Cultivating a Habit of Reading in Elementary School

Every single day, I observe different reading behaviors that stretch across my upper elementary classroom. I see readers wanting to discuss the characters they are reading about, while others are focused on sharing a passage they wrote in their reader’s notebook. Each student’s reading personality is clearly on display. Some students, however, haven’t yet felt this valuable connection.

I recently read The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg. The book naturally centers around good and bad habits, and how focusing on strengthening one skill set through habit has a positive impact on other areas as well. I began to think about reading engagement and the various reading habits that educators try to model for children. What are some of the habits that I foster in order to develop lifelong readers?

Sharing About Reading

One reading habit that I encourage is the act of sharing. I want my students to share the genres or authors they are interested in, and I encourage them to make book recommendations. At times I have had reading partnerships or small reading groups share recommendations about the books they have read. Even my morning meeting has a space for students to share about books.

This has since spilled over into my students’ making requests for the classroom library. For example, they will frequently ask me questions like “The next time you purchase books for the classroom library, can you look into buying more books by this author? We want to read it as a buddy book and have a conversation about it.” This certainly is music to my ears. To me, it is a sign that the students are passionate about a text. 

I’ve come to understand that reading can be a pleasurable social process for students. Just like adults in a book group, children crave opportunities to talk about books with their peers, especially in small groups that allow them to express their feelings about the stories they read. Whether the group is two people discussing their thoughts on a book or a slightly larger literature circle, sharing is a meaningful habit that deepens comprehension skills. Creating times to share is quite possibly my favorite habit.

Scheduling Reading Time and Shopping Time

Another habit I make sure does not get interrupted is class reading time. This is not something we do only if we are done with classwork. Reading is scheduled for my students every day. During this time, I meet with strategy groups or partnerships and confer with individual students. The students I am not meeting with are expected to read in a space that is just right for them. Some students like to curl up on the floor, and others like to remain at their seat.

Creating independent opportunities for students to explore books outside of actual reading time is another habit I promote. On Wednesdays, my students have book “shopping” time. This is a low-stakes time to sift through bins from the classroom library. To start off, I strategically place different bins of books from my classroom library on student tables. This is also a positive way to expand their taste into genres they normally do not read, like historical fiction, realistic fiction, biography, autobiography, graphic novels, and more.

While they sift through the bins, I am learning about their tastes, researching my students. As reading teachers, we always feel the need to jump in and start coaching. However, there is real value to just researching the needs of the students. The book bins have different themes.

For example, during an inquiry study my class did on surfing and skateboarding, we created a library bin filled with skateboarding books. During another inquiry unit on entertainment, students were interested in pairing up and reading about various celebrities. One pair eagerly picked out Who Is Lin-Manuel Miranda?, by Elijah Rey-David Matos and Who HQ, illustrated by David Malan. This enthusiasm for choosing books based on interest is evident. Once students have decided on a book, I schedule a time with them to have a book discussion.

Sometimes I come across students who have a harder time committing to anything. When these moments happen, I go book shopping with them. I will introduce them to literature that I think might be a good fit for them. Occasionally I may say, “Hey, I read this book, and it made me think of you. Why don’t you read the first 10 pages to see if this is up your alley.”

Now, while I love to think every book needs to be read from cover to cover, I have ditched a book that really didn’t connect with me. It was incredibly liberating. As a teacher, this was a healthy reminder of how important it is for students to be reading books they are interested in. Reading shouldn’t feel like a chore.

As an educator who loves creating a spark in my students’ reading time, I know the importance of building positive reading habits by connecting students to meaningful book choices. Exploring new genres will help build enthusiasm and increase reading engagement for our students, helping to ensure that reading becomes a lifelong habit.