More Book Traps...

One of Mary Leonhardt’s strategies is to “sell” books by putting them in places where a bored child might glance: on the breakfast table, beside their beds, on the seat of the car. This might have worked better in pre-cellphone days, but I still like the method of book promotion, and I use it in my classroom.

I display books marker trays under the white boards to show off new books. I stand books up on the middle of the group tables my students sit at. A few years ago I built a book clock wall and switch out the titles as often as I can remember to do it.

But few traps are as powerful as handing a specific student a specific book and saying “I thought of you when I saw this book. Would you like to read it and let me know what you think?” Of course this only works if the book you had off is, indeed, a great one.

Book Clock in Room #408

Here is where teachers must cultivate their reputations as great book-pickers. We only have a few misses before our students will not trust us. So how to build a reputation as a trustworthy book picker?

Read. You were hoping for a shortcut? I have those as well. You can read reviews and invite students to recommend books to each other. But the first step must be to be an avid reader yourself.

Are you reading at least 30 books a year? I’ll write soon about the difference between proactive and reactive reading--and how it can change your life!