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11Feb2013
Buzzing about books - using talk and peer recommendation to hook pupils into reading

Posted by Susie Musgrove

Only one third of young people (31.6%) say that they are encouraged to read by their friends. However, young people who are encouraged to read by their friends a lot are nearly twice as likely to enjoy reading and are nearly three times more likely to say that they think reading is “cool” than those who are not.

These stats, taken from our 2011 annual literacy survey of nearly 21,000 8-16 year olds, tell us that peer recommendation and talking about books can have a significant impact on enjoyment of and attitudes towards reading. But they also indicate that this is not happening enough. Your Monster Read, our latest competition with Oxford University Press, is all about getting that dialogue going. The competition challenges primary school pupils to share their favourite reads in an imaginative way by uploading videos, podcasts and blogs of their reading recommendations to social-learning platform Makewaves, and encourages them to comment on and “like” other children’s entries.

Schools taking part in the competition have told us that the competition task has “thoroughly engaged even the most reluctant readers” and has created “a real buzz in the classroom”, but it doesn’t stop there. Here are a few other ideas from the Your Monster Read team to help teachers develop a classroom culture in which talking about books is the norm.

Modelling

A great way to get your pupils talking about reading and recommending titles to each other is to lead by example. You could start by having your current reading material (book, magazine, newspaper) on your desk each day to show pupils that you are a reader and talk about what you are reading to the children in order to generate discussions about reading choices. Encourage non-teaching staff to do this too – your colleagues in the school office/reception and the dining hall can also play their part!

Don’t forget that teachers can take part in Your Monster Read too in our Terrific Teacher category. Show your pupils how it’s done!

The school environment

Plaster your school and classrooms with pupil recommendations and give them a high profile. You could:
- Print off the ”Read of the week” poster from the National Literacy Trust and laminate it. Ask one of your pupils to write a recommended book, magazine, newspaper or website on it which can then be displayed at the front of the classroom for 2-3 days before giving another pupil the opportunity to replace it with their choice. The following week, just wipe the poster clean and start again.
- Paint a reading tree on a wall in the school and distribute leaves to pupils who want to recommend a good read and attach their comments/reviews to the branches of the tree.
- When pupils return books to the school library or class book corner, encourage them to fill in a slip recommending another book that someone else might enjoy if they enjoyed the book that is being returned. Print these recommendations on “If you liked this book, try…‟ bookmarks.
Guided reading with a twist

Guided reading groups are a great opportunity for encouraging talk around books and peer to peer recommendation. When a guided reading group has finished a book, before moving on to the next title hold a book group-style session where children are really given the opportunity to develop their thinking around what they have just read. Lay down a table cloth and bring in juice and fruit so as to recreate a special atmosphere, akin to an adult book group.

You could also try turning one guided reading session each week into a “Strictly Come Reading” scenario, where one child in the group brings in a book they have enjoyed and then persuades the others in the group to read it. Children then hold up a voting card (1-10) indicating the extent to which they have been convinced. Altogether now…keeeeeep reading!

Find lots more ideas like this at www.makewav.es/monsterread/c/classroomresources