Amberly Media Center

I can’t remember the exact history of this activity….I know I “borrowed” the idea from Nancy Atwell or my East Lansing colleague, Mimi Cecil. The idea is to encourage students to try books they might not otherwise pick-up. Instead of selecting a book based on the cover illustration or jacket blurb, students actually read for for a few minutes to get a “taste” of the characters, action, and style of the writing. Students record the author and title, and then rate the book on a scale of 1 to 5.

In 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade at Amberly, we usually read 3-4 books in a 20 to 30 minute period. We repeat this activity 3 to 4 times a year and students can always look at their lists for book ideas when they check out.