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When students are routinely assigned books to read without any opportunity to act on their own judgment, many end up dreading the reading and often fail or refuse to complete it. But when we provide students with choices (even within parameters), they make their own decisions and they feel empowered and important. Empowering students to choose in these early experiences sets them up for success as lifelong readers.

"In my own English classroom I've embraced the principles of choice, challenge, and joy to create meaningful experiences for students."

"Margaret Kristin Merga outlines her compelling research into this area. Of particular interest is the role of librarians in schools in supporting struggling readers, as these students may be increasingly disadvantaged as they move through the years of schooling. Teacher librarians provided support by identifying struggling readers, providing them with age and skill-appropriate materials, undertaking skill scaffolding supporting choice, supporting students with special needs, providing one-to-one matching, promoting access to books, enhancing the social position of books and reading, reading aloud to students, facilitating silent reading, and preparing students for high-stakes literacy testing."

"English teachers are wrestling with how to navigate the increasingly contentious terrain between student choice and assigning the classics."

"This first step into doodling for learning has opened up an extensive new classroom practice for Freedman. She's been encouraging students to take visual notes for only a little over a year, but she's seen it help some students tremendously. Now she dedicates about five minutes a day for a month to sketchnote practice. She gives students lots of choices in how they want to do it -- on a whiteboard, on a digital tablet, or with paper and pencils. The point is to give them dedicated time to familiarize themselves with how they might express themselves visually."

"Discussions that are centered in students' experiences spark more text-to-self connections and help students internalize concepts like empathy."

Infographic depicting a 21 Century library. Provides some useful examples of ways to meet needs for either public or school libraries. Note that the choice of graphics is not so '21 Century" but would provide a good model to inspire teacher librarians or students to develop their own vision.

Infographic depicting a 21 Century library. Provides some useful examples of ways to meet needs for either public or school libraries. Note that the choice of graphics is not so '21 Century" but would provide a good model to inspire teacher librarians or students to develop their own vision.

"Free resources are always a teacher's dream, but when it comes to free sites to use during reading instruction the choices can be few and far between. Whether you are looking for a site to use during the Daily 5's "Listen to Reading" time or want to provide students with a fun early-finisher activity, the sites below are ideal. Designed for elementary age students, these reading sites are both free and kid-friendly."

"I love having students discuss the books they've read and enjoyed. They are empowered by taking ownership of, and pride in, their reading. And their peers benefit from hearing about titles they could add to their "Want to Read" lists."

Peter Carnavas "asked teacher-librarians for their favourite and most effective ideas to build a strong reading culture in schools. The response was overwhelming, and I've collated the ideas under six categories: Reading, Events, Programs, Relationships, Students and Environment. "

"In a new study published in Reading and Writing, she and her colleagues found significant differences between students who read for pleasure outside of class-immersing themselves in fantasy novels or spy thrillers, for example-and those who primarily read books to satisfy school assignments. Not only was there a powerful link between reading for fun and stronger language skills, but students who disliked reading frequently attributed their negative outlook to experiences they had in classrooms."

"Nontraditional books can help students make connections to content at the word level and deepen understanding by providing visual context. Let's look closely at the literacy work that can be done with comics and graphic novels in literacy instruction, particularly with upper elementary and middle grades students. While some strategies helpfully focus on work at the word level, these visual texts afford additional possibilities."

"Revitalizing neglected library spaces is the biggest task to update the library collection. Untouched for five, ten, and twelve years, the collections are a time capsule of what was considered ideal reading for students: subject-specific nonfiction, classics, award-winners, and biographies."

"When kids get to regularly pick reading material that genuinely interests them, they are far more likely to be happy, voluntary, and even voracious readers-both in school and at home."

"When parents stop being the gatekeepers of whether students are reading at home or not, educators need something more than grades to keep students reading and seeking more complexity, in order to help them grow. "

"We know teacher librarians and school libraries play an important role in supporting young people's reading and broader academic achievement. But school libraries play a more diverse role in students' lives, among which is to support their well-being. Here are five ways they do this."

A high school English teacher has a single accountability measure for her students' choice reading: talking to them about it.

The Tower of Books Challenge is based on two core ideas: to widen students' reading choices and to provide a fresh and motivating way to keep track of what they read.

"Throughout my career as a student, educator, and reader, I've been part of many book clubs, but prior to the pandemic, the concept seemed to be out of fashion. The return of the book club as an online platform has given new life to an old practice for educators and social readers alike."

"Developing independent readers means nurturing the conditions for passion and independent thinking to flourish."