independent reading book project

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15 Fun Ways to Freshen Up Your Independent Reading Activities

Inside: Is your choice reading program feeling stale? Are the independent reading activities falling flat? We can engage students and keep book love fresh by weaving in new ideas from time to time!   

Independent reading programs can be the life of your English Language Arts classroom party. Books truly can be magical for students and teachers to share together and to read independently. When inspiring stories are ubiquitous in our classrooms, vibrant discussions help to strengthen the overall community and culture.

Whether you’re just dipping your toes into independent reading or looking for ways to freshen up your existing approach, you’ll find lots of ideas here! If you’ve been around my blog or my Instagram account for long, you probably already know my strong distaste for reading logs and accelerated reader. Compliance-driven accountability tools create a negative space between students, books, and teachers.

In this post, you won’t find unnecessary strategies that frustrate or bore readers. Instead, you’ll find over a dozen fresh ideas for bringing healthy discussion and community to your independent reading program.

Previously, I’ve written about assignments we can use to assess students’ progress with reading literature standards when it comes to their independent reading books. But, beyond standards assessment, I find little to no value in layers of accountability that feel like work just so we can “make sure” students are reading.

If we establish a positive reading culture , students will read. Let’s check out the activities. Keep in mind, you won’t find predictable, structured bell-ringer type approaches here. I like to keep it fresh because that’s my style. Also, variety drives away boredom and unleashes creativity.

For the purpose of clarification, independent reading refers to when students are reading a book of their own choosing . They may be using an audiobook or even sharing the book with parents, but students are reading the book either in class or at home because it’s a book they have chosen to read. Typically, this work is a meaningful extension of additional required classroom texts.

1:  ENTRANCE QUESTIONS

Entrance questions can be a fun way to open up thinking. We can pose these questions when students walk into class or after independent reading time. The purpose of an entrance question is to get students talking about their books, which contributes to a social reading environment. Indirectly, students will be getting ideas of books they may want to read in the future, and those who are answering the questions will be reflecting on what they are currently reading.

Consider these possible examples:

• Find the most important word from the last 2 pages you read. Why is it important to the story?
• What is the setting of your book? Does the protagonist enjoy living in this setting? How do you know? How does the setting cause limitations or provide freedom for the characters?

Entrance questions provide a thin layer of accountability. Students who are not reading their books will have a difficult time coming up with authentic answers to the prompts.

You can find more entrance prompts like this here .

2:  SKILL APPLICATION

One of the best ways we can bridge the gap between whole class texts and independent reading activities is to ask students to apply the skills we are teaching in a whole-group setting to their choice reading books.

For example, if you teach students a five sentence summary strategy using a short whole-class text, ask them to apply their summarizing skills to their independent reading book. Analyzing figurative language as a class? Why not extend that practice to independent reading? Making inferences about characters? Same thing.

I like to use scaffolding tools like graphic organizers and bookmarks to make a seamless connection between whole-class texts and independent reading books. I recommend modeling with the same tools students will be using on their own.

Reluctant readers will be more likely to invest in their independent reading books if they feel the books are an important part of their learning process.

3:  READING CONFERENCES

Reading conferences are opportunities to get to know readers. During a true reading conference, the teacher sits with each student to have quick conversations about how students are approaching their independent reading books. We can ask students summary questions, inference questions, analysis questions, and more.

Reading conferences are another opportunity to bridge the lessons and skills we are working on as a whole class with the books students are reading on their own. Many secondary teachers stray away from reading conferences because we have so many students and a short amount of time to meet with them.

I’ve used five-minute reading conferences during independent reading time. This means I am able to conference with two students each day, and it takes me two to three weeks to make it through the whole student roster. That’s okay! Meeting with students one-on-one allows us to differentiate the reading skills and strategies we want them to work on, and it helps to build relationships with them.

Plus, if we can tell they aren’t really engaging with their book, we can use this time to help them find a book they will enjoy more.

If you aren’t ready to embrace the one-on-one reading conferences approach, give small group conferences a try! Meet with three to four students at a time to discuss a reading strategy (predicting, inferring, visualizing). We can talk about how dialogue impacts pace or how the author uses figurative language to engage readers.

4: BOOK CHECK-INS

In Reading in the Wild, Donalyn Miller recommends a status of the class, which is where we touch base with each student to inquire about their reading progress. When I say your name, share out what page you’re on and something interesting about your reading! We can do this while conferring one-on-one, when taking attendance, as we circulate the room during independent reading, or in small group format when sharing about our reading.

However, Pernille Ripp recommends a second option for reading checks, which is asking students to sign in at the beginning of each class by updating the current page number of their independent reading book. We can streamline this process with a digital or print whole class book check-in sheet that can later be analyzed for trends (pictured below).

At the end of a week or month, we can ask students to total the number of pages they have read and submit that number via a Google Form. This is data we can use to reflect on as a class.

5: CASUAL BOOK TALKS

What are people typically really excited to do after reading something super good? Tell others, of course! That’s why informal book talks are an engaging way to open up authentic social reading situations.

After independent reading time, ask for volunteers to share something exciting, moving, or humorous from what they’ve read, a favorite line or passage, or an impressive example of author’s style. I consider these informal book talks, but I don’t recommend titling them as such to students because it increases the formality.

Just ask who wants to share, and let a few voices shine. To make sure everyone has an opportunity to participate, keep track of who has already shared. When you run out of volunteers and still have students who haven’t shared, ask them questions about their book.

“Jaclyn, I see you are reading ___. What happened in your reading today?” 

“Nathan, what’s your favorite part of the book you are currently reading?”

The expectation to share our reading is a gentle reminder to students:  You need to be reading. It will be your turn soon.  This layer of accountability is one I’m comfortable with because sharing good books is an authentic reading practice.

6:  READING SPRINTS

Here’s another after-independent reading activity, and this one engages the whole class! Reading sprints are when students answer a standards-aligned question about their book directly following reading time. They jot their thoughts on a sticky note and then share it on the board.

As a teacher, there are multiple ways we can lead short or long on-the-spot discussions about literature skills using these sticky note collections. Students’ responses to questions will give us insights as to what skills we need to hone.

Reading sprints keep the spirit of community reading alive in our class and allow us to tie independent reading to whole-class reading lessons seamlessly!

7:  READING RATE GOALS

In 180 Days , Kelly Gallagher and Penny Kittle recommend having students set their own reading goals based on their reading rates. To do this, have students read for ten minutes. They should record the page they begin on and the page they end on. With that number, they will multiply by 6 to find the number of pages they can read per hour. Then, students should set a goal for the number of pages they want to read in a week.

Gallagher and Kittle suggest teachers could grade students upon whether or not they meet their self-determined goal, but my own preference is to avoid grading with independent reading as much as possible. There have been plenty of times I haven’t met my own goals for finishing a book or reading as much as I should have in a month, and I’ve needed to give myself some grace.

Of course, text complexity plays a role in students’ reading rates, and they need to be taught to set goals that are appropriate for the text they are reading. Students can also set goals for engagement, environment, stamina, and variety of reading.

8:  FIRST PAGE SNEAK PEAKS

Hooking students on good books is the first step toward a thriving independent reading program. Over the years, I’ve noticed the most engaging books often have high-interest first pages.

So…let’s take advantage of some sneak peaks! Either with physical books or digitally, have students read the first page, record their thoughts, share their thinking with a small group.

This activity is not necessarily an alternative to a reading log, but it is excellent for building our “to read” lists and promoting a positive reading culture.

9:  VIEWING PARTIES

Viewing parties have recently become popular because they enable groups of people to watch videos together even when they’re apart. When it comes to independent reading, why not host trailer viewing parties? Students can enjoy the trailers as they sit in our classrooms, or they can watch remotely.

Viewing parties are yet another way to share amazing book recommendations with others. Students can recommend book trailers they think their peers would enjoy, and teachers can generate book trailer lists based on weekly or monthly themes.

Why not host monthly viewing parties as a way to recap First Chapter Friday books (here’s a list from a friend !) you have previewed or other excerpts you’ve shared? They’re a friendly reminder that those books are still available for the reading!

Get new books on students’ radar by finding authors who are reading excerpts from their own books. Or, invite authors on Twitter like Jennifer Nielson to host a virtual book reading or Q and A with your class.

10:  GENRE EXPOSURE

I first began introducing literary genres slowly throughout the year when I read The Book Whisperer years ago. Over time, I saw the value of this approach. While older students generally already have a specific taste for certain genres, exposing them to a variety of them throughout the year helped students to expand their palettes.

Some specific ideas…

Introduce new genres with a brief set of notes. ( You can find mine here .) Discuss common characteristics of that genre. Read excerpts from those genres…first pages, first chapters, high-interest passages, and back covers. You can also hold a genre sorting activity to get more books in students’ hands.

11:  COLLECTIVE READING WALLS

After students finish a book, have them fill out a book spine and add it to your classroom decor! This simple activity gives both teachers and students a visual for community reading volume. The trickiest part of using the book spine strategy is remembering to have students fill them out! So, I recommend building in a regular space for this to happen.

Choose a day of the week, and write it into your lesson plans for that day! On a bi-weekly or monthly basis, give students 5 to 10 minutes to complete their book spines in class and add them to the wall if you desire.

12:  READING LADDERS

Reading ladders are my absolute favorite alternative to the reading log! They still allow space for students to record what they’ve read. But they feel less intrusive. Plus, reading ladders are convenient for discussing book diet, reading volume, and reading identity.

With a reading ladder, you start with a bookshelf. Then, choose how you want to label each shelf. I often choose to label shelves with words like “just right,” “entertaining,” “challenging,” “easy,” and “frustrating.” This labeling system helps readers to identify the complexity of books they are reading. We always discuss how it’s okay to read a picture book that is easy. And, it’s okay to read a classic that is challenging! The key is to know what you are reading and why.

Here are my my print and digital reading ladders.

13:  READING DISPLAYS

Another way we can make reading a visible part of our classrooms is through bookish displays. It’s hard for students to forget about reading when they are surrounded by high-interest novels! Reading displays are a non-invasive way to track collective reading.

Display novels you want to draw attention to at the front of your classroom or face-out on your library shelves. Consider having students contribute to a class bulletin board. Here are some bookish bulletin board ideas I’ve created using social media concepts.

14:  READING CHALLENGES

Engage readers with challenges to get them reading more often! Try challenges with unexpected twists. Read under a homemade fort, in a hammock, or on vacation. Expand your genre diet by dipping your toes into something new. Recommend books to a friend or read something recommended by a coach!

Format reading challenges into a tic-tac-toe choice board or BINGO board and have them submit their titles whenever they finish a certain number of novels.

You can also work with students to create individual or whole-class challenges to read a certain number of pages each week or month. Students can fill out a simple Google Form at the end of the time period to indicate how many pages they read.

15:  READING JOURNALS

After reading, we can ask students to write about what they’ve read. Connecting reading and writing is a healthy habit that encourages reflection and creativity. When students see literature from an author’s point of view or when they approach their own writing to apply the literature techniques they’ve analyzed, students are empowered!

Reading journals (whether recorded digitally or in a reader’s notebook) are one way to build in standards-aligned accountability. We can hit both reading and writing standards! Here are two sets of writing journals you can use to get started with journaling about reading:  Set 1 and Set 2 .

Want to prioritize the questions but cut the writing? Readers naturally discuss what they are reading with others! Promote a book club type culture ( even when students are all reading different books! ) by keeping high-interest discussion prompts or more basic comprehension-style questions handy.

The KEY:   Every good idea is only good in moderation.

As with reading logs, any and all of these tools could be used in a way that negatively impacts our readers…including using them too often or treating them as “I gotchas.” It’s ongoing work and reflection to identify whether what we are asking of students is drawing them closer to reading and further on their reading journeys or whether it is doing the opposite.

If we really want to know whether our students are reading, all we need it do is watch them. Are they devouring books? Sharing their favorite parts? Carrying books with them? Flipping pages with eyes tracking during independent reading time? These are authentic indications of reading. Best of all, they don’t add anything to our plates, and they won’t turn our readers away from books.

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How I Use Passion Projects to Deepen My Students’ Relationship With Reading

Passion projects have changed my relationships with my students forever.

Passion projects are magical. They are designed to tap into the things that make our students’ heart race, their eyes light up, and their engagement increase to maximum levels.

Last spring, I implemented passion projects for the first time as a culminating project for independent reading. Here’s how I did it and how it changed my relationships with my students and their reading forever.

