Motivating the Middle School Reader

Motivating Readers Through Choice

We know that the more students read, the better readers they become.  So what happens when students lose interest in reading? How do we continue to grow a love of reading in our students… especially in middle school, when many activities – particularly social media and other digital distractions – compete for their time?  One of the number one motivating factors in independent reading is choice. 

With our beautiful new library commons now open at OMS, many will notice – and maybe wonder about – the shift to organization by genre.  As our media specialist, Jane Carlson shared, “Research has shown that student satisfaction and circulation are both higher in libraries organized by genre, especially at this age.”  Looking for mysteries? Find them all in one spot!  Love historical fiction?  Discover many time periods all in one place.  Have students who just can’t get enough fantasy or graphic novels?  Now they can easily connect to the genre they love!

What About Reading Level?
There’s also the question of lexile levels.  While many of our books do have the lexile level penciled in on the front cover, some do not.  A lexile gives us a quantitative measure of text complexity, it doesn’t take into account the student’s interest, curiosity, or background knowledge for any one particular book.  While knowing a student’s lexile level is one helpful element to consider when choosing texts for instructional purposes, it may limit a student’s independent reading choices.  Who are we to take a book out of a student’s hands?  Leveling systems were never intended to be used in this way (Parrott, 2017).  Let’s build a love of reading, not by the number in the front cover, but by the excitement with which a student approaches a book they’ve discovered!

But How Do I Help Them Pick Appropriate Books?
Conducting a brief reading conference (conferring) with students is a great way to get to know readers, their book choices, and level of understanding.  While conferring can inform later teaching points (more on this later), a quick conversation about book choice is a great place to begin.  Next time your students are choosing books or reading independently, sit by a student and ask him/her to read aloud a page or two and talk about it with them to ensure understanding.  As conferring becomes part of your routine, you’ll be able to build upon the strengths and needs of each individual reader!

Knowing our readers is important; and knowing our readers beyond a letter or number is even more important.  The quantitative measures of text are one measure of complexity for us, as teachers, to know and use in our instructional decisions – not for students to limit themselves in independent reading choices.  Happy Reading!

Read more from Kiera Parrott’s conversation with literacy gurus Fountas & Pinnell: “…Guide Readers by Interest, Not Level” and Doug Fisher & Nancy Frey: “Accelerate Learning Through Independent Reading”

If you’re interested in learning more about conferring, contact Katie Coudron about a coaching cycle.  Stay tuned for further posts, professional learning sessions, and resources to support individual and small group needs of readers!