"Just Right" Books

At the beginning of every school year I teach my second graders (or library classes) how to find “just right books” to read. I do this based on Reggie Routman’s Reading Essentials (http://www.regieroutman.com/ ). We discuss how they need to be like Goldilocks when choosing books to read. I demonstrate this by reading a book that is too easy, one that is too hard, and another that is “just right” in front of them. For the book that is too easy I know all of the words and can explain everything that has happened. I usually take in a book about Networking or something that I know nothing about for the book that is too hard. After reading a page, I point out that even though I could read all the words, I have no idea what certain words mean. I can’t explain what I just read, have no background knowledge about networking, and frankly I am just not interested. Then I will read a few pages from a book that I am actually reading for pleasure. I will point a more difficult word that I don’t know, but explain that I can figure out what it means by using context clues. I will reread a section that I get confused about, but I will be able to explain what happened on those pages. Most importantly, I am interested in the book.

Every year when I tell my kids that I wouldn’t want to read every book on the shelf, they are shocked and just can’t believe that the teacher doesn’t want to read all the books! Some useful resources to assist students in becoming more involved in finding their own “just right books” are available at http://elementarylibraryroutines.wikispaces.com/Choosing+a+Just+Right+Book . The students need to read what is right for them and take responsibility for finding what is “just right,” but we need to teach them how to.