1. Passion Projects are all about choice.

The first requirement I presented to students: find a book that you love. There are so many options for students today: graphic novels, audio books, informational texts, novels in verse, and high interest, relatable young adult novels. To kick off passion projects for independent reading, give your students time to explore as many books as possible.

Next, give students one week to become acquainted with their books. Once students have settled into their reading, introduce the passion project with a giant brainstorming session. Explain that a passion project is a project that students design and implement on their own. A passion project taps into the students’ talents—the things they love and that bring them joy.

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Start brainstorming by asking, what are your passions? How could you use that passion to reflect your understanding of your novel? For example, if a student’s passion is baking, how could baking tie into a book project? If a student’s passion is music, how could that love turn into a project? Record student passions and project ideas.

Create a bulletin board of blank paper to use as a brainstorming space throughout the week. Allow students to write their ideas on the paper. Then, give students one week to come up with proposals for their projects.

2. Ground passion projects in deep learning.

Standards are seldom attached to passion; however, it’s very possible to allow students to tap into their passions and ground that work in standards-based learning.

To create standards-based projects, start by giving students a list of reading standards during the brainstorming phase of their passion project work. Language can be simplified for younger students, and the list of standards can be narrowed down to the 5-10 most applicable.

Show students how to turn a basic idea into an idea grounded in standards. For example, if student’s passion is art, that student can show mastery of the standard RL 3 (Reading Literature: identify how the elements of a story interact) by drawing the impact of the setting on the character. The student will be working towards mastery of an important standard, but they will be communicating their understanding through a medium they love.

After identifying focus standards, have students create a simple rubric for grading. I have my students complete a one-criteria rubric and write a standards-based descriptor for five different levels of mastery. What would a project looks like if it demonstrates mastery of the standard? What would it look like if that skill was still developing?

Students hand in project proposals and their self-created, standards-based rubrics one week after I introduce them to passion projects.

3. Complete progress checks.

Passion projects are largely completed outside of class time. Some teachers call passion projects 20% time projects and dedicate one day a week to passion project work. Regardless of how much time you decide to dedicate to passion project work, it is important to check in on student progress between the initial proposal and the due date.

Check ins can be completed through email, student/teacher conferences, a short exit ticket that students complete in class with a simple prompt (i.e., describe the progress you have made with your passion project this week), or through a forum like Google Classroom.

Check in with your students once or twice a week until the due date. After proposals are turned in, I give my students three weeks to complete their passion projects. I complete progress checks once or twice each week through Google Classroom.

It will be scary to give students the freedom to design and create their own projects the first time through, especially if the work they do on their projects is completed mostly outside of school; however, the risk is worth it. When the adults in the room let go of some control, students rise to the challenge. You will be amazed at what your students are capable of. Even more, you will learn student talents you never knew existed. Students who might not normally shine will have the opportunity to show skills you didn’t know they had.

5. Celebrate students’ accomplishments.

When students finish their passion projects, celebrate. A gallery walk is the perfect way to display and enjoy passion project work. Instruct students to display their passion project at their desks (unless they need to present their project in a formal way).

Give each student sticky notes, play music in the background, and give students time to peruse the projects and leave positive feedback for classmates.

Passion project gallery walks are one of my favorite days of teaching. It’s amazing to see what students create when the adults in the room let go and give students choice. Students will be inspired by each other. They will also have the opportunity to learn more about their classmate’s passions with an added bonus of learning about new books.

After implementing passion projects for independent reading, I had a new appreciation for my students. I knew the things that made them excited about learning. I was inspired by them and learned from them. Our sense of community and excitement about reading was stronger than ever. Try passion projects in your classroom and prepare to be amazed!

To see more of my students’ passion project work, check out my blog www.readitwriteitlearnit.com and my Instagram @readitwriteitlearnit .

Have you tried passion projects in the classroom? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, why I let my middle schoolers design my curriculum.

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20 Independent Reading Activities For Middle School: Worksheets, Discussions, And Practice Ideas

April 23, 2024 //  by  Jill Webb

Middle grade English students can struggle to focus during independent reading time. They need structure to not only continue reading their book but also to improve their reading comprehension and other skills.

Different activities and reading strategies can help keep them engaged and also give you a better understanding of their reading needs.

1. Think Marks

Having a student annotation guide is a great way to keep students actively reading. They work well with a chapter book – or a reading passage – and are a simple way to help middle school students better understand what they read.

Learn More: Writing Mindset

2. Conferences

Short one-on-one independent reading book conferences are an activity that will help both struggling readers and higher-level students. Having a healthy discussion around what students are reading gets them excited and also holds them accountable.

Learn More: Jennifer Findley

3. Stop and Jot

If you need a fun way to get students to answer reading questions, try a stop and jot with colorful sticky notes! They cover different topics such as characters, summarizing, and making connections.

Learn More: Pinterest

4. Coffee Shop Book Club

Making space for students to feel excited and comfortable is important! Create a “Starbooks” club where students can spend time snacking (as if at a coffee house) and getting to know books they are interested in (like a classroom party, but for books!)

Learn More: The Hungry Teacher Blog

5. Comprehension Skills Bookmarks

Comprehension questions and thinking stem bookmarks are good for keeping middle school students on track. They can use the book analysis questions on the bookmark as a reminder to stop and think about what they are reading. It also covers a variety of topics so you can focus on specific skills!

Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers

6. Art Book Cover Project

Give students time to express what they have read in a creative way in the English language arts classroom with an independent reading project. Have them create a new book cover for what they read – they should use important quotes and images that relate to the text.

Learn More: FC Fox

7. Somebody Wanted But So

This activity is great at any grade level and especially for students who have a difficult time explaining what they have read. The SWBS assignment for students is color-coded with highlighters so they have a visual of the four pieces.

8. Exit Slips for Independent Reading

These exit slips are general discussion prompts on different genres! It will keep students thinking about what they are reading whether it is fiction, non-fiction, informational, etc.

Learn More: Wild About Fifth Grade

9. Book Connection Chain

A fresh idea is to assign a book connection chain project. This activity extends over a longer amount of time, as it uses the independent books students have read in a quarter, term, or year. They will make connections between all of the books and explain how they are related.

Learn More: Angela Collis

10. Book Interview

A reluctant reader will be more motivated if they know someone is holding them accountable. In book interviews, the teacher has discussions with students or “book talks” where they ask a series of general questions. It also helps the teacher collect reading data.

Learn More: Teacher Thrive

11. Reading Response Journal

This task is perfect for quiet time in class and can even be assigned as homework!  Use these menus, created for both fiction and non-fiction texts, to give your learners a chance to decide what writing prompts they’d be keen on completing. Simply have them pick a prompt and record their response in their journal!

Learn More: Creatively Comprehensive

12.  Accountability Tool

The idea for this activity stems from Nancie Atwell, “In the Middle”. Rather than doing reading logs , students will give their “status”, meaning each day they tell the class a little about what they are reading.

Learn More: Tarheel State Teacher

13. Book Spine Art

This bulletin board idea is a fun activity to do when your readers finish a book! They can create a book spine for the text they read and add it to the board!

14. Bookmark and Notes Tracker

Working on reading skills should also happen during independent reading time, but it can be hard to keep track of all your students. An easy tool to add to your independent reading program is this notes tracker. Each day students will add notes from the book to their bookmark, when finished they put the sticky on their notes sheet.

Learn More: Raise The Bar Reading

15. Text Connections

No matter what the independent reading level, all students should be able to share in making connections. This simple activity has students add links to a change when they make one of the three connections. Extend the activity by having them write what their connections were on the link.

Learn More: The Art Of Learning

16. Reading Raffle

Help motivate students to reach their reading goals and add a layer of accountability. Students get a raffle ticket each time they reach a benchmark. For example, finishing a book or passing a reading quiz.

Learn More: Hanging With Mrs. Hulsey

17. Creative Reading

These are different task cards with fun prompts based on specific topics like theme, setting, conflict, etc. Students can pick whichever they would like to answer while doing their reading. Keep a set in your classroom libraries for an easy go-to activity.

Learn More: Teach Nouvelle

18. Reading Sprints

Need a lesson plan to build stamina and fluency? Reading sprints are a burst of time where students try and read as many pages as they can, BUT they must read at a pace where they can still comprehend the text. It motivates students through a bit of fun competition!

Learn More: Reading And Writing Haven

19. Book Pass

A fun way to find a favorite book is by doing a “book pass”. The video shows you how to implement this mini-lesson into your class. The gist is that you pick a selection of a book students will enjoy. Then you have them read just a few pages and write a review to see what interests them.

Learn More: Colby Sharp

20. Currently Reading

A nice way to have informal book talks is by using this activity. On laminated cards, students will update daily what they are reading. If a student feels like they are confused or want to discuss something with the teacher, they place their card in the “Let’s talk about it” section.

Learn More: Teaching In Room 6

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End of the Year Independent Reading Projects

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End of the year activities can tend to get a little overwhelming and intense. But one activity at the end of the year that is highly engaging, important, and no prep is the Independent Reading Project. I am going to share with you one of my favorite projects to do with my third or fourth graders at the end of the year!

What is the Independent Reading Project?

The Independent Reading Project is one of those end of the year activities where students get to pick a book of their choice (novel) and read it on their own. It is that easy! They get to pick a book that really interests them and that they can comprehend and then during independent reading time they read it!

When they are done with the book, they will complete a project on that book to share with their classmates.

Why make this one of your end of the year activities?

• The Independent Reading Project is highly engaging to students because students are reading something that they chose and are interested in.
• It is NO prep for you as the teacher.
• It requires students to read and work on reading comprehension of novels. 
• This end of the year activity will push your students to read a novel if they haven’t so far.
• The students get to show their creativity in the project.
• When they present their projects to the class it gives other students ideas of things they would like to read. 

Step by Step Process

This is honestly the easiest end of the year activity that you will ever do! It is so simple and no preparation needed!

• Help students choose a book. We will talk about the books that interest them, make sure that they can read and comprehend it, and find one they like.
• Students will read the book during independent reading time and other times throughout the day and evening.
• When students finish the book, you can have them take a comprehension test (like Accelerated Reader) if you have one! If not, who cares! 😉 
• Students will pick a book project to complete! I let them pick from 20 book projects! (FREE sample below) You can also head here to read more about them!
• Once they complete it, they share it with the class and their classmates can ask questions about the book! 

Want a free book project to run this end of the year activity? 

Grab the book projects here !

Head to this blog post to read more, similar posts.

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Novels & Picture Books

Anchor Charts

• Novel Study

Engaging Novel Projects for ANY Book

By Mary Montero

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I love using authentic texts to supplement our basal, so I almost always use novel studies where most small groups are reading different books that relate to our current unit of study. It’s important to have accountability and meaningful engagement with the novels though. This is where novel projects come in!

Before we dive in, if you’re looking for book suggestions to use with these projects, here’s a list of must-read upper elementary novels and tips for choosing the perfect novels for your class .

Free Novel Projects

Character Novel Project : Dive deep into character traits, character conflict, and character change with this novel project.

ABC Novel Project : This one is great if you’re short on time! Students must show their understanding of the novel by using evidence from the text to support their choices. Students will need to show their understanding of characters, themes, literary elements, etc.

Timeline Novel Project : Students will put key events from the novel in sequential order and explain the significance of each one. This one is easy to differentiate by providing students with some (or all) of the key events needed.

Amazon Listing Cumulative Novel Project : Turn your students into critics by having them write a catchy book review. I often end the school year with this one because it’s such a comprehension project!

Reading Skills Foldable Cumulative Novel Project : This is another option for an end of the year novel project because it requires students to show their understanding of the intricacies of the book, as well as the key reading skills we worked on all year long.

More Comprehension Ideas

If you’re looking for more ways to help your students think about their reading, these independent reading response anchor charts are a staple in our classroom. For a more hands-on approach, these free open ended comprehension car ds are great too!

Mary Montero

I’m so glad you are here. I’m a current gifted and talented teacher in a small town in Colorado, and I’ve been in education since 2009. My passion (other than my family and cookies) is for making teachers’ lives easier and classrooms more engaging.

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How to Encourage Independent Reading

What can a student do in just 15 minutes a day that could create a huge impact on their performance and future? Read!

Surprised? Independent reading is a simple action that can make a great difference for students – but what can we do to encourage this habit in students?

First things first – what is independent reading? Independent reading is when students choose what they want to read on their own, with minimal to no assistance from teachers or parents. Sometimes independent reading occurs during school, or after school, or it may be completely voluntary.

