Books Are Better With A Buddy

Fourth graders in Danielle Recine’s class have their very own classroom library. And this year special book buddies will be joining in on reading time.

“In our new reading program we are going to have lots of time to read independently, and you get to pick the books,” said Recine to her students. “I thought it would be fun to have a book buddy–a stuffed animal friend–you can read with.

There was a cheer from the class when they saw a box filled with plush elephants, monkeys, hippos and puffins.

But before taking books out, Recine explained the book shopping routine and the six ways to “read, read, read!”

After each book read, students will take a short quiz and then fill out a paper book spine with the title and place it on their very own bookshelf on the wall. By the end of the week maybe one book spine will be on the shelf, and by the end of the year, they may each need another book shelf for all the books read.

“The more you read, the better you will get in every subject in school,” said Recine.

Students then spent time browsing through the bins and classroom shelves and picked out a non-fiction and a fiction book. The choices were many–with classics like The Secret Garden and The Bridge to Terebethia and modern favorites like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Nate the Great.

With two books to start, Recine handed out book buddies to each student.

“So cute,” said Esme, “but what if I can’t read a difficult word?”

“That’s a great question,” said Recine, “you might start by sounding it out, then tapping it out, and then use context clues by reading the words before and after.”

Students got to work: picked out their just right books in a quiet spot, not disturbing others, carefully reading the whole time and thinking about what they were reading.

As they read, their soft and fuzzy book buddy kept them company.

More independent reading time is just one of the highlights of the new ARC literacy program which immerses students in a large literacy-rich ecosystem and will support long-term reading success.