3 Alternatives to Reading Logs

A common practice—reading logs—may also sap a student’s motivation to read, according to a 2012 study. When students were required to track the number of minutes they read, their interest and attitudes toward reading fell dramatically.

So what can teachers do instead? Allie Thrower, a fifth-grade teacher, ditched the reading logs and paired students together who would challenge each other academically while being emotionally supportive. With a few guiding questions, such as “Which character do you most closely relate to, and why?” many of her students stopped seeing reading as a chore and became excited about sharing their latest reading adventures with their partners.