Reading unlocks other forms of learning, which is why it’s no surprise that just 15 minutes of reading per day improves students’ chances of graduating high school, and enrolling in college. We know that there is a strong connection between independent reading and achievement, and many researchers believe that independent reading plays a key role in the development of reading fluency, vocabulary, spelling, and background knowledge. In fact, reading engagement is more highly correlated with achievement than socioeconomic status, gender, family structure, and even time spent on homework!

But traditional independent reading (we’re talking about assigning students specific pages to read from the “classics”, or giving book reports as homework) can leave some students unengaged. 

That’s where we come in. Here’s why teachers use Read to Lead for independent reading. 

Flexible and Easy Implementation 

Since Read to Lead is a no-prep tool for teachers, you can easily weave independent reading time into your school day. Wondering what activities will keep your kiddos occupied as you set up your lesson? Or maybe you’re looking for a productive activity during homeroom or as a filler activity for students to work on when they finish an assignment early? Read to Lead to the rescue!

For a more robust implementation, many educators use Read to Lead during station learning and also use the platform’s wrap-around curriculum like debate questions, enrichment projects, and discussion questions to spark deeper comprehension. 

Read to Lead’s immersive learning games range from 15 to 30 minutes each – just enough time for students to reap the benefits of a daily reading patience, but also fits nicely within a dynamic classroom setting! No matter whether your classes are in-person, remote, or a hybrid, Read to Lead will keep your students engaged, whenever you need.

Games are Standards-Aligned

Student engagement and standards-based instruction don’t have to be at odds. 

Read to Lead’s learning games are aligned to English Language Art standards, and are available in a wide Lexile range for each grade (5-9). This means that even as your students cultivate their literacy skills and discover their love for reading, they’re being empowered to become better readers and leaders. Win, and win!

Rooted in SEL and Whole-Child Development 

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” ― Aristotle. 

At Read to Lead, we know that life isn’t just about getting good grades. That’s why we’ve designed learning games with a focus on SEL and whole-child development. Students get to “be the boss” in a variety of virtual workplaces, giving them a level of agency they don’t normally have, even as they form connections between their current selves and their potential to be a change agent in their future workplaces.

As students read independently on the platform to problem-solve in real-life scenarios, they also nurture their inner leaders and grow as well-rounded individuals. It’s not just for fun that’s why we’re called Read to Lead !

Track Students’ Progress Easily

How tough is it to figure out if a kid actually read a book to do their book report, or if they copied it off SparkNotes? Tracking student’s progress in independent reading can be a challenge, but with Read to Lead, you’ll never have to worry about that again!

Gain a bird’s eye view of students’ progress and keep track of their achievements on the game-based learning platform with detailed Performance Reports. Celebrate students’ wins as they hit reading milestones along the way, and sign up for the Million Words Read challenge to keep students motivated to read independently – even as you keep your finger on the pulse of students’ achievements. With so many pros and no cons when it comes to engaging students in independent reading (except students wanting to play

Read to Lead games all the time – we’ve had several teachers tell us that!), there’s really no reason to delay signing up for your free account. It’s easy, and free for educators! Click here to sign up for a free account.

About Read to Lead

Read to Lead uses the power of game-based learning to empower middle school students to build literacy, life, and career skills. Teachers can sign up for a free account to get started!

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More in Blog Posts

Read To Lead Is Out Sick: Here Are Some Great Substitute Programs

You may have heard that we’re closing our doors on December 31, 2022. We know we are leaving big shoes to fill in 2023. Where else can you find a program that builds literacy, life, career, and SEL skills, with engaging online learning games and comes complete with all the lesson plans, wrap-around curricula, project-based learning, and real-time data reports? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! As educators, we look out for each other - so we won’t leave you in the lurch. We’ve curated a list of our favorite resources you can tap into in the coming year. Check them out!

Review Games To Make Test Prep Fun

Testing prep time can feel like a chore and a real drag - not just to middle schoolers, but to teachers too! Why not switch it up? Turn test prep into a time that students enjoy while reviewing important topics and concepts by bringing an element of fun into your classroom! 

Top Books to Promote Anti-Bullying

October is Bullying Prevention Month and as such we wanted to share a few reading resources to help students feel seen no matter what they’re going through. 

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‘Speed Booking’ Lets Students Share Book Recommendations

This fun, fast-paced activity guides middle school students to share their reading recommendations, and it can be adapted to suit a variety of literacy activities.

As a language arts teacher, I’ve found that one of the best ways to keep students motivated to read books independently is to provide them with opportunities to share with classmates about their current reads. Speed booking is a fun, high-energy method for students to get book recommendations and practice their summarizing skills. It offers movement, connection, and a creative outlet. It can also be adapted in innovative ways through student-generated questions, character role-playing, poetry analysis, and research reporting to encourage higher-level thinking. 

Speed Booking Rounds 

The energy in my classroom comes alive when students get to move and discuss, which makes speed booking an instant hit. In the weeks leading up to our Speed Booking day, I’ll let the class know they’ll soon be sharing about their independent reading books so that everyone can come in confidently for discussion. On Speed Booking day, half of the class remains seated while the other half rotates to different partners. I put number cards on tables so the traveling students know which spot to progress to next. Students travel with a “book wish list” so they can write down titles that sound interesting. 

During each rotation, partners share summaries about books they’re currently reading. When the timer goes off after a few minutes, students move to the next spot and meet a new partner. At the end of their speed booking rounds, students come away with potential ideas for new books to read, as well as a sense of one-on-one connection with various classmates.

Students love the rapid nature of this activity, excitedly sharing as much as they can about their books in a small amount of time. As students are discussing their books, I circulate and sit with different partnerships, taking down brief observation notes. I’ll hear students share things like “I’m swiping right on my book, Among the Hidden , by Margaret Peterson Haddix, because I couldn’t wait to hear what would happen to the main character in the end! Let me tell you what it’s all about!” or “This was a fun read, but I wanted more character details to really feel connected. I’ll share the best moments.” 

Following speed booking, I’ll have students reflect about the experience with questions like these:

• What book(s) might you consider reading?
• What did you notice, like, or learn from this experience?
• How did you feel while speed booking? Did your feelings change throughout the process?    

TAKING SPEED BOOKING FURTHER 

While students can get book recommendations in many ways, from class book projects to ChatGPT, there’s something joyful about the partner connection through speed booking that can’t be replaced. To extend beyond summarizing, I've come up with some creative ways to adapt speed booking.

Student-generated prompts: Together as a class, we generate a menu of sentence starters. Students might jot them down in a notebook or add them to a digital discussion spinner to use during each of their rounds. 

Here are some examples: 

• A character who has grown or changed throughout the book…
• An internal or external conflict a character has faced…
• A connection I made…
• A new title could be…
• If I made this book a movie…
• A theme I noticed…
• I had empathy for a character when…
• I would change…
• If I could add a character…
• Describe a prequel/sequel…

Having prompts helps students expand their thinking while taking the guesswork out of how to begin and sustain the conversation. 

Character role-playing: Another way students can share about their book during speed booking is through character role-playing. Students often use props, accents, or costumes to fully immerse themselves into the mindset of their character. 

I’ll provide students with idea prompts like these:

• As your character, describe how you’re feeling at this moment in the book and why.
• What have you been dying to tell another character but have been holding back? 
• What are your hopes for the future? 

I model this for students by playing the role of Dad from our class read-aloud, The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, which gets everyone energized because he’s a dynamic character that they’re all familiar with. Playing the role of Dad, I’ll begin by dramatically expressing, “I have to tell you, I’m feeling a bit low right now. It seems like everyone, even my own family, is beginning to lose faith in me. But I promise you all, I’m going to build that glass castle!” 

Students then pretend to be their favorite characters from their books. At the end of the rounds, I’ll ask students to reflect on which character combination turned out to be the most interesting or fun. If the students choose to, they’ll reenact the conversation for the class. Students love when a particularly unusual match arises, like Katniss from The Hunger Games having a conversation with Castle from Ghost .   

Informational reading reporting: Speed booking can also be used when students are reading informational sources. Using their research notes, students can share the main idea and details and delve further into their thinking with prompts like these: 

• What does your current research reading make you think, feel, or wonder about? 
• What has stood out to you the most?
• What do you hope to investigate further? 

This method offers students an opportunity to teach and inspire one another about various topics and practice synthesizing information in a fun, spirited atmosphere. At the end of their rounds, students reflect on what they learned from each other. During this activity, students often inspire one another and find common topics of interest, which is a way for students to make connections when diving into cooperative learning and group research projects.

Poetry analysis: The speed booking method is also a fun way for students to share favorite poems they’ve been reading. I’ll often encourage students to connect with their partners by asking them to ponder questions like these:

• What was at the heart of your poem? What did it teach or show you?
• What were your favorite lines? Why? 
• What does the poem make you feel? 

Professional development: Recently I tried out speed booking with a group of middle school language arts teachers at our monthly department meeting. Teachers brought their favorite books and professional resources to share. In a short time, we learned a lot about one another through the selections we had chosen to bring and came away with a treasure trove of ideas and inspiration. 

7 Independent Reading Activities to Increase Literacy

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Independent reading is time set aside during the school day for children to read silently to themselves or quietly to a buddy. Providing a minimum of 15 minutes each day for independent reading is vital to help students improve reading fluency, accuracy, and comprehension, and to increase their vocabulary.

Allow students to select books of their choice for independent reading and select new books weekly or monthly. Guide them to choose books they can read with about 95% accuracy.

Schedule individual student conferences during the independent reading time. Use the conference time to assess each student's reading fluency and comprehension along with his understanding of key story elements.

Use the following independent reading activities to increase literacy in your classroom.

Character Diary

The objective of this activity is to increase reading accuracy and fluency and to assess students' understanding of the book through a written response.

• Blank paper
• One or more "just right" books of the student's choice
• First, students will fold 3-5 blank sheets of paper together so that they open to the right. Staple the pages together along the crease.
• Each day, after students complete their independent reading time, they should complete a dated diary entry in the main character's voice.
• The entry should detail an important or exciting event, the student's favorite part of the day's reading, or what the student imagines the main character may be thinking in response to what happened in the story.
• Students may illustrate the diary entries if desired.

Book Review

The objective of this activity is to increase reading accuracy and fluency and to assess students' reading comprehension .

• Student book
• Students must read a book, either independently or as a group.
• Ask the students to write a review of the book they read. The review should include the title, author's name, and plot, along with their thoughts about the story.

Lesson Extension

If you choose to have the entire class read the same book, you may wish to let students create a classroom graph showing who liked and disliked the book. Display the graph along with student book reviews.

Cover Story

The objective of this activity is to assess the student's comprehension of the story through a written response.

• Crayons or makers
• Student's book
• Students will fold a piece of blank paper in half so that it opens like a book.
• On the front cover, students will write the book's title and author and draw a scene from the book.
• On the inside, students will write a sentence (or more) stating one lesson they learned from the book.
• Finally, students should illustrate the sentence that they wrote on the inside of their book.

Add a Scene

The objective of this activity is to assess students' comprehension of the book they've read and their understanding of key story elements through a written response.

• Crayons or markers
• When the students are approximately halfway through the book, instruct them to write the scene they think will happen next.
• Tell students to write the additional scene in the author's voice.
• If students are reading the same book, encourage them to compare scenes and record similarities and differences.

And One More Thing

The objective of this activity is to engage students with literature and help them understand point of view and the author's voice through a written response to a story.

• After the students have finished reading a book, instruct them to write and illustrate an epilogue.
• Explain to students that the term epilogue refers to a section of a book that takes place after the story has concluded. An epilogue provides closure by giving more information about what happened to the characters.
• Remind students that an epilogue is written in the author's voice as an additional part of the story.

The objective of this activity is to assess the student's comprehension of the story and his ability to identify the topic and main points.

• Students will draw a circle in the center of a blank piece of paper. In the circle, they will write the topic of their book.
• Next, students will draw six evenly-spaced lines around the circle from the circle toward the edge of the paper, leaving space to write at the end of each line.
• At the end of each line, students will write one fact or event from their book. If they are writing events from a non-fiction book, they should maintain the proper sequence from the story.

The objective of this activity is to assess a student's comprehension of the story setting and encourage her to use details from the book and her mental picture to describe the physical layout of the setting.

• Instruct students to think about the setting of the story they just read. Does the author give details about the location of the places in the story? Usually, authors provide some indication, although the details may not be explicit.
• Ask students to create a map of their book's setting based on explicit or implied details from the author.
• Students should label the most important places such as the main character's home or school and the areas where much of the action occurred.
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How to Start Your Independent Reading Program in 6 Steps

One of my most significant accomplishments in the classroom was my independent reading program. For thirty minutes every week, as students read you could hear a pin drop in my classroom. Sure, not every kid turned into a voracious reader, but they all at least pretended to look like they were reading. In this post, I will walk you through the steps of creating your own independent reading program.

