Score Big for Reading Ed, Intermediate Grade Teacher: Wichita, Kansas

"Children need to be motivated to read when they are young, so that they become independent readers as they grow. This project can be school wide or done in the classroom. Make some paper sneakers. Parents or older students can help you make these. As a child reads a book, they will fill out a form that indicates title, author and 2 or 3 sentences describing the book or their favorite part of the book and why they would recommend this book to another student. When this is completed and checked by the teacher, the student’s name and the book title will be put on a sneaker and posted in the hallway or classroom. When there are 10 sneakers in a row, a basketball appears next with 20 points on it. Each sneaker is worth 2 points and the score is now 20. This is done all around the school or your room. Watch the score grow. Call this Score Big For Reading! This can be done in a variety of ways. Be creative and encourage your children to read."

Creative Book Jackets Jack, 6th Grade Teacher: Billings, Montana

"It is difficult to get students to complete book reports, yet as teachers we want to encourage reading. As a diversion from the usual reports that are made, have your students design a book jacket or cover of the book that they perceive as describing the book. They can give the book another title also. They can be as creative as they want to but they will also be accountable to defend what they have created. What does the book jacket or book cover tell about the book? What reason does a student have for changing the title? In defending their creative addition to this book, you will find out if the student did read the book. This can be presented in front of the class and the students can ask the student about their additions or changes to the book. The student who read the book will have to defend the changes. This can be fun and very creative!!"

Model Reading Dominic, 4th Grade Teacher: Portland, Oregon

"You, as the teacher, should model how to read for your students. Every day your students should hear fluency in reading, correct pronunciation of words, expressive reading, exposure to correct grammar and meaningful sentences. This is done by listening to a good reader – YOU! Listening comprehension is an essential to learning how to read. You are the role model. If you think it is important to read, your students will also think it is important. Set aside 15 or 20 minutes a day just for listening. After reading a story, go back and reread it and ask questions about the book. Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to bring your students to higher levels of thinking. Prepare questions ahead of time. Be prepared. Have great expectations for your students and they will rise to meet these expectations."

Reading Buddies Debbie, Primary Grade Teacher: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

"For younger children who are just learning to read or readers who are experiencing difficulty, ask a class of older students to buddy with your class. Work with the teacher to pair students who will work together in a productive manner. You both know your students and their needs. It is important that students be comfortable with each other. Before getting to the reading, let each older student interview their “buddy” to get acquainted. The older students could work on preparing a questionnaire in class. Then sit with their buddy and ask some questions about favorite things to do, hobbies, reading interests, etc. Share time together, have a snack and the process has begun. Teachers could find a common time for students to read together once a week. This helps younger students to feel comfortable with the older students, will increase reading interest, and help younger students grow in self-esteem. Older students can learn responsibility as they work with their buddies. As the older students get to know their buddies, they can choose books that are of interest to their new friends. There will be much benefit gained for the older and younger students."

"Olympic Word Race" Olivia Jenkins, Reading Teacher: Tulsa, OK

"Divide your class into 4 teams. Each team should line up in a row. Make four sections on the chalkboard by drawing 3 vertical lines from the top to the bottom. One person from each team will compete to properly spell words that you call out. The person that finishes first and spells the word correctly will get a point for his or her team. The first person from each team will go to the board and then, you call out a word having to do with the Olympics. They then go to the end of the line and you continue with the next set of people."