Getting Students to Read

New Year. New Students. New Me. New Methods. Also I wrote this post on a Monday, so that's why it talks about the weekend just ending. Begin.

This is how I got my students to read today. Ahem.

I said, "I'm giving you a month and a half to read two books. One from this list and one off of it. Also do the book report and book project."

Whines and groans. Because two books is hard. Also assignments are the worst.

I said, "I can read two books this weekend. It's not that hard."

Sounds of disbelief.

I said, "You want me to do it?"

Instant universal yes. If we have to suffer, then the teacher has to suffer, too.

I said, "Fine. I'll read one from the list and one from not the list."

I tried to let them pick, but I forgot to schedule time.

I went home.

That is a lie.

After school I immediately jumped in my friend's car and we went down to the Shakespeare festival to see a couple of plays.

On the way down I read the first book: "Rat Prince" by someone. It's a really, really fun retelling of Cinderella from the point of view it one of the rats. It was amazing. And lovely. I loved every minute of it.

The next we wandered the town with the festival and found a bookshop. I thought, I will see if they have any books on the list because I still need to finish one by Monday.

They had "Dracula" by Bram Stoker. As it met the requirement of both being on the list and being a book I hadn't read before, I bought it.

Have you ever read Dracula? There is a reason it's a classic and I'm pretty sure it has everything to do with the writing. Stoker is excellent at drawing the reader in and building tension. The tension builds and builds and builds and I didn't know how it could get any more tense but it kept going. He weaves the story about the vampire through journals, letters, telegrams, newspaper clippings, a phonograph diary, a memoir all from people who have had dealings with this vampire even though they do not even know it.

It was beautiful.

I finished the book 4 minutes before school started this morning.

I had two students try to talk to me but I had less than ten pages left and I needed to know what happened in the ending.

I told my students about the books. I shared the excitement I had while reading them.

They said, "Are you going to let us read them?"

I said, "I'll put them on my bookshelf and you can read them."

They said, "Can we take them home and read them?"

I said, "You'll have to talk to me about that after school, but I will say yes."

They were contented.

Except only two students got to have the books today and they were not about to give them up.

I said, "I liked this so much I think I'll have groups of you pick me a book to read every weekend. I'll assign students to choose me a book from the library and I'll read it."

They said, "What about 'War and Peace?'"

I said, "It has to be in the library and you have to agree."

And then they were all reading. And not just the two books I'd read over the weekend. All day. Any book they could get their hands on.

Beautiful.