Start Your Independent Reading Program Step #1: Build a Classroom Library

You don’t need to have a huge classroom library to begin, but it definitely helps if you have a few books on hand. 

I started my independent reading program with probably a dozen or so books. I know. It was awful. 

While my classroom library got its footing, I used my school’s library. We went during the first week of school and then at least twice a quarter after that. I was also liberal with library passes–especially for students who were actually reading during our independent reading time. 

You can probably guess, however, the downsides of relying on your school’s library. To start, you might not even have one. And if you do, it’s probably frequently closed for standardized testing, other classes, or presentations. 

Plus, students will take their sweet time with those library passes and miss out on lots of instruction time. 

This is why starting your classroom library early is best.

For more tips on how to begin, where to get cheap books, and what kind of books to read, check out this post here about building the classroom library of your dreams.

Start Your Independent Reading Program Step #2: Decide How Often Students Will Read

There are typically two camps when it comes to when students will read.

There are pros and cons to both options. You’ll need to think about your students, the length of your classes, and your own classroom procedures to make the best decision. 

The first option is to have students read once a week (the time allotted will depend on your class length).

My classes were on ninety-minute blocks; my students were mostly reluctant readers. Therefore, I chose to read once a week (every Wednesday) for thirty minutes with my students. 

Thirty minutes in a ninety-minute class doesn’t sound like much, but time flies! By the time I did a book talk, asked students to retrieve or pick out a book, and got the class actually silent, we had usually used up fifteen minutes of class. Then we still had to read. 

Because I had so many reluctant readers, this was the best option for me. I always had students who were slow to grab books, forgot theirs, or picked a new one every week. For these reasons, I would have wasted way too much time if I had tried to read every day with my kiddos. 

The second option, popularized by the great Penny Kittle, is to start every class period with ten minutes of reading. 

If you’re in a school or have a class with strong readers, well-behaved students, or advanced courses, everyday reading might be a great option.

If students know to come in and start reading, that provides an excellent opportunity for you to take attendance, deal with any issues, and do a quick check of your email before beginning class in earnest if you need to. 

Plus, reading is a daily warm-up that will always be worthwhile. 

So think about your students and your class format. Then decide when and for how long students will read. Stick to this schedule every day or every week, so students won’t be surprised. 

Start Your Independent Reading Program Step #3: Choose Student Tasks

Once you have students reading, you need to give them a task. 

What task(s) you give students will depend on how heavily you want independent reading to feature in their grades. 

Personally, I just wanted students to read. I didn’t want independent reading to be a reason a student could fail. So I just gave students simple exit tickets like these reading strategies exit tickets or story elements exit tickets. 

These forced students to review some basic concepts and connect them to their reading without taking up a ton of class time. 

Reading logs are another low-stakes task and an absolute must if you expect students to read at home independently. 

You could also do some end-of-the-year projects with your students about their independent reading novels. Maybe students will do a study of the author they read . Or maybe you can have them write their own epilogue or sequel. 

But unless you have a room full of intrinsically motivated students or engaged readers, you’ll probably have to give students a task to make sure they actually read. 

Need more ideas? Check out this post with independent reading activity ideas.

Start Your Independent Reading Program Step #4: Create a Classroom Management Plan

Having a classroom management plan is essential for an independent reading program. 

What happens if a student forgets his or her book? If a student refuses to read? What if a student is absent–does he or she have to make it up?

And what will happen if students become distracting during independent reading? 

Will you display a timer on your projector? (I recommend it!)

( Want a play-by-play of the first day of independent reading in my classroom? Read this post! )

I was pretty laid back in my room, but when it came to independent reading, I didn’t play any games.  

Every week before reading time, I reviewed the expectations. There were no headphones or talking aloud. You had to have a book in your hand. 

And students had two choices: read silently and participate or go to the dean’s office. I worked this out with my dean ahead of time and warned her during the first few weeks that there would be an influx of students until they learned their lesson. 

I think participating in independent reading should be rewarding. Sometimes I made students hot chocolate while they read. I turned off the big fluorescent lights and opted for soft lamp lighting instead. It was a cozy way to spend part of the day. 

But I didn’t let any of my students who became distracting get away with it. If a student was distracting or flat out refused to leave, they had to leave my room. (If a student pretended to read and was otherwise not a problem, I just pretended to believe they were reading.)

Decide your non-negotiables and let those be the hills upon which you are ok dying. 

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Start Your Independent Reading Program Step #5: Model 

This is the best part of independent reading: modeling being a good reader!

It might take a few weeks of reviewing expectations and procedures, but once your students start reading, you should too!

Try not to use this time to grade or email parents. Instead, pick up a young adult book (that way you can recommend or talk about it later), and read. 

Sometimes I read and moved around the classroom. If a student was trying to whisper or pass a note to a friend, I took my book and leaned against the wall near them. Usually, that proximity shut it down without confrontation (or forcing me to put down my book!)

When my students were really, really good, I could even get lost in a book of my own for a while. 

A lot of our students don’t see adults in their lives read. So be that positive role model for reading. 

Start Your Independent Reading Program Step #6: Share Books and Let Students Share Books

Some of your students won’t know what kind of books they like or what’s available to them. So start by sharing!

Before each reading session, I always gave a quick book talk about two different novels. This exposed students to more reading options (and gave the kids that forgot a book inspiration for what they’ll read that day instead). 

Check out this blog post with some excellent young adult book recommendations to help you get started.

I even gave students a blank To Be Read sheet (from my Back-to-School Stations ) at the beginning of the year to keep track of titles that they might want to read one day. 

Once students have been reading for a while, you can give them opportunities to share out about their books, too. You can simply ask “Who’s loving their book?” after a reading session. 

Or you can turn it into a whole activity . For example, you can have students make Instagram posts about the best book they read during the year and hang them up around the room. 

Formally or informally, give students a chance to share their thoughts and evaluate whatever it is that they’re reading.

Setting up an independent reading program isn’t for the faint of heart. You’ll need to create a very specific classroom management plan and stick to it consistently. You’ll also need to consistently follow your independent reading schedule if you want students to be prepared for it. 

But once those routines are in place, an independent reading program can bring actual joy to your classroom–and to teaching. Isn’t talking about books why many of us pursued this career? Give you and your students the opportunity to do just that. 

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Revive High School Independent Reading

March 16, 2020 //  by  Lindsay Ann //   10 Comments

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Five years ago, I started to give my students time to independent read. 

In class. Every day. 10 minutes. 

Ten minutes every day adds up to 50 minutes per week. That’s 30 hours per school year!

What’s more, as students begin to find books they enjoy , they want to read outside of the classroom, as well. And even if they do not, you’ve given students the opportunity to increase their reading endurance, comprehension, and enjoyment more than they would have otherwise.

Reading in High School

I used to think that I valued independent reading. We read every Friday for 20 minutes. You might know this practice by DEAR (drop everything and read) or SSR (silent sustained reading).

What I realized, after several years, is that this practice didn’t result in more student reading. 

Students who didn’t have that natural love of reading (the very ones that independent reading is supposed to help) would forget their books or daydream instead of reading. They found it hard to “get into” a book, and I seldom saw students finish books (nor did I talk with students about their reading). 

So I reflected.

What was my goal for independent reading? 

• Well, my goal for independent reading was to encourage students to become lifelong readers. 
• I wanted students to want to read. 
• I also wanted students to become better readers. 
• Finally, I wanted them to have choice in what they read, choice that a set curriculum doesn’t always give to them. 

If these were my goals, then it was time to shift my teaching practice so that these goals could be achieved.

I read Book Love and, later, 180 Days , as I’m sure many of you have. (If not, DEAR these books. ☝️ I’ve linked the titles for you just in case.)

These books showed me that the shift was possible. 

In order to achieve my goals, I needed to treat independent reading as a part of the curriculum and classroom routine. I needed to increase the frequency of reading and also to change the function and purpose of independent reading in my classroom. 

If I’m being honest, the DEAR / SSR type of independent reading was often not for the students…it was for me. To have an easy sub plan, to have time to catch up with emails or grading, etc. etc. 

In addition to being more purposeful in my approach to independent reading, I also needed to: 

• Show students that I was a reader. 
• Have students keep track of what they were reading. 
• Talk to students about their reading. 
• Let go of the need to formally assess independent reading. No, students do not need another independent reading project. 

Teacher to teacher real talk here… Students do not need an interactive notebook. A Bloom Ball or a cereal box project is not going to make all students actually read their books. Students don’t need you to reinforce the idea that reading is just another hoop to jump through.

Buuuut, they do need to see themselves as a part of a community of readers . Students do need to have the opportunity to unlearn the belief that reading is just for English class or for a grade. They do need to learn more about who they are as readers so that they are able to find books they really want to read.

Independent Reading Made Easy

To show students that reading is important, we have to make time for reading.  

Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher advocate for time every day in class for students to read. 

At first, 10 minutes seemed like a lot of time to dedicate daily to independent reading. 

Interestingly enough, I didn’t find myself lacking in instructional time. We were and are able to accomplish just as much as before in English class. 

What’s more, this routine has had a ripple effect. It makes classroom management easier as students enter the class, know what to do, and calm down through reading. I get to know my students more, establishing rapport, as we discuss what we’re reading. It also makes my transition times tighter because I know we have 37 minutes left in the period and I want to make the most of them.

At the end of the semester, I always receive overwhelming responses from my high school students about independent reading. Over 95% of students find the daily reading time enjoyable and beneficial. When asked to share the “best thing” about English class, many students share that they have enjoyed their books. “I don’t have time to read outside of class,” they say. Or, “I like that I get to choose what I read.”

Routines & Expectations

Set yourself up for success with independent reading.

At the beginning of the year (and as needed throughout the year), I give students the chance to “meet and greet” different books. Through this activity, they generate a list of books they would like to read during the semester. 

I set clear and firm expectations for the opening 10 minutes of reading. When doing this, you should let students know your why and your goals for their independent reading. Alternatively, ask students to brainstorm their own list of behavior norms that will help them meet their goals. Post these norms clearly in the room so that you can refer back to them as needed. 

Before setting norms and expectations, you have to determine what you’re comfortable with: 

• Do you want students to listen to music? Whole class ambient music or individual music with AirPods or headphones? 
• Do you want students to log their pages each day? Some teachers like to have students write down the page they end on or begin with each day. This way, during reading conferences, you can ask students to reflect on their progress. You can also have them calculate reading rate this way to set a specific goal for themselves. 
• Do you want students to have their books out and be reading when the bell rings? If not, how much transition time will you allow? 
• Do you want students to be able to visit the LRC or browse for books during independent reading time? 
• How long do you want students to “try out” a book before switching? 
• What will you do if a student doesn’t have his or her book? 
• Will you allow students to keep their books in the classroom?

Reading Conferences with Students

I’ve found that the power of independent reading isn’t in the activities . 

Truth bomb: If you’re going to help students to shed the limiting belief that they just aren’t “good readers,” or that they “don’t enjoy reading” (or any number of other beliefs that they’ve internalized and tell themselves about reading), you’re going to have to be different enough in your approach and committed 110% to them as readers that they can have a thought reversal.

I’ve heard teachers say before that they’ll work to find each student a book he or she really loves, but it’s easier said than done when you teach multiple classes. 

In order for independent reading to work, you have to commit to reading conferences with students. Over time, you’ll be able to track student progress. You’ll also get to know students as readers. What’s more, because you’ll be talking to students as a reader, you can have a true conversation.

Not sure what to talk about? 

• Ask them why they chose the book and how the reading of it compares to their expectation. 
• Ask them what’s going on with the characters. 
• Ask them what they’re finding interesting, surprising, true, unexpected (fill in the blank with any number of other adjectives. 
• Ask them how they connect to / disconnect from the book. 

The beauty of the reading conference lies in your sustained interest in a student and his/her reading/book. I find that, through effective follow-up questions, I can challenge students as readers to go beyond surface-level responses. Through this, they also are held accountable. 

If you’re looking for a much more comprehensive list of reading conference questions, I’ve got you, boo. My independent reading conference form allows me to keep track of student conferences in terms of questions asked and what was discussed. It’s been a total lifesaver in terms of time and organization, but also allows me to track student data over time. 

Click here to check out the reading conference form on my website.  Click here to check it out on TpT.

