Allowing students opportunities to have a choice in their reading experience is key to motivating and engaging young readers. The second-grade class library is always open, and quiet reading is always an option for early finishers. Books are organized by reading level as well as by series. In our classroom, students frequently make recommendations to friends which encourages organic exploration of a variety of genres. New titles, based upon students’ interests, backgrounds, and requests, are added to the class library every month with fanfare. Students are welcome to keep books in their book boxes as long as they like as well as borrow books to bring home using the honor system. Due to safety protocols, completed books are placed in our “book bath” for cleaning before they can be returned to the shelves for others to enjoy. Currently, one of our favorite book baskets contains compilations that have been written and illustrated by students past and present.

From Lindsay Barrett at We are Teachers :

Powerful Things Happen When We Let Kids Choose What They Read

We all want to inspire our students to become lifelong readers, and incorporating choice into their reading lives is key for making this happen. Plenty of research supports student choice, so much that choosing what to read made it onto the International Literacy Association’s Children’s Rights to Read list earlier this year. Choice motivates students and supports engagement. Choice encourages kids to experience books as both mirrors and windows and gets them talking about their reading.