Why readers abandon books chart

It was hard, really hard. I felt like a failure. I kept the book on the coffee table for a while maybe to remind me of my guilt and then after a week or so put it back on my bookshelf. At that time, I was writing down the titles of books I had read yup — making a list so that I could recommend books to friends, and to be quite honest, remember what I had already read. So when I abandoned this particular book, I was stumped!

Where would I write down the title of this book? It was a serious problem well, for me it was. Goodreads literally saved my life. I have tried to reread a few of them a second, and yes even a third time, but rarely have I reversed my initial verdict.

So why does this matter? I tried reading the first chapter but I was really confused. A lot of the vocabulary was difficult and the book was more focused on the differences between crocodiles and alligators. I did not have the background knowledge about alligators to read this book and fully understand because I kept getting confused as I read.

I decided to put this book back in the library because it required that the reader already knew some important information about alligators.

I may come back to this book later on in the year once I have more background knowledge but for now I decided to abandon the book.

What did you notice about how I decided to abandon the non-fiction book? Students turn and talk while teacher listens in to conversations. Students share responses and teacher adds to class chart.

I think we are ready to share about books you may have already abandoned this year. Remember it is important to give a book a chance before abandoning it. This means that we try to maintain our interest even if some parts are not as interesting as others.

Today during workshop time we will share times we have abandoned books. Active Engagement mins : Students return to their seats. At their seats each student will fill out the abandon books exit slip.

Teacher circulates during this time to conference with students. I chose to use this lesson when I notice many students have been abandoning books in the classroom.

If some students in the classroom have not abandoned a book during the school year, ask them to reflect on the previous school year or imagine why they might abandon a book to complete the exit slip using reasons from the class teaching chart. Teacher collects exit slips at the end of share to reflect on student mastery. Reflection: Abandoning books is always an issue in my classroom so I refer to this lesson and teaching chart throughout the year.

I find that many students want to visit the library rather than read during independent time and quickly abandon books in order to exchange for a new one. One way I try to stop these behaviors is to require students fill out the abandon books exit slip each time they return a book to the library incomplete. Provide choice and variety and you will increase the readership in your community. Teach students when to abandon a book.

It will give them a sense of ownership over their reading process and help them build a reading identity. Lynne R. She is currently collaborating on two book projects and preparing for conference presentations this summer and fall.

Tags: book rejection book selection Lynne Dorfman Lynne R. Dorfman Reading reading choices. MiddleWeb is all about the middle grades, with great resources, book reviews, and guest posts by educators who support the success of young adolescents. Your email address will not be published. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Grasping the Radical Origins of Self-Care. Flipping over Flippity: Flashcards and More. Assessing Digital Stories in the Middle Grades. Rediscovering the Best Version of Ourselves. Have Students Organize the Classroom Library. Email address:. Read our Privacy Policy. Matching Reading Data to Interventions. Develop Independent and Inter-Dependent Learners. Innovative Practices in International Schools. Adept Questioners Are Empowered Learners. By Lynne R. Dorfman At the beginning of the year, it is important to teach our readers how to navigate the classroom and school library and how to choose books they want to read and are able to read.

But what about making the choice to abandon a book?