I know. English teachers collecting data ? Yessss!

Before we move on, I should mention that beyond discussing the book, I am seeking, through conferencing, to challenge students as readers. I make book recommendations, share what I’m reading, and if students are not enjoying their books, I ask them “why” and immediately work to get a book in their hands that they can’t wait to read every day.

If a student is stuck, you can suggest some of the titles on these Abraham Lincoln book award master lists. You’ll have to scroll down on the page to the master list for the current year and previous years, but I’ve had great success with the books on these lists from year-to-year because they’re high interest and recommended by students themselves.

Make Independent Reading Fun

If you’re looking for ways to make independent reading fun, beyond the structure and teacher interaction you’ll be providing for students, here are some suggestions. 

If you give a student a BINGO sheet, and provide an opportunity for reward(s), extrinsic motivation may be just the push your students need. I use these BINGO cards to help students challenge themselves to read a variety of books, and the descriptors are general enough to apply to any number of different books. If a student is struggling to fulfill a certain descriptor, I’ll let him or her change it.

I’ve found that BINGO is the most effective when you really play it up. You can even create an all-class board to display with your own checkpoints, i.e. when all students have ONE bingo, we’ll mark off this square or every student has his/her book for a week.

I like to celebrate the finishing of each book with a small reward. First, I have students fill out a “thanks for challenging yourself” ticket that they drop into my raffle jar. Then, I let them select a Chromebook sticker or free cookie coupon, etc.

At the end of a quarter or the end of the semester (or just because), I will pull a student name from the raffle jar for a bigger prize. i.e. “coffee on me” or “free book”, etc.

Another idea for bringing some fun into your independent reading routine is to have students go on blind dates with books. All you need are some empty bags and the help of your classroom library (or LRC). Put a book and a bookmark into each bag and label, if you wish, according to genre/interest. Then, if a student wants to, he or she can choose a bag and a mystery book. 

You can also have some fun with the boards in your classroom. Take pictures of students with the books they’ve finished and display them. Have students write a two sentence review of their books and post them, along with the book covers. Have students put a sticker on the board when they finish a book or complete a reading goal. 

To create a digital student recommendations board (and also extend reading conferences), you can use Padlet or Flipgrid to have students respond to a prompt and then respond back to them. This also helps to create a place where students are creating a library of recommendations for other students. 

You may be wondering if this independent reading thing really works. Yes. Yes, it does, but you have to go all-in and be consistent. Happy iReading!

Hey, if you loved this post, I want to be sure you’ve had the chance to grab a FREE copy of my guide to streamlined grading . I know how hard it is to do all the things as an English teacher, so I’m over the moon to be able to share with you some of my best strategies for reducing the grading overwhelm.

Click on the link above or the image below to get started!

About Lindsay Ann

Lindsay has been teaching high school English in the burbs of Chicago for 19 years. She is passionate about helping English teachers find balance in their lives and teaching practice through practical feedback strategies and student-led learning strategies. She also geeks out about literary analysis, inquiry-based learning, and classroom technology integration. When Lindsay is not teaching, she enjoys playing with her two kids, running, and getting lost in a good book.

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Reader Interactions

September 28, 2022 at 9:52 am

Hello! I was really curious how you structure your remaining class time to allow for 10 minutes at the beginning. I used to teach block schedules, but I’m now at a school with the 45 minute classes instead. I used to do daily reading for block days, but I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around how I would fit content into the other 35 minutes if we read to start class every day. I LOVE the idea, just was curious how it looks in daily practice. Thank you so much for all your thoughts on incorporating this into my classroom — you gave me a lot to think about!

October 9, 2022 at 12:27 pm

Hi Kelli! I’ve found that my transition time has to be tight, and I have to be creative with how students access the content / skills for the remaining time. I do a lot of inquiry-based lessons, partner and group work, stations, etc. The goal is to keep students moving, discussing, reflecting. 🙂

Best Regards, Lindsay

May 18, 2023 at 11:01 am

Hey! I really struggled with independent reading this year… well every year really… because I just haven’t found a system that I love. I would love to know more about the norms/expectations that you have used in your classroom that really work. The ones that really stuck out to me were “what do do when a student doesn’t have their book” and the logging pages idea. Also, one other question… do you give any type of grade for accountability for independent reading? I ask because I can think of at least a dozen students that I have right now who consistently do not have their books and who consistently admit during conferencing that they haven’t really read the book and don’t plan to. How do you ensure that those students are held accountable because if other students see that there aren’t really any consequences for not doing it, how do we ensure they do it at all? Thank you so much for this post!!!

July 13, 2023 at 7:32 pm

Hi Kylie, You’re welcome! Thanks for your question! We work to set the norms together at the beginning of the year, and I make a point of emphasizing the “why” behind the routine and expectations. I do not give a grade for independent reading, and every year I’m surprised how much students fiercely love this time. Of course, there are always a couple who are a bit tougher to bring on board. I work really hard to match them with a book they love and allow them to switch if they are not enjoying their selection. If they don’t have a book, I have a couple of books of short stories on hand to loan to them for the day. I also give some students the option of keeping their book in the classroom if this is a struggle. Conferences with students are important, as well – this is my main form of accountability. Quick, micro check-ins, a quick ticket in or out the door once in awhile, helping students to set goals, gamifying it a bit with book bingo all work really well. Last year, I had small slips of paper students filled out when they finished a book and they got to enter a raffle and choose a small prize during their check-in with me. Feel free to check out some of my tried and true independent reading resources here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fun-Independent-Reading-Activities-Bundle-5818247 Hope this helps! 🙂

[…] Independent ReadingAs I’ve written about previously, independent reading is an important part of my classroom routine. I want students to see […]

[…] had experienced so much success with daily independent reading in my classroom that I made up my mind that I was going to do all the things like Kelly freakin’ […]

[…] If you use writing or reading conferences with students in your classroom, you’ll probably wonder how to help students remember what you […]

[…] you are like me, you know the value of independent reading in your high school English […]

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Samantha in Secondary

7 Independent Reading Assessments for High School English

November 6, 2020 by Samantha H.

As a high school English teacher, a robust independent reading program has always been a staple of my classroom and coming up with unique independent reading assessments to make sure students have actually read was always a difficult task. Allowing students to have a say in their reading is an incredibly motivating tool. Students are much more likely to be engaged in class if they are interested in the text. This leaves teachers with a problem. If we are letting students choose their own novels, how do we know they actually read ? Here are some ideas for assessing choice reading for your secondary students!

#1: One Pagers

One Pagers are a popular form of independent reading assessment because they allow students to be creative and no two are alike. This makes it very hard for students to fabricate their knowledge because most of the included activities require students to analyze what they have read. This can include choosing theme songs for characters, illustrating a scene from the novel, or picking quotes that show the theme. The sky is the limit when coming up with the activities for your students to complete to fill their page.

One Pagers can easily be adapted for distance, 1:1, or hybrid learning if that is how you are teaching as well.

For more information about One Pagers, click here to see an in-depth blog post on the topic.

For a ready-made template with instructions, examples, and rubrics ready to go, click here to see my resource.

#2: Response to Literature Activities

Response to Literature activities make powerful independent reading assessments because they have students engaging with the text before, during, and after reading. The possibilities are endless as far as coming up with ideas that can work for any novel. Here are just a few:

• Before Reading : Set context, activate prior knowledge, make predictions, develop questions, study the time period, investigate the author, etc.
• During Reading : These activities can include anything from doodle notetaking , close reading , and more. AdLit has an impressive list of ideas on their website as well.
• After Reading : Use this blog post for 7 great ideas!

I created a resource for my own students and decided it was worth listing in my shop and sharing with all of you. Independent Reading Activities for Any Novel includes a variety of activities that allow students to demonstrate their learning. The activities are split into the three categories: before, during, and after reading. There are ten activities total and they’re completely done which means NO prep for you.

#3: Book Flat Lays

One of my more recent favorite independent reading assessments has been Book Flat Lays. You’ve probably seen these on social media and I thought they were so clever that I decided to bring them into my classroom. This type of reading project requires students to think critically about elements in the novel and stage a photo of the book with props that show different aspects of the book. Again, this is another project that is very hard to fake, so if a student didn’t read, it’s almost always very clear.

For a full blog post on Book Flat Lays, click here to read through my entire process. This project is always a crowd pleaser and one that students talk about long after the cameras are put away.

#4: Literary Field Trips

One of my favorite ideas for independent reading assessments is to have your students create a literary field trip. This works especially well if your students are reading historical fiction or books that are based on a real place. (It even works for nonfiction as well!)

The gist of the project is that students research various places from a text. So, if students were reading Born a Crime by Trevor Noah , they could make a list of locations in South Africa to research and create their field trip on. It’s a really clever way to incorporate multiple skills into one project.

To check out my pre-made version with everything you need to introduce this project today, click here .

#5: Literary Quote Books

I got the idea for Literary Quote Books while scrolling social media one evening. I thought, “What if we have students choose the most meaningful quotes from any novel they’ve read and curate a book out of them then explain how they connect to the theme?” This was the basis for the idea, but it took off from there.

Truly, this can be a really flexible project for all types of learners. Students who are more artistic can draw a quote book out. Students who like to create digitally can use a program like Canva to design their quotes. (You could even have them create a social media carousel with them.) I’ve even had students who wanted to create and stage photos of the quotes or make them on large pieces of paper.

The possibilities really are endless with this idea. Since it incorporates close reading and theme analysis, the rigor is there no matter how the information is presented.

To check out my full resource, click here or the image below.

#6: Mood Boards

A  Mood Board  is a visual representation of carefully selected images that seek to elicit an emotional response from a viewer. Creating a mood board to represent a book requires a lot of analysis and critical thinking from our students.

I love having students put together mood boards because, again, it combines a lot of 21st century skills like spatial design, technology use, close reading, etc.

Check out my full blog post on Mood Boards here and see my ready-to-go resource in my shop right here .

#7: Independent Reading Choice Board

Just like choice reading, students love a good choice board to pick their own assessment. I have an editable Independent Reading Choice Board already done for you. Subscribe to my newsletter below and the template will be delivered straight to your inbox!

Get the Bundle and SAVE!

Download my full Independent Reading Unit Bundle and save 20% on ONE FULL INDEPENDENT READING UNIT . From start to finish, this unit is fully stocked with engaging activities and everything you need to run an organized, meaningful choice reading unit. Check it out here !

Giving students the gift of engaging literature makes for lifelong readers. I hope you’ll consider giving your students choice in their reading picks. I know that any of these assessments will help you manage the task in an authentic, engaging way.

Happy teaching!

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10 Tips for Starting Independent Reading Strong

So you’ve decided to implement independent reading this year…or revitalize it after lackluster or failed attempts. You’re prepared to give your students time to read in class, your classroom library is stocked with good books, and you can’t wait to see which titles your readers fall in love with. But now what?! How do you start the year? What does it take to make the magic happen?

You probably know by now that successfully launching independent reading requires a lot of commitment, time, and patience. Maybe that’s why your past attempts have floundered or why you’re here preparing to launch a reading program for the first time. If so, you’re in the right place, because I’m here to tell you that starting independent reading strong also requires a STRATEGY. The more prepared you are and the more clear your game plan is, the more success you will see – and the quicker you’ll see it. If you are ready to help your readers settle down with a good book in record time, here are my top 10 tips.

HOW TO START INDEPENDENT READING STRONG AT THE BEGINNING OF A NEW SCHOOL YEAR

Think of this as your blueprint for starting the year strong. Grab a notebook and a cup of coffee and get ready to plan out your first few days of independent reading!

Make sure your classroom library is accessible, organized, and appealing so students have “fingertip access” to books.

Studies have shown that proximity to books is key and classroom libraries make a difference in how much students read and grow. Before you launch independent reading, take some time to “optimize” your classroom library for the readers it will serve. Consider organizing your classroom library by genre and adding topic- and format-based bins/sections. Make sure you have some books front-facing so curious readers can see the covers. Try putting some tried-and-true titles on prominent display. Make it easy for readers to pick up books they love. 

There’s a lot more you can do to make your classroom library an inviting, healthy, and lively place, so if you’re hungry for tips, head to this blog series: Creating a Strong Classroom Library . For now, just focus on making small tweaks to your space so that it is as accessible and attractive as possible for your new group of readers. It doesn’t have to be perfect; just try to structure it with students in mind. You can also change this up in response to their needs as the year goes on.

Get to know your students by giving them a reading inventory.

