iPick - Good Fit Books

One of my students most challenging activities is that of selecting a good fit book for themselves. I enjoy doing a fun lesson using shoes to talk about how to select appropriate books.

The cast of characters for the lesson:  

I begin by putting on Mr. Upton's shoes. Obviously these are much too large for my small foot.  They students always begin giggling as I try to walk around in his gigantic shoes. 

I ask if they would mind if I played bombardee with them on Friday wearing Mr. Upton's shoes. Of course they're not a big fan of that idea and as I ask why they tell me that I wouldn't be any good because my shoes wouldn't allow me to play well. 

This leads into an awesome conversation about how some books may be too big for them. I do not mean too big in actual size of the book, I mean too big in ideas and plots that may affect their comprehension. We talk about how difficult it would be for me to be successful at playing  bombardee in shoes that are too big, and likewise, it would be hard for a reader to be successful in a book that is too big. 

Next up, I put on my heels. I tell them these are my Turkey Bowl and Sheff Cup shoes. Of course they think I'm crazy, again!  This leads to a conversation about purpose.  I explain that my heels have a purpose and that purpose is dressing up. If I need shoes for Turkey Bowl or Sheff Cup then I should choose tennis shoes or cleats.  I also use my rain boots to discuss purpose. My rain boots are for the rain. That is their purpose. 

We talk about selecting books based on our purpose for reading. Are we reading to learn about something or someone?  Are we reading instructions?  Are we reading for pleasure?  Our purpose in reading should affect our book choice!

At the end I ask them if they see any cleats on the table. They, of course, do not. I ask them why and usually someone figures out that I do not have any because I do not play sports. I explain that they are correct and there would be no need for me to have cleats because sports do not interest me. I buy shoes for things I am interested in. 

They learn that just because one of their friends LOVES Percy Jackson they may not like it. We are all made differently and we all like different books. A good fit for Johnny may not be a good fit for Jim because they have different interests and different levels. 

Here is the chart they received for their SOAR Binder to help them remember how to select a good fit book.