Many students are not intrinsically motivated to read and keep reading. As a classroom teacher and school staff, you need to plan to keep interest high throughout the year by celebrating student reading growth. The key is to KEEP IT SIMPLE!
- Embrace a school-wide reading theme.
- Help students to set reading goals. Celebrate success as each student moves closer to their goal Everyone is successful--the avid reader and the struggling reader--because the goals are tailored to the individual students.
- Hold reading challenges--periodically. For example, students enter their TOPS reports into a draw when they achieve a reading comprehension average of 100%.
- Develop a community and culture of reading. Talk about books and authors. Hold family literacy nights that may or may not involve an AR component.
- Consider hosting breakfast with books events.
- Design a bulletin board to recognize and track points that incorporate the school-wide theme.
Recognize reading milestones; however, keep the following caution in mind. If points are over-emphasized,
- Students may select inappropriate books in an effort to earn points and rewards.
- Less skilled readers are left behind and may become discouraged and unmotivated.
- Students may challenge the program--cheat--in an effort to earn more points.
- Extrinsic rewards should be kept small.