From DEAR to Powerpoint Recommendations (Inquiry Project 1)

“In your school and practice, how do you already foster a reading culture? What tools, strategies and resources can be implemented to encourage and support a school-wide reading program?”

- Inquiry Project, LIBE 477, UBC

Image from pixabay.com

In my classroom, I am fostering a reading culture by providing my students about fifteen or twenty minutes at the beginning of every day dedicated to quiet reading. I call it DEAR time. The quiet time also functions as a gentle start to the day. I would love to spread that dedicated quiet reading time and have the entire school participating at the same time! It wouldn’t necessarily have to be at the start of the day; that’s just what works for my current schedule. I think an ideal time would be right after lunch.

I’d also like to figure out a way to use the experience of DEAR time to get the students talking about books they’ve enjoyed. Maybe they are invited to put sticky note reviews in books, as recommended by Lee (2020). The student could give a number of stars out of 5 and write one thing they liked about the book. Alternatively, we could spend some class time taking a photo of a book we read recently that we enjoyed. I can think of two ways we could use the photos: 

• print the photos and glue on a handwritten paragraph about why we liked the book
• create a Powerpoint slide with the photo and a typed paragraph about why we liked it. 

Book cover picture from amazon.ca

I imagine Miller and Bass (2019) would recommend the Powerpoint version as an example of “rich, authentic learning experiences that utilize technology in meaningful ways”. As an individual classroom teacher, I am hesitant to use the Powerpoint version because it will take the students longer. As a teacher-librarian who prioritizes digital literacy, it’s a no-brainer to choose the Powerpoint version. I can also see several ways to showcase the finished Powerpoint presentation: silent slow scrolling on the big library TV during younger students’ book selection time; something to look at when parents are in the school, or simply as a class presentation.

Works Cited:

Lee, Laura. “Schoolwide Strategies for Promoting a Love of Reading.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 12 Feb. 2020, https://www.edutopia.org/article/schoolwide-strategies-promoting-love-reading/.

Miller, S., & Bass, W. Leading from the Library: Help your School Community Thrive in the Digital Age. International Society for Technology in Education, 2019.