It is important as a teacher of reading to stimulate students' interest in books and reading. One sure way is by getting students to take charge of their reading. The more autonomy the student has in being able to select reading level appropriate material, the more likely that student will develop good reading habits.
Wistrom (2010) stated that one such way was by getting students to understand their reading abilities. The students can then be guided to choose material based on a colour chart describing the content of each book contained in the class library. She also stated that time must be taken to familiarize students with the meaning of the colours represented on the books. This strategy is very similar to the "Goldilocks Strategy" which was highlighted in Tompkins (1995) as an ideal tool to help students to select books. Both authors emphasised the need for students to select books that they would be able to read to encourage them to become engaged readers.
Students selecting preferred reading material would be interested in performing the act of reading. I must also point out that students of all ages can participate in this exercise. I have engaged my students in the First Year Primary class in this activity which allowed me to track their progress over time. I observed that by getting students to report on what they have read made them select books they can actually read. Students were also able to implement the reading process.
This strategy is an exceptional way to make students responsible for their learning. It fosters healthy reading habits and removes the responsibility of choosing books for the student from the teacher. This makes the activity more meaningful to the student. Individual selection of the appropriate reading material moves struggling readers to engaged readers.
Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/76696.aspx#ixzz0t0WiaO3N
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