As soon as you can, give your students a digital or print reading inventory. This is a specific type of survey designed to gather information on students’ reading habits, attitudes, identities, preferences, and interests. When designed right, a reading inventory will help you understand your readers and adjust your instruction/independent reading program to respond to their needs. It will give you the information you need to start building relationships and recommend books your students will love. 

If you give your students a reading inventory, I highly recommend carving out time for them to talk about their responses and their feelings/experiences surrounding reading in general. Take the time to listen to your students and validate their feelings. Remember, if they “hate” reading, there’s a reason. With a reading inventory and an honest conversation, you can usually start to figure out why.

I prefer giving a reading inventory via Google forms so I have a digital record of everything (and so I can copy/paste any pertinent info over to my independent reading master spreadsheet). You can check out my print and digital reading inventory for middle and high school HERE.

Host a book tasting during the first few days of school.

To start independent reading strong, students need books in their hands ASAP! They need the time and space to explore different high-interest books and a book tasting is the perfect way to do just that. If you’ve never heard of a book tasting, it’s a fun name for a simple concept: You round up great books and give students a chance to “taste,” or sample, different ones. You can go all out with the “tasting” metaphor, keep it simple, add in more structure, do it digitally, call it book “speed dating”…the possibilities are endless. For ideas, check out this blog post about hosting book speed dating, which is essentially a book tasting with a twist. For student-ready print/digital book tastings, check out my collection for middle and high school readers HERE ).

For your first book tasting of the year, I recommend gathering all of your tried-and-true student favs, books you KNOW kids will love, no matter what. Graphic novels, novels in verse, and other all-time favorites. This is not the time to “experiment” with book recommendations…you can do that later in the year.

If this is your first year and you have no idea what kids like, let me help you! Here are a few starting points:

• Join our Facebook group for book recs. We recently finished up a “Favorites of the Year” series where teachers shared the books their students loved last year, genre by genre. It’s a gold mine of great book recs.
• Check out my book rec posters and book rec brochures. These best-selling resources feature the “best of the best” books, so they do the hard work for you. 🙂 They’re also a great way for you to familiarize yourself with relevant titles and learn what to recommend to readers. Check out the middle school brochures HERE and the high school collection HERE. Click HERE to see the middle school posters and HERE to find the high school version.
• Ask your school and/or local librarian for book recommendations. They have access to circulation data and can probably pull a list of most checked-out titles.

Start conferring with your readers the second you have the time.

Once you give students a reading inventory and get some books in their hands, I highly recommend starting “reading conferences.” Just like any other conference, this is a one-on-one discussion with a student where you can get to know them as a reader, help them grow, and track their progress. At the beginning of the year, and for the first conference especially, focus your attention on getting to know the student’s reading habits, experiences, and preferences. Build on the informal data you gather through the reading inventory and start asking Why? You’ll learn so much about your readers just from quick conversations.

To learn more about why you should make conferring part of your independent reading routine, click HERE. For tips and tricks for managing reading conferences, click HERE. Finally, for my master spreadsheet that I use to keep track of my students while we confer, click HERE.

Find ways for your readers to interact with books and the classroom library.

So your classroom library is stocked, you’ve started connecting with your readers, and you’re ready for the magic to happen…now what?! You’ll probably notice that students don’t always fall in love with the first book they pick. In fact, they need lots of exposure to books and varied opportunities to interact with your classroom library. Even if you have the best classroom library ever, you still have to find ways to bring the books TO the students. 

Here are a few ideas for getting books in front of students:

• Introduce students to your classroom library through a “Classroom Library Scavenger Hunt.” I will never drone through a regular “introduction” to my classroom library and its features and procedures again. This student-centered, inquiry-based alternative is the BEST way to do it. Better yet, a classroom library scavenger hunt gets students exploring every nook and cranny of your library, adding books to their to-read lists, and interacting with other readers.
• Bring books into your lessons. Books are the best co-teachers! Find ways to weave them into your lessons, especially as mentor texts. One way I bring my classroom library into my lessons is through “What do you notice?” style lessons. For example, before we read a novel in verse as a whole class, students explore the format and structure of various novels in verse on their own. You can check out this specific activity HERE.
• Continue to host frequent book tastings. Whether you do one every month, every quarter, or just when you notice students in need of fresh titles, keep book tastings in your rotation! I have book tastings for everything from Banned Books to Dystopia! You can find them all in one spot HERE.

Create opportunities for your readers to interact with each other.

Independent reading doesn’t have to be – and really shouldn’t be – too “independent” or isolating. In fact, students need a community of readers in order to grow. They need opportunities to share about books, bond with other readers, and make reading plans and goals with fellow students. It’s important to make time for these kinds of conversations from the start so you can build community and help students form bonds with each other. So many kids who might not otherwise chitchat in class will connect over a shared love of books, if only you give them the chance. 

Here are a few ways you can get students interacting with each other and talking about books:

• Try speed discussion. Speed discussion is a student-centered discussion strategy that engages every single student at the same time, which makes it perfect for building a reading community. During this activity, students are paired up with their classmates for rounds of “speed discussion.” Each round, students rotate to a different peer and discuss a different question or prompt. I have a few variations of this: Reading Identity/Habits/Interests Speed Discussion , which is perfect to do after a reading inventory/at the beginning of the year, and Independent Reading Speed Discussion, which works best when students are in the middle of their choice books.
• Host a round of independent reading book bingo. Once students have had some time to start reading, encourage more connections with “book bingo.” Fill the BINGO board with fun prompts that get students searching for peers and books. For a student-ready, editable book bingo board, click HERE.

Make sure you have a (sustainable) system for recommending books to students.

Nothing kills new reading momentum like having absolutely no idea what to read next. So make sure you are stocked with strategic book recommendations for students before they finish their first book of the year. Not only should you have titles on hand, but you should really have a system for book recommendations–one that students know how to navigate. After all, you can’t possibly supply a student with personalized book recommendations every time they finish a book, nor should you. You want students to become independent, lifelong readers who can self-select books. But even the most voracious readers need some help with this. 

Here’s what this looks like in my classroom:

• Book Recommendation Brochures: These book brochures are designed to help students answer the question of “What should I read next?” Through interactive reader personality quizzes, these brochures automatically suggest personalized book recommendations to your students. It’s a magical, self-sustaining system that will get good books into the hands of your readers! Click HERE to learn about the brochures and HERE for ideas on using them. You can check out the middle school bundle HERE and the high school collection HERE.
• Book Recommendation Posters: Help your middle school readers find their next favorite book with visual book recommendation posters. Organized by topics like sports, survival stories, mental health, what to read if you don’t like to read, and MORE, these posters make it easy for your readers to find the perfect book. You can check out the middle school version HERE and the high school poster set HERE.
• Book Displays: I am constantly creating new book displays, whether it’s on my whiteboard, classroom library bookshelves, or my Bookflix board. 

Implement routines that strengthen your independent reading program.

As students settle into books, you’ll want to implement routines that keep up the reading momentum, support students, and celebrate progress. A few of my favorite ways to do just that are Book Trailer Tuesday, First Chapter Friday, and our “Book Buzzer” routine.

Book Trailer Tuesday and First Chapter Friday are exactly what they sound like: Every Tuesday, show a high-interest book trailer to hook students on new books. (Don’t underestimate the power of a 60-second trailer). Every Friday, read aloud an intriguing chapter of a different book. Both strategies are fabulous ways to expose students to more books, help them add to their to-read lists, and build a community of readers. I do both, but if you’re short on time and want to start small, try Book Trailer Tuesday. (I have free resources for the year HERE ). If you want more bookish fun, you’ll be back for First Chapter Friday in no time. 😉

Our “Book Buzzer” routine goes like this: Every day after our 10 minutes of independent reading, if a student has just finished a book, they get to press this ridiculous buzzer (that makes a DJ airhorn noise) and quickly share their book, rating, and thoughts. It’s so fun and it’s a great way to stay on top of what students are reading and loving.

For more information on all of my favorite independent reading routines, check out the following:

• IG Reels Series: Watch HERE
• Blog Post: Book Trailer Tuesday: How to Hook Students on Books in 3 Minutes
• Blog Post: 10 Reasons to Try First Chapter Friday

Model your own reading life and what you expect from your students.

One of your best assets as a reading teacher is your own reading life. When you can model what it looks like to read, enjoy books, connect with other readers, and participate in a community, your students will be able to rise to your expectations.

This may sound harsh, but you really can’t expect your students to read if you’re not reading yourself. But if you’ve fallen out of your reading habits…or never really had them to begin with, you’re actually in a perfect position to start your own journey alongside your students and model what it looks like. This is exactly where I found myself 3 years ago when I decided I wanted to finally implement independent reading. I worked on my own reading identity and habits first, and then I brought everything I learned to my students. I am a better ELA teacher because of it, and I promise you will be, too!

I hope these tips have helped!

I hope these tips have helped! I could chat about independent reading forever, but that’s all I’ve got for now. Please let me know if any of these tips resonated with you by leaving a comment, and keep scrolling for a few extra resources, links, and posts that might help!

Want a shortcut to save you time and energy with launching independent reading?

Check out these bundles of just about every resource I’ve mentioned here (and more): 

Middle School Independent Reading Mega Bundle

High School Independent Reading Mega Bundle

Need more ideas for teaching reading? You’re in the right place!

Independent reading is my jam, and this blog is a gold mine if you’re looking to level up your independent reading game! Whether you’re looking for book recs, engaging activities, or practical advice, I’ve got you covered. Here are some blog posts you might love:

• Engaging Students in Independent Reading: 5 Must-Listen Podcast Episodes
• Tips & Tricks for Managing Reading Conferences
• 5 Ways to Help Your Students Fall in Love with Reading
• Creating a Strong Classroom Library: Part 1
• Booksource Classroom: All About this Free Library Checkout System (Part 1)
• How to Give Students Better Book Recommendations: Part 1

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12 Creative Book Report Projects Your Students Will Love

Whether you’re teaching a whole-class novel, or finishing a round of independent reading or literature circles, post-reading assessments are always more engaging when they’re more than just a test or essay.

Below, you’ll discover a dozen fun book report ideas for your middle or high school ELA students, curated by a team of experienced English teachers.

Choose your favorite projects to offer to students as options on a book report project choice board.

Create a Board Game

When I gave “create a board game about the book you read” as a book report option for my students, I was pleasantly surprised at the results! Quite a few students excitedly chose this option and created some really fun-looking games centered on their books. 

This is a great project choice if you’re looking for something that students can’t create by just Googling the book.

Here are some tips and suggestions for assigning a board game book report:

• Give clear parameters and requirements to keep students on track, such as requiring game elements to represent certain literary elements of the book they read.
• Provide suggestions for game components and materials – encourage students to consider the game play and elements of their favorite board games and to use materials they already have at home to create them.
• For a whole-class novel study, consider allowing students to work in teams to create the novel-based board games, then setting aside a class period for students to play each others’ games and see who wins!

If you’re looking to save time… clear directions handouts, lots of suggestions, and a handy grading rubric for a board game post-reading assessment are all included in this resource . Take a look! 

For more independent reading response ideas, check out this post with ideas for fun post-reading projects.

Create a Journey Box

Engaging students in authentic conversations about books is a passion for Carolyn of Middle School Café .  In traditional oral book reports, students simply get up in front of the class and read a summary of the book they read.  Carolyn found this method of oral book reports painful for both her and her students.

Wanting to find a way to help her students talk about their book and keep her class engaged, Carolyn began incorporating Journey Box Book Reports.  A journey box is a shoebox (or bag) that contains artifacts from the story that help the reader share important events from the story. 

Students predetermine what events of the story are most important to share, then they create an artifact to share with the class or small group as they explain the plot.  As an example, Carolyn had a student who read The Diary of Anne Frank.   He created a small 3D tree that he displayed on the desk as he shared about how Anne looked out the window and dreamed of her former life.  It’s a small piece of the story that helps the student explain the plot point and gives the audience something visual to look at and stay engaged. 

Journey Box Book Reports have been successful for Carolyn in both her middle school and high school classrooms.  She does suggest, if using Journey Boxes in older grades, to have students share their stories in small groups.  

Create a Literary Food Truck

If there’s one thing kids love, it’s food – especially high schoolers – and with this in mind, one of Simply Ana P’s favorite ways to recap a class novel or an independent reading unit is with Literary Food Trucks. This is definitely not a new idea, but it’s one that will have you coming back for seconds 🙂 

Ana first tried this project at the end of The Odyssey , where students were able to decide which book(s) they wanted to make the focus of their trucks. The main requirement was that every single choice made had to be intentional and clearly relevant. With this in mind, students could start the planning process. 

