Book Choice : Do Students Know Best?

The other day, the Scholastic Book Fair came to our school. The students were extremely excited, running into the library with their slips of paper to write down the books they wanted to buy. Leo wanted Star Wars books (of course) and wrote down several titles, some of which came with a lego Luke Skywalker. While I'm not exactly sure these were the most interesting or enriching books he could have chosen, he was interested in them, and that's what matters.

A chapter we read in the beginning of the year came to mind when thinking of the appropriateness of popular culture in the classroom. Holding on to Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones: Six Literacy Principles Worth Fighting For, by Thomas Newkirk, discussed the trend children have to appropriate pop culture. They create "permeable curriculums" in which they draw upon their lives, our of school resources, etc. while doing school tasks such as writing. Newkirk makes the point that it is important to allow and even encourage children to bring in media such as Star Wars and items from their lives to school. There is an unfortunate trend for teachers to ban popular culture and material that middle class deems as "low class" or "uncultured" from the classroom. Personally, I see no reason not to let children bring popular culture into the classroom, if it's what they're interested in. When cultural resources familiar to children are dismissed over the middle class/professional class type of "literature," the result is alienating. Children use familiar cultural themes to feel at home in the classroom, and if they're not able to do that, they will feel out of place. In my opinion, if a child wants to read Spongebob books, let him read Spongebob books. At least he's reading!

In fact, reading familiar texts that remind a child of their home life or reflect their interests can be beneficial. Reading from Johnson and Keir's Catching Readers Before They Fall, I came across this quote by Junko Yokota: "Books can be mirrors into our selves, our culture, our life experiences, and our community. Seeing oneself represented in literature engenders a sense of pride." (Page 102). If we want our students to be confident with themselves and their abilities, letting them choose their own books is a necessity.

Choosing appropriately-leveled texts is another issue. I believe that children do not always have to read at their own level. If they are interested in a book, and it's not wildly out of their range of ability, let them pick it up! It could serve as a motivational tool for them to practice their reading. However, it appears that many people don't share this opinion. An article we read the other week, among other things, said that "students need to be matched with books they can read" (Routman, 2). While I agree that students need appropriate texts during instruction, I don't think teacher should discourage children from choosing books beyond their skill level for recreational reading. At this same Scholastic Book Fair, I witnessed a student, very much like my own target child in ability and personality, pick up a book, clearly excited about it. He had heard about it before, as it was a known title, and he wanted to read that book. But his teacher told him, "Can you read that? You need to pick out books you can read." He sadly put the book back. Besides the fact that I think he could read that book, what message does it send to kids when a teacher tells them they can't do something? Aren't we supposed to be telling them they can do whatever they set their minds to? I was amazed at the effect that comment had on this boy, and it greatly saddened me. I believe that he could have read that book, if he practiced enough. I'm sure he would know some of the words in it. And if he didn't, eventually he would be able to.

This semester, I also learned that children like to reread books. The amount of times that Leo has read "There Are Cats in This Book" is staggering at this point, and he never gets bored of it. But he loves it! And he really is learning. Read it Again, by Brenda Parkes states, “During repeated experiences they deepen their involvement in many ways as they notice details in illustrations, internalize the rhythm of the language, enter into a dialogue with the books, and relate the content to their own experiences.” (Parkes, 63) I now know that a revisited text is not a waste of time because it's familiar, and that a student gets something out of each reading. In addition, rereading familiar texts boosts children's confidence, as they sometimes begin to recognize words and "read" them. This is absolutely crucial to their identities as readers.