Book Recommendations

My classroom library is a very important part of my classroom. Over the years, I have either received or purchased nearly 300 books for my classroom library and it continues to grow each year (stay tuned for how I organize and manage these books in my Class Library post). Needless to say, I am constantly looking for new books to add to my shelves. I want my students to be excited to browse our class library because they know they can find books they want to read!

One of the ways I encourage reading and help students build that passion for reading is through book recommendations. I love to recommend books to my students. I start by getting to know my students as readers at the very beginning of the school year. I want to know their interests, books that they have enjoyed in the past, books that they struggled to read, etc. I always find it fascinating to learn about my students’ reading history and their perceptions of books. Each student is so very unique and getting a picture of the student as a reader really helps me better recommend books that will fit their needs and interests.

My ultimate goal is for my students to leave my classroom having found a love for reading or at least having a better understanding of what types of books they enjoy! However, I find that sometimes the power of book recommendations from peers is more meaningful than any book recommendation I could give. The students love hearing about books their friends are reading! I also love listening to or reading my students’ book recommendations because often times I discover a new book that needs to be added to our classroom library!

Feel free to get a copy of my Book Recommendation Poster from my TPT store to engage your students with the same activity! It makes a great classroom display or independent project for students. I often have students share books they have created a poster about in hopes of inspiring other readers in our classroom to pick up a new book!

Also, stay tuned for an update on the classroom library. Jason is currently working on an app my students can use to check out and check in books as well as submit their own book recommendations to their classmates!