You can make the truck’s requirements as simple or as detailed as you prefer, but Ana recommends having students plan: 

• Truck name, design, and branding colors
• Menu design and items (5 items minimum)
• Employee uniforms
• Merch 

Ana includes a writing component by having her students defend all of their selections in the form of a proposal. This is later used in their presentations, and the better (more intentional) their proposal is, the more likely they will win the class vote. This proposal can be anywhere from a few paragraphs to a few pages, depending on what writing goals you have for them, and should definitely include text evidence. 

Part of the beauty of this type of project is that it can be done digital or paper-based. Ana likes to walk her students through a Canva tutorial, where there are even menu templates that students can use so they don’t feel overwhelmed starting from scratch. Or, for more creative students, they can create their trucks on chart paper, poster board, or even 3D dioramas.  After students finish making their food trucks, it’s always fun to take a day for the in-class Food Festival, where students are invited to bring in items from their menus or simply some type of snacks. Some students get super hype about this day and even make/wear aprons or themed employee uniforms. Students are able to walk around, visiting each of their trucks, and casting their votes for Best Food, Most Relevant, and Most Detailed. Have fun and bon appetit !

Create a Mood Board

It can be hard to come up with creative post-reading assessments for your students when they’re done with a full class novel, literature circles, or a choice reading unit. In an attempt to combine 21 st century skills with literary analysis, Samantha from Samantha in Secondary decided to try something a little different. Enter: The Mood Board.

A mood board combines images to elicit a feeling from a viewer much like a writer does with words. The possibilities for using a mood board with your class are endless. Students can create a mood board for an overall book, a character, an event, a theme, a poem, etc. Then, have your students carefully curate a board that is aesthetically pleasing and considers color, space, and design in the execution. As students explain why they’ve made the choices they have, the upper-level thinking comes naturally.

Canva is an excellent tool to use to create your mood boards. Having students interact with software they may be unfamiliar with is a meaningful learning experience in and of itself. If you want to learn more about how to use mood boards in your own classroom, click here to read Samantha’s blog post about it or check out the resource she created that includes done-for-you student instructions, examples, and a rubric here .

Create a New App

How would a character’s life change if there was just the perfect app to solve their conflict??

This is the question Krista from @whimsyandrigor poses to her students as they finish a novel and begin to reflect on the character’s journey. Students begin by discussing all of the details surrounding the protagonist and what they experienced. In small groups and in whole-class discussions, students discuss the conflicts, both internal and external, and then brainstorm all of the realistic and not-so-realistic ways the character could have addressed their problems.

Once students have generated a healthy list of ideas, Krista tells them they get to become an app developer and they must create an app that would greatly benefit a character from their reading.

The requirements are:

• The app cannot already exist.
• The app can be totally unrealistic/not probable.
• The app developer must be able to explain how its features would benefit the character.
• The developer must also create an icon for the App Store.

Here is a print-and-go handout students use to get designing. 

Here are some example apps students could create: to help Will from Jason Reynolds’s Long Way Down , maybe an app that predicts his future would help him decide what to do once he steps off the elevator. Or maybe Romeo from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet would have benefited from a life-detection app that would accurately determine whether or not someone was actually dead.

When students sette on the conflict they want to address and the app that would help, they write a Spill the TEA paragraph, as explained by Krista in this YouTube video .  Using this paragraph organization strategy, students will introduce their app, use evidence to explain how it is necessary for the character, and explain how the app would have benefited or changed the protagonist’s journey.

Now they get to be a graphic designer as they design the app’s icon. Students may want to peruse the actual App Store to get ideas about how an icon is designed, what elements must be present, and how to create something that is eye-catching.

If space allows, Krista encourages you to display the icons and Spill the TEA paragraphs in the hallway for other students to see the in-depth critical thinking and character analysis your students did after finishing a novel. 

Who says technology is only a distraction for our students?! This activity proves technology can help students dive deep into a text and its characters!

Write a Vignette

Lesa from SmithTeaches9to12 often focuses on character-based activities for novel studies including a character profile activity , character conversations through text messages , or the writing of a good vignette. 

Vignettes can be a great way to assess students’ literary analysis skills and understanding of the text. Students write a short piece of about 500 words that is descriptive of a particular moment in time focusing on one of the book’s characters. These moments could be placing the character in a new setting, writing about a particular moment in the story that was less developed, or even extending to a moment beyond the book’s conclusion. Lesa provides students with some mentor texts, including “My Name” by Sandra Cisneros in The House on Mango Street or “The Prisoner Van” by Charles Dickens in Sketches by Boz or even one from a novel being read in class. Review the stories for structure, language choice, sentence structure, use of figurative language, and so on. This helps to co-create the criteria for the assignment. Then students write their own vignette. Build in some peer review as an accountability piece and voila!

Create a Character Collage

It’s safe to say that most English teachers have a bin of cut-up magazines somewhere in their classrooms. While these tattered copies of People and Us Weekly have definitely seen better days, they live on in the many collage creations of our students.

Katie from Mochas and Markbooks loves to use collages as visual representations of comprehension. After reading a novel or short story, creating a character collage to show how a character has evolved from beginning to end requires students to use higher order thinking skills to analyze, synthesize and demonstrate their understanding of characterization by dividing their page in half and choosing words and images to represent the character at the start and conclusion of the story on each side.

The results will show the depth of your students’ interpretation of character as well as their ability to use critical and creative thinking skills to represent their knowledge.

Other ways to use this idea instead of showing character evolution are to show two different sides to a character, for example, who they are with different people in their lives. 

If you are looking for other ways to incorporate collage and magazines into your post-reading assessments, check out this blog post for more ideas!

Design Shoe Charms

Crocs are not Olivia ’s shoe of choice, but when she noticed her students bedazzling their plastic footwear with shoe charms, it was a learning opportunity she just couldn’t pass up. Here’s how to make it work in your classroom:

First, have your students choose a character from the book they have finished reading. Then encourage them to find quotes from the book that reveal the character’s interests, values, or personality. Once they have found their quotes (she has her students find 4), tell them to design and color shoe charms that represent those interests, values, or personality traits. This helps students with inferencing, textual evidence, and even symbolism!

When your students have finished making their shoe charms, they can either tape the charms to their shoes for a fabulous, foot-themed fashion show, or they can glue them to a picture of a Croc for quirky classroom décor. Check out this Instagram post to see the charms Olivia’s students came up with!

Create a Movie Poster

When was the last time you went to the movies? Did you notice the posters along the way? If yes then you have walked down the movie studio promotional lane. Like trailers, studios create movie posters to grab the attention of movie-goers before they even enter the theater. Yes, you may have already purchased your movie ticket, but those posters were created for the future. After you finish watching Sonic 2 , what movie will you see next? You probably already pointed to that poster on the way into the theater and said, “That looks like it is going to be good. I want to see that!”   As a post reading idea, Sharena from The Humble Bird Teacher has her students create movie posters based on the text read in class. This allows her to complete a formative assessment on what the students learned from the text. Before having her class create a movie poster, she shows them examples of posters from different genres such as drama, action, family-friendly, and comedy. Then she hands out a piece of construction paper and goes over the basic requirements. On the movie poster, the students are required to have their actors names or image (characters), the title of the movie, a visual (setting or symbol from the story), and a tagline, and a short two to three sentence summary of the movie. Once her students are finished with the assignment, she displays them outside the classroom, so the students can have their own movie studio promotional lane.  If you are looking for more after reading ideas, click here .

Try Novel Engineering

Whether you’ve been hoping to collaborate with another department, or just really want to try something new, Novel Engineering is an amazing way to get students thinking outside of the box ! Staci from Donut Lovin’ Teacher has found that Novel Engineering requires students to actively comprehend and interact with a novel and get creative about how to help improve the lives of characters! Basically, students work to create a product that will help solve a character’s problem. Here’s how it works…

Before reading : Choose a narrative text where the character faces tangible conflicts. Model and practice the design process in small ways. Try using picture books like Mucha! Muncha! Mucha! in order for students to see and practice what they’ll be doing with a text at grade-level.

While reading : Emphasize the conflicts characters face and give students time to brainstorm possible products that would help solve said problem. Make sure students record evidence from the text so they can later justify the need for the product they design.

After reading : Give students time to draft, craft, and improve their designs that will help solve a problem faced by a character. You can give students options where they draw their creation, make their creation, or even plan a digital app like this, depending on time and resources. Whatever you choose, students will be sure to be pushed to use some skills they may not always practice in an ELA classroom!

Staci has some FREE Novel Engineering Digital Planning Pages or you can read more about her experience with novel engineering on the Donut Lovin’ Teacher blog .

Create a Tik Tok Video

How many times have you passed a group of students filming a TikTok in a hallway? Have you had students ask to film in your class once they finish assignments? You are not alone. Students love TikTok and Yaddy from Yaddy’s Room has figured out how to get students using TikTok for academic purposes!

Yaddy likes to challenge students to create TikTok videos that track a character’s development, encapsulates the main theme of the story, or that exemplifies a key conflict. These easy, low stress videos are great at getting even reluctant students to participate.

To incorporate TikTok videos as a means of assessing students after a novel or story, try the following steps:

1)      Get students to brainstorm which part of the novel they would like to use for their video.

2)      Ask students to start combing TikTok for an audio that fits with the portion of the text they chose

3)      Ask them to plan out how they will realize their vision

4)      Rehearse and film!

5)      Bonus: ask students to upload their videos to Google Drive and share the link with you so that you can make QR codes to post around your classroom!

Want to get started using TikTok videos for book reports? Check on Yaddy’s free planning sheet here !

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13 Fun Reading Activities for Any Book

Whether you walk into a classroom in Asia, North America or Europe, you will almost certainly see teachers and students building their understanding of the world through a dedicated daily reading session full of great reading activities.

Books allow students an opportunity to be informed, entertained or escape as they comprehend fiction and non-fiction texts against their understanding of the world, their personal insights, and opinions and finally compare those texts to others.

Whilst you may have a wealth of books in your school library, developing fresh and engaging ways to study literature can often be challenging.  So today, we will explore 25 proven activities that can be applied to any book and at any age level.

These reading activities to improve reading comprehension are easy to follow and suitable for most age groups within an elementary/junior high school level.

125 Text Response ACTIVITIES, Games, Projects for ANY BOOK

This massive collection of ☀️ READING ACTIVITIES☀️ covers all essential reading skills for elementary/primary students. NO PREP REQUIRED! Works with all text and media types.

Thousands of teachers have adopted this as a GO-TO RESOURCE for independent and group tasks.

A COLLECTION OF FUN READING ACTIVITIES

A lifetime tale in pictures reading task.

Draw the main character from a book you have recently read.  Show them as a baby, middle-aged and an older person.

Underneath each picture, write what you think they might be doing at that point in their life, and explain why they may be doing so.

For example, if you drew Harry Potter as a baby, he might cast spells on his mum to feed him lots of yummy food.

Post-reading activities like this are accessible for all age groups to adapt their skill level and text style.

If you want to learn more about characters, read our complete guide here.

TEXT TO SELF-READING TASK

Based upon a book you have just read, share a  story about yourself related to an event or character in the book.

It is probably best done in the form of a written recount. Link your experience to no more than four situations that occurred within the text.

Text to self is an excellent opportunity for students to become introspective about the content they read and compare it to their own life experiences. 

This activity is appealing to teenagers more so than juniors .

IT’S IN THE INSTRUCTIONS READING TASK

From a book you have just read, select either a critical object or creature and create a user manual or a guide explaining how to care for it.

Ensure you use any vital information learnt from the book and any other information you consider essential.

If you are writing a user manual for an object, remember to focus on using it correctly and taking care of it.

If you are writing a user guide for an animal or creature, focus on keeping it alive and healthy as well as information that explains how to keep it happy and under control if necessary.

Dear Diary, READING TASK

Place yourself in the shoes of one of the characters you have just read about and write a diary entry of a critical moment from the story.

Try to choose a moment in the story where the character has plenty of interaction and emotion to share in a diary entry.

Your diary entry should be around a page long and contain information you learned from the book when the character was in that specific place and time.

Remember, when writing a diary entry, you are writing it from a first-person perspective. It is usually but not always written in the present tense.

Diary writing has been a very popular activity throughout time, but social media tools such as Facebook and blogging have in some ways changed this.

Mapping it all out, READING TASK

How do you make reading lessons fun? This reading activity answers that question confidently.

Have a go at drawing a map of one of the places from the text you have just read. See how much detail you can include, and be sure to discuss your map with another reader so you can compare and add more if necessary.

