One of my goals in my classroom is always to get my students to try new books on different subjects and in different genres. There are always students who stick to the same series or type of books, and I think, as young readers, it’s important for them to learn to read different types of text. One way I encourage my students to try new books is with my Good Reads Interactive Bulletin Board.
Here’s how it works. When my students read a book that they absolutely LOVE, they can grab a good reads recommendation form from the pocket on the left of the board, fill it out, and then I staple it to the board for other students to see!
{Click the picture below to download the slip for FREE.}
I modeled filling out a form with a book we read as a class and explained that they had to be very details in saying why someone else should read it. We went through not so great examples: “It’s good.”, “It’s funny.”, “I like it.” and then came up with more detailed reasons: “The illustrations were fantastic!”, “It will teach you everything you want to know about lions!”, “It was so spooky I got goosebumps!”
We also went over the times they could fill out a good reads card- not during Daily 5, a lesson, or when they’re still working on something. They can fill it out in the morning during morning work and when they finish work early.
Lastly, I had my kids put the basket code after the title so other students could find it (example FIC4 for Fiction Basket 4).
Here are a few of the first cards my kiddos wanted to put up.
This one was GREAT! It says, “You will laugh so hard your brains will fall out of you head.” Ha!
We are always talking about adding details to our writing and looking at the details in books we love. It’s good to know they pay attention to that!
I’m loving that they’re putting up non-fiction books as well.
These are the recommendations we have up so far. Now that we’ve started, I have a feeling the board will be covered in no time. They took such pride in getting their recommendations on the board, and the rest of the class is already going to check them out any chance that they get to see what books to read next! This board is right by where my students line up to leave the classroom, so as we’re lining up, they’re always checking it out!
Click here to download your free good reads slip and bulletin board letters!
