Christian EducatorA publication of North Valley Baptist Schools
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Zainy Brainy...Book Mania?
By Cheryl Harter
"Reading is fun!" "I would rather read than watch T.V.!" We don't see a lot of "Book Mania" in the class rooms these days. Some students have the reading bug, but for the majority of the school age population, the love of reading needs to be cultivated. If fun and competition can be added, "Book Mania" can show up in every classroom!
READING CONTESTS – Every semester, a reading contest would be a great addition to the curriculum you are using! The students would receive points per book read or points for a certain amount of pages read. Our third grade will be having a fall reading contest. We will have a tree branch, on which the students will be able to place acorn shapes. On every acorn will be the name of a book that the student has read for the contest. I hope my class will be "Nuts about Reading"!
READING ALOUD – Reading aloud in the classroom is a very valuable tool that promotes the love of reading. One of the most exciting times during the day should be the reading of the book for the day or the continued reading of a specially selected book. Whatever book is read, the STUDENTS SHOULD WANT TO READ IT ON THEIR OWN after you are done with it! It is a great sight to see; students begging to be the first one to read a book!
“We need to make reading a pleasurable experience so it will become a leisure time activity!” – a quote once read from textbook, now has a preeminent place in notes for a lecture.
One not need only read at the level of the students. Reading below their grade level can spark imagination and comprehension, while reading above the grade level may encourage the students to read at a higher level. Reading aloud from various pieces of literature broadens the "reading time" into "super reading time." Folktales, fables, poetry, fantasy, fiction, historical fiction, and biographies should all have a place in the Read Aloud Time throughout the year!
BOOK REPORTS – The dreaded book report needs to become something fun and challenging. "Please write a one page book report!" These two little words – book report – produce old and bad attitude, groans, and sighs. Make a simple form to be filled out when a book is completed. Have students act out a scene, draw a picture, bring an object to class from the book for "show and tell”, make a diorama, or a mobile of characters. Give these different ideas for a short "book review". Our third grade class will be writing a list in a special book of the books they have completed. It will be an encouragement to them to see how many books they have read throughout the year!
One of a teacher's biggest goals for the year should be to get the students to want to read! This attitude will be nourished when the teacher is routinely talking about books, authors, and background information. One of the most encouraging times during the day should be when a student asks, "May I take this book home to read?"
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About the Author
Cheryl Harter is the third grade teacher for North Valley Baptist Schools. She graduated from Maranatha Baptist Bible College in 1985, with a B.S. in Elementary Education. While at MBBC she enjoyed playing Volleyball and Softball all four years at the inter-collegiate level. After college, Cheryl taught at San Francisco Christian School in the second, third, and fourth grades. She is married with five wonderful children, all of whom currently attend NVBS. Cheryl and her husband have been at North Valley Baptist Church for twenty-one years. The last ten of those years, Cheryl has had the privilege and joy of playing piano and teaching in the Primary Bus Kids Church.
