Fostering a love for reading starts with learning what one likes to read about. Students in Intervention Specialist Jena Amato’s 6th grade class practiced discerning their literary libations on a recent visit to StarBOOKS, also known as the Cuyahoga Heights Middle School/High School Library.
There, the students learned the process of browsing books by reading a “menu” featuring the “flavor notes” of each book before making the perfect book pick. They learned to scan the book cover to look for details, such as the setting and characters. Then, they read the description on the back of the book to note the plot, key topics, and whether the book is fiction or non-fiction. Finally, they read the first few pages of the book to get a “feel” for the author' s writing style and reading level. The students took notes of the books they browsed and rated the literature on a scale of one to five. Finally, they placed their “order” by checking out their books.
“The goal was for students to feel they have a choice in what they read and to find high-interest books that will foster a love of reading,” noted Amato about the purpose of the exercise.
“I loved it! I got to find a basketball book that I love!” said Owen Nichols about his StarBooks experience.
Amato plans for the class to visit StarBOOKS periodically to place orders for additional books that perk their interests!
