Reading Motivation Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Staying Cool in the Library

5 Reading Incentive Ideas for 3rd – 5th Graders That Really Work

It’s getting to be that long stretch in the year in which students start to become unmotivated after winter break. Summer break seems so close, everyone can almost smell it, yet it’s still pretty far away. Keeping students motivated at this time of the year can be difficult. Keeping students motivated to read can be hard during any time of the school year, but the second semester always seems more difficult to keep that incentive to read going, in my opinion. What can we do about this? Do you use any reading incentives with your students? I find that motivating students to read by doing different unique reading activities and offering them some choices will often get them more excited to engage in a book. All students have a different love for reading and that’s okay. However, all students need to be reading as we know-even if it’s not

Sora Tips for Students and Teachers

If you or your colleagues are on the fence about trying out Sora, these Sora Tips for Students and Teachers will give you some confidence!

Read Across America Ideas: Celebrating a Nation of Diverse Readers

March 2nd marks the annual celebration of Read Across America Day, a time dedicated to encouraging a love of reading in students across the country. Traditionally, this day was closely associated with Dr. Seuss books and themed activities. However, in recent years, there’s been a meaningful shift in focus toward promoting multicultural and diverse children’s literature. This change is both timely and necessary. It opens the door to sharing a wider range of stories that reflect the rich backgrounds, experiences, and voices of students in our classrooms. As educators and parents, we now have a powerful opportunity to highlight books that promote acceptance, kindness, inclusion, and cultural awareness, values that are essential for nurturing compassionate and informed readers. In this post, I’m sharing a variety of meaningful activities and ideas that align with the updated focus of celebrating diverse voices in literature. These resources are ideal for Read Across

Websites to Help Students Find Their Next Read

In this post I am sharing five websites to help students find their next read. You can use these websites yourself or you can teach students how to use them. Either way, they are one more tool that you can use to help encourage a culture of reading with your students. What should I read next? How many times have you been asked this question? I’m sure the number is in the thousands. And it is one of the most important questions we are asked. Helping students to find a book that they will love and want to read is one of the main reasons I became a librarian. I’m sure that’s true for many of you as well. And I will admit that sometimes this question can create some anxiety for me. Recommending a book to a child is a huge responsibility. I’m always afraid that if I

Host a Book Tasting in Your Classroom or Library!

What is a book tasting? A book tasting is one of the best reading motivation activities I have ever come across. If you’ve never done one before then start planning one now! You won’t regret it. Why are book tastings so wonderful? As librarians and teachers, one of the best feelings in the world is seeing a reluctant reader find that book that really grabs them. The one book that will begin to show them just how much fun reading can be. Hopefully this will lead to them being lifelong readers. Different ways to use book tastings You can use a book tasting to do more than just encourage a love of reading with your students. Genre studies: You can use a book tasting to review one specific genre or many genres. Have students do a book tasting with books from one genre. As they look through the books

A Roundup of Dr. Seuss Activities for Read Across America Day

March 2nd is the much-anticipated Read Across America Day! It also happens to be the birthday of Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss. Now, I’ve got a little confession. I’m a total Dr. Seuss enthusiast. The crazy made-up words and wacky characters? Absolutely my jam! So, when I became a librarian, celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday became an annual thing for me and my students. Over the years, I’ve cooked up all sorts of fun. From poster contests and trivia games to roping in some awesome guest readers, I’ve done it all. Oh, I can’t forget about the spirit days. They’re a blast! I’m not keeping all these awesome ideas to myself. Nope! This blog post is a mix of my adventures and some genius suggestions from my Staying Cool in the Library Facebook group. If you’re not part of it yet, I would love for you to join me and

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