Reading is thinking, and students’ “talk” reveals their thinking. Talking about