Take some time and effort to ensure your map appeals to the same audience the book aims at.

All good maps should contain the following BOLTS elements.

B – Bolts

O – Orientation

L – Legend

S – Scale

Express Yourself READING TASK

Using an iPad or a digital camera, make faces of the emotions the main characters would have gone through in your book and take photos of them. 

Put them together in a document on your computer or device and explain the emotion below the image and when the character would have felt this way.

This is an excellent opportunity to use some creative direction for this task.

Be sure to play around with the images, filters and graphical styling available.

Travel Agent READING TASK

Think of yourselves as a group of travel assistants whose job is to promote a  city of your choice from the text you have been reading.

As a group, you need to develop a concept map of all the exciting things that happen in your city and then present it to the class.

Don’t forget all of the exciting things such as theatres, restaurants, sports, adventure activities, entertainment and much more…

If you are a little short on details of the location of your story, do some research if it was an actual location or just get creative and make up some locations and tourist attractions based on what you read.

You’re Hired READING TASK

Select a character from a book and consider what might be an excellent job for them. You can choose something entirely suitable such as a security guard job for Superman or a more oddball approach, such as a pastry chef.

Either way, you will have to write a letter from this character’s perspective and apply for a position.

Be sure to explain why your character would be a great employee and what special skills they would possess to make them ideal for the role. Sell your character by explaining all the great attributes they possess.

What’s the Status? READING TASK

Create a Facebook page for your character with some status updates about what they have been up to.

Include some pictures and ensure your status updates are relevant to the character and the story.

Around 3 – 4 status updates with mages should give an overall picture of the character.

Use your status updates to explore what your character does for a job, leisure time, places they might go on vacation and the like.

Bubbles and Clouds READING TASK

Using speech bubbles and pictures of the characters, draw a conversation between two characters from the story you have read.

Remember, thought is drawn as a cloud, and a spoken statement is drawn as a  bubble.

Be sure to look at some comics or graphic novels for inspiration and insights.

This activity is usually best done on pen and paper, but numerous digital apps and tools will allow you to make this a reality through technology.

Amazing Artifacts READING TASK

An artifact is an object that has some significance or meaning behind it. Sometimes, an artefact might even have a very important story behind it.  I am sure you have a favorite toy, or your parents have a particular item in the house that they would consider an important artifact.

For today’s task, you will select five artifacts from the text you have been reading and explain what makes them significant or essential.

They don’t all have to be super important to the story, but I am sure that at least a couple played a significant role.

Be sure to draw a picture of the artifact and if necessary, label it.

FREE READING ACTIVITIES RESOURCE TO DOWNLOAD

Thinking Differently READING TASK

Choose three important events from the text and explain how you would have handled them differently from the characters in the story.

Explain how it may have changed the story’s outcome in either a minor or significant way.

Be insightful here and think of the cause and effect.  Sometimes your smallest action can have a significant impact on others.

Popplet Mind Mapping Task

Popplet is a mind mapping tool that allows you to connect ideas together using images, text and drawings.

From a text, you have recently read, create a family tree or network diagram that explains the relationship the characters have with each other.

Some may be father and son, husband and wife or even arch enemies.

Try and lay it out so it is easy to follow.

You Have Three Wishes READING TASK

A genie lands at the midpoint of the story you have just read and grants the two main characters three wishes.

What do they wish for and why?

Finally, would their wishes have changed anything about the story?  How so?

Again think about the cause and effect relationship and how this may have altered the path of the book you have been reading.

A COMPLETE DIGITAL READING UNIT FOR STUDENTS

Over 30 engaging activities for students to complete BEFORE, DURING and AFTER reading ANY BOOK

• Compatible with all devices and digital platforms, including GOOGLE CLASSROOM.
• Fun, Engaging, Open-Ended INDEPENDENT tasks.
• 20+ 5-Star Ratings ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

MORE GREAT ARTICLES WITH READING ACTIVITIES

Top 7 Reading Comprehension Strategies for Students and Teachers

How to teach Guided Reading: Teaching Strategies and Activities

Identifying the main idea of the story: A Guide for Students and Teachers

Teaching Cause and Effect in Reading and Writing

Graphic Organizers for Writing and Reading

Top 7 Tips for Teaching Guided Reading in Large Classes

5 Reasons You Need a Digital Reading Diary In 2023

Obsessed With Learning

Helping Teachers Get Their Lives Back

Independent Book Report Project

Autonomy, creativity, and the freedom of choice are all aspects of this Independent Book Report Project that students value.

As adults, our pleasure reading is rarely chosen for us. We have the opportunity to choose books, articles, and texts on our own that interest us or that coincide with a hobby. Some of my favorite books to read are mysteries, romantic comedies, and historical fiction with women as the main characters. 

As adults, the notion of choice is all around us. If we want to eat chocolate cake at midnight, we can. If we want to stay up until three am, we can. We might not feel the greatest the next day, but at least we get to choose that! The biggest complaint my students have about childhood is that they don’t get to choose a lot of things. As a teacher, I wanted to change that. 

The books our students read are chosen by teachers, curriculum designers, school boards, principals, and the list goes on and on. About four years ago, I realized that students need the autonomy and trust to choose their own books. They should have the opportunity to choose a book that interests them, that they can connect to, that they can relate with, and that makes them excited to read.

Because teachers are always trying to squeeze in so much curriculum and standards, I found it challenging to incorporate an Independent Book Unit. A couple of years ago, I had the idea of assigning an Independent Book Unit as an at-home project completed throughout a couple of months. 

It was met with a lot of excitement. The only requirement was that students had to choose a book with 150 pages or longer. This was the guideline I set for middle school classrooms. They had to inform me of their book choice within a week and then get to reading.

Once finished, they had a list of 10 projects they could choose from. I am a huge believer that there are eight different types of learners:  

• Auditory and musical learner . …
• Visual and spatial learner . …
• Verbal learner . …
• Naturalistic learner . …
• Logical and mathematical learner . …
• Physical or kinesthetic learner . …
• Social and interpersonal learner . …
• Solitary and intrapersonal learner . …

By giving students a choice in their book selection and then the choice in their project, they were able to select an activity that played to their strengths and interests. The students were able to choose an activity based on what type of learner they were, even if they knew about diverse learning traits or not.

I had so many artistic students get excited about painting a scene from their book. Other students, who are flourishing writers, chose to write an extra chapter to their novel. Musical students composed a song or rap and performed it. Some students who loved acting put a video together of a scene in the book. Logical, kinesthetic, and mathematical students loved putting together a board game. Intrapersonal learners chose the scrapbook project or the journal one. I tried to incorporate as many diverse learning traits into my projects as possible. 

I loved to see what each student decided to do. I was able to get to know my students even better as their talents and interests shone through their project and their book selection.

After students read their book, it was up to them to manage their time to then complete their project at home. I chose to do this in the 4th quarter as a way to wind down the school year. 

I have completed this project with students in the classroom before, as opposed to an at-home assignment. Students would independently read their books for a week to two weeks and then, afterward, work on their project for a week. When completing it in the classroom, we set individual goals for each student. Students would take the total number of pages that were in their book, divide by the number of class periods I gave them to read their book and, strive for that goal. Any pages not finished within that period during the day would be homework in the evening. Some students excelled under this goal-setting challenge.

Then, they also had to manage their time while working on their project. They set mini goals and whatever was not accomplished was finished over the weekend, and we would present that Monday. I’ve done it both ways and each way has worked out well. 

After my class presented their projects, I had them write a paragraph about a book they heard about during the presentations that interested them and that they wanted to read. They had to write why it seemed interesting to them. Some students even exchanged books right then and there. I even learned about some new novels I had not heard of that would be great additions to the classroom library.

Each year as I do the Independent Book Project, I am finding that I love it more and more. Autonomy, creativity, independence are all aspects of this project that students value. Reading is promoted and students have fun! What more could you ask for? If you’re interested in the exact project list and rubric I did with my classes, please click the link attached to each photo distributed throughout this blog.

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Project Core

A Stepping-Up Technology Implementation Grant Directed by the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies

Independent Reading Module

Description.

This module discusses how to support interaction and teach communication as students select, read, and discuss age- and ability-appropriate books during independent reading. 

Learning Outcomes

Participants will be able to explain how to support communication during independent reading.

Participants will be able to provide a rationale for providing independent reading time for students who do not yet use speech, signs, or symbols to meet all of their communication needs.

Online Self-Directed Module 

Begin the online Independent Reading Module

Facilitated Materials

Present this module to a group

Croc Charm Book Project- Fiction Independent Reading Accountability- Book Report

• Google Apps™

What educators are saying

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Description

Do you need an engaging book project for independent reading accountability? This croc charm book project is an activity your students will love. Students will create croc charms for a novel by focusing on characters, conflict, symbols, and setting. This croc charm book project can be done on the printable PDF or online in Google Slides. It can be used with any piece of fiction, a rubric is included, and there's no prep work for you. Just print and go or assign online.

This independent reading croc charm book project includes

• teacher guide
• student directions
• explanation chart
• rubric with editable point values
• printable PDF version
• digital Google Slides version

Check out other independent reading activities:

Independent Reading Workbook

Fiction Reading Response Choice Boards

First Chapter Friday Kit

Book Tasting Kit

Character Locker Book Project

Character Tattoo Book Project

Novel Playlist Book Project

Book Project Bundle

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Queen tells children ‘the more books you read, the more you’re going to learn’ as she opens new school library

The coronation libraries project has revitalised library spaces in 50 primary schools across the uk in communities facing low literacy rates, article bookmarked.

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The Queen opened a new school library as she told excited pupils reading will open doors and make a “huge difference” for them in life.

Camilla told children at Moreland Primary School in Islington , London, “the more books you read, the more you’re going to learn”.

The royal’s proud history of contributions to literacy initiatives was honoured through the opening of the library and part of the Coronation Libraries Project.

The project has revitalised library spaces in 50 primary schools across the UK in communities facing low literacy rates, significant economic challenges and a lack of access to books both at home and in school, especially for children.

The Queen added: “You’re really lucky to have such a beautiful library and I hope you’re going to enjoy reading all the books, because the more books you read the more you’re going to learn.

“The more you’re going to learn the more you’re going to get on in life.

“It’s so important to keep reading, and I think having a library like this makes a huge difference to all of you here.

“Good luck and keep reading.”

The library is stocked with 300 brand new books which includes the Chase Coronation Collection, featuring the top 23 children’s books as selected by UK primary school children in honour of the 2023 coronation where Camilla was crowned alongside her husband, the King.

During Tuesday’s visit, the Queen joined children in the school’s assembly hall as they listened to stories told by British-Sierra Leonean rapper and storyteller Alim Kamara, the founder of the storytelling company Storie Storie.

Mr Kamara said the Queen praised him as “an excellent storyteller” and commended his ability to keep all the children “gripped in their seats”.

In the library, Camilla and pupil ambassadors heard a recital of the poem One Thousand Libraries by Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho.

Mr Coelho said: “I had the lovely opportunity of talking to Her Majesty about how she reads to her grandchildren and about the importance of poems and books. It was really lovely to share that passion with her.”

Camilla also joined a roundtable discussion chaired by Bloomberg News anchor Tom Mackenzie. Bloomberg supported 25 of the 50 libraries as part of the Coronation Libraries Project.

The entire school gathered in the playground as the Queen enjoyed a performance by the school choir, while pupils waved flags decorated with drawings of their favourite book characters, before she said farewell.

The children told Camilla she was “beautiful, capable, and awesome” while one child said she was “excited” and vowed never to wash her hands again after shaking hands with the Queen.

The Queen complimented one child, remarking that “someone has been practising their curtsies” and said that it was a “pleasure” to visit the school.

Moreland Primary School’s library marks the significant milestone of being the 1,000th transformed through the Libraries for Primaries campaign.

Launched in 2021 by the National Literacy Trust and Penguin Books, the campaign unites charities, publishers, and businesses to tackle the lack of investment in primary school libraries,

Catherine Lawrence, headteacher at Moreland Primary School, said: “We were honoured to receive Her Majesty Queen Camilla today to open our fantastic new library space and hear first-hand from pupils about their passion for reading.

“This new chapter for our library is a momentous occasion for our school and community.

“Reading is at the heart of our curriculum and the library will cement our aim to not only empower every child with the tools they need to succeed, but also foster a love of reading that lasts a lifetime.

“Access to books at home is limited for many of our children; this new library gives families the opportunity to share the joy of books together, regardless of their background or circumstance.”

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