Middle School Reading Interests
We are always looking for ways to
encourage middle school students to value reading. In the past we have
incorporated several different types of reading initiatives in classrooms and
the media center to encourage reading. These activities include literature
circles, booktalks, special thematic units, Read ‘n’ Feeds, Sustained Silent
Reading (SSR), and Accelerated Reader quizzes. Probably the most successful
program has been the SSR program. We have been using this program for the past
several years with various changes and adaptations made each year. For the
current school year, the SSR period is at the end of the day on Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Students have a 35-minute period devoted to SSR. To
insure that students have something to read that is readily available for them,
classroom collections were established. Crates of books are checked out to SSR
teachers and can be exchanged at any time throughout the school year. Students
also come to the media center at a regularly scheduled time. Several of the
teachers also have local newspapers and magazines available in their classrooms.
One of the positive aspects of SSR is that it removes the stigma associated
with being a “bookworm.” If everyone is required to read, then there seems to
be some motivation for the “dormant” reader and the unmotivated reader to at
least attempt some type of leisure reading, and motivated readers are pleased to
have time built into their busy day so that they can read.
In an attempt to offer printed
material that appealed to the students, we needed to be sure that we were on
track with what Northridge kids like to read. Last spring students had an
opportunity to fill out a reading interest survey to help us evaluate their
reading preferences. We wanted to see what books they like to read and where
they like to read. It was interesting to see that preferences are still pretty
similar to those of ten years ago. Below, students ranked genres or types of
books they liked: Mystery 19% Nonfiction 11% Adventure 18% Science Fiction 10% Fantasy 15% Romance 8% Sports 12% Classics 7% When asked where their favorite place to read might be,
they responded with the following: In bed or bedroom 44% At school 24% At home 20% Outside 5% Anywhere 4% On the bus 2% In the bathroom 1% Favorite authors most frequently mentioned were: J. K. Rowling Paul Zindel R. L. Stine Margaret Peterson Haddix Caroline Cooney Joan Lowery Nixon Lois Duncan Mary Higgins Clark Matt Christopher Gary Paulsen When asked what their favorite book was, students responded
with 195 different titles. Books receiving the most acknowledgements were:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K.
Rowling
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Holes by Lois Sachar
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Where the Red Fern Grows by Marjorie Rawlings
Crash by Jerry Spinelli
She Said Yes by Misty Bernall
Most mentioned
series or sequels were:
Harry Potter
Lord of the Rings
Left Behind
Goosebumps
Redwall
Merlin
Dear America
Chronicles of Narnia
Series of Unfortunate Events
Black Stallion
The reading interest survey gives
us an opportunity to evaluate our collection to make sure we have sufficient
titles of favorite authors, it lets us know what genres are preferred, and it
allows us to share with staff members the interests of their students. Keeping
a collection that is up-to-date and large enough to serve the student body is
critical for a successful SSR program.
Another big factor in the success
of an SSR program is the enthusiasm of the staff and administration. Students
are aware of teacher attitudes. Modeling reading and sharing information on
books with students are keys to a successful program. Booktalks and sharing
information on favorite authors also help to stimulate an interest in reading.
Encouraging reading is an ongoing process that
should be apparent at all levels and in all classrooms regardless of the
subjects taught.
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