This Thursday, I had so many book conversations that my little literary heart just overflowed! (Full disclosure: It helped that we were coming off a five-day break including the weekend.)
It started before school, the minute I walked into the office I share with 6 other teachers. A colleague greeted me, “That new e-library is really great! I checked out Death on the Nile and read 40% of it over vacation!
As 6th and 7th grade English language arts students flowed into the classroom before first period and settled into their 10 minutes of independent reading, here are the conversations I had:
Student returning Front Desk: I loved Mia! She’s a Chinese immigrant to the US, and she has some really big struggles, but she just never gives up.
Student returning When My Name Was Keoko: This was really good but really sad. The characters in the book are like me and my Korean friend: I’m teaching her Japanese and she’s teaching me Korean.
Me: It was a very sad time in history, and I think it’s really important to know what happened so we can work to not have it happen again—working to understand each other, like you and your friend.
Student: (Solemn nod)
Student returning Eragon: I finished this…
Me: Would you like the next book in the series.
Student: (Visibly perking up) There’s another?!
Student surveying Percy Jackson 2-5 on my shelf: Do you have the first one?
Me: I had it at the beginning of the term—I’m not sure who has it right now. You’re interested in fantasy? (nod) You could give this one a try. (Handing him The Ranger’s Apprentice)
Student: (Eyes light up) This looks good!
Student scanning classroom library: I left my book at home.
Me: So you like fantasy?
Student: I like all books.
Me: (Handing him Ender’s Game) Here’s one that I love. And if you like it, there’s a bunch of related series. (He’s already immersed as he wanders back to his seat.)
After my last period of the day, a middle school EFL class, I returned to my office and shared with another colleague how I’d just started reading a Japanese book during the reading time that my Japanese students were reading English books. He said, “That’s a great idea. Only I’m just about to start an 800-page biography….” “Really? What’s the biography?” “Alexander Hamilton.” A fellow fan discovered and fan-like conversation ensued. Plus I was able to offer him my copy of Hamilton: The Revolution—the full libretto annotated by Lin Manuel-Miranda and interspersed with articles about various aspects of the development of the show.
When I got home, I connected on Skype with an old friend who greeted me, “That book you recommended last time we talked—Everything Sad Is Untrue—I’m only about a quarter of the way through, but I’m loving it!”
After my last period of the day, a middle school EFL class, I returned to my office and shared with another colleague how I’d just started reading a Japanese book during the reading time that my Japanese students were reading English books. He said, “That’s a great idea. Only I’m just about to start an 800-page biography….” “Really? What’s the biography?” “Alexander Hamilton.” A fellow fan discovered and fan-like conversation ensued. Plus I was able to offer him my copy of Hamilton: The Revolution—the full libretto annotated by Lin Manuel-Miranda and interspersed with articles about various aspects of the development of the show.
When I got home, I connected on Skype with an old friend who greeted me, “That book you recommended last time we talked—Everything Sad Is Untrue—I’m only about a quarter of the way through, but I’m loving it!”
After that conversation, I put Hamilton: The Revolution in my backpack so I wouldn’t forget to bring it to him the next day. Then I got it back out and re-read the first 30 pages. I'd forgotten just how great it was.
The best way I've found to teach a love of reading is to love reading. And talk about it. It's contagious. And fun.
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