To my delight, the students were drawn to the library space from the moment they first visited the classroom one by one. Seeing the books organized and systematically arranged on the shelves added a sense of importance to actually reading them. On the first day, we made a bookmark and shelf marker as a simple system to keep our library organized. The cozy nooks naturally added to the feeling of being welcomed to stay awhile with a book.
While I want the children to frequently use the space, I also noticed that restlessness and quickly paging through books became part of the library experience. To cultivate the calmness needed to truly settle down with a book and read it with care, I knew I had to slow down the process. I pulled some special journals off the shelf and introduced them as book discussion journals. I then spoke to the students about stories and how much there is to discover in just one great story.
“Is there a way to get to know the story better?” I asked the students. “Do you ever have any questions?” I explained that while teachers often ask students questions about their reading, I believed the students probably had questions of their own. I was right. The students proceeded to come up with intriguing questions:
– What was a standout moment in the book?
– What surprised you about the story?
– Who was your favorite character, and why?
– What was the conflict, and how was it resolved?
I wrote all their questions down. Now, when students complete a book, they pull out the special journal, choose one of the questions, and create a brief write-up in response. Because their writing is for each other, as they can read each other’s answers, they are motivated to write. We are establishing a culture of reading, reflecting, and truly getting to know a book.