Motivating Students To Read 

Motivation defined by theorists is "what moves people to act”, reading motivation is then defined as "the individual's goals and beliefs with regard to reading"

Motivating Students To Read

What should we do?

READ!

Read children’s and young adult literature. Talk about the books you read.

Keep a reading record of books you read and personal comments.

Frequently visit libraries and bookstores in your area to see what is new.

Motivating Students To Read

BOOK TALKS

Hold a book talk every week/month. Ask students to participate in these book talks. Use interesting excerpts, quotes, information about the author. Keep them short! (1-2 minutes) Bring in new books regularly to help students select a good book. 

ALLOW FOR TALK/CONVERSATION!

Motivating Students To Read

READ ALOUD EVERYDAY!

Read high interest material.

 Leave the students hanging—wanting you to read more!  Choose a book or story they might not choose themselves.

Read different genres—fiction and non-fiction.

Encourage students to read aloud (Let them practice first).

Choose short selections so students don’t get bored.  Use tone/inflection properly. Invite in a guest reader (other teachers, staff, parents)

Motivating Students To Read

USE PICTURE BOOKS

Choose books that support a theme, projects, or other content area work.

Use these as a model for students to create their own picture book.  Have students read these to a nearby elementary school or lower grade class within your school.

Read picture books to help with visualization and/or imaginary.

As a celebration, read a picture book for fun!

Motivating Students To Read

TIME TO READ

Give students at least 15 minutes per day just to read.

Keep reading/prediction logs, journals, and/or story maps to help monitor student reading.

Keep a home log for students to read 20 minutes, four times per week. 

Read yourself during Sustained Silent Reading, and model your enjoyment of reading.

Encourage students to set individual goals and improve on past performances. That way students compete with their own personal bests rather than competing with other students who read better, or not as well.

Allow students to choose what they read as much as possible. When students have freedom, they are more engaged in the learning process.

Encourage students to find interesting topics and choose appropriate reading materials. If the topics are boring or too complex, students won't be motivated to learn.

In-depth learning about a few exciting topics builds literacy skills better than "covering" a curriculum. Students who are interested and engaged are motivated and will retain and learn more.