Children can be fussy eaters, so why expect them to behave differently when it comes to their choice of books? That’s the idea behind “Book Tastings,” a learning strategy quickly gaining steam in classrooms to improve independent reading by maximizing students’ freedom of choice.
The premise, according to Lorraine Radice, District 13’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, is simple.
“It’s a literacy event where students get to sample different books, record their thoughts about the books they read, and talk to each other,” Radice said.
But its impact is significant: “This really puts kids at the driver’s seat of their learning experience,” she said.
Radice, a reading specialist by trade, pushed forward the Book Tasting event as part of a revamped reading and engagement curriculum.
Teachers across District 13 have run with the idea, infusing a restaurant theme event across their classrooms, replete with a tasting menu of books for students to try. Some schools brought in tasting score cards of books and laid out red and white checkered tablecloths. Others, like James A. Dever Elementary School, hosted a “Read a Latte StarBOOKS” event where reading and the play-pretend pleasure of sipping on a latte at Starbucks were rolled into one.
That doesn’t mean solely feeding kids a literary diet of books that instantly gratify them, Radice noted. Teachers put a wide selection of books at children’s fingertips. Presented with a buffet of options, they sample the variety of literary textures and tastes to see what calls out to them and what doesn’t. In the process, students actively refine their reading interests and preferences, at least that’s the idea.
“Kids are learning how to make informed selections,” said Radice. “They’re providing reasoning for decisions and the choices that they’re making about their learning. And it’s fun.”
A wealth of research shows that students who pursue independent reading boost their vocabulary skills, reading comprehension, and overall academic success. “The more we get kids engaged and excited about reading, hopefully, the more they will read for pleasure, and then the more that they practice, they can transfer the growth in their reading competency,” said Radice.
Valley Stream District 13 has shown progress in its English Language Arts test scores, with 59 percent of students in grades 3 to 8 achieving proficiency in 2022-2023, up from 55 percent the previous year, according to state department data. This puts the district ahead of the state average, which rose slightly from 47 percent to 48 percent over the same period. While these results reflect an encouraging trend, some critics argue that outperforming the state average isn’t a tall benchmark, considering less than half of students statewide are reading at grade level.
State education officials also caution against making a year-by-year comparison of the state test results due to significant changes to the exam, saying the tests now align with new learning standards, and while the subjects are similar, both the format and scoring criteria have shifted.
Regardless of changing standards, however, the science-backed benefits of independent reading on children’s literacy skills are time-tested and solid.
“There’s a lot of research that suggests that when we do give kids choice, it really motivates them to want to do more,” said Radice. “So, where it is important for teachers to select texts for instructional purposes, it’s equally as important to give time to be reading something that they have chosen to give them intrinsic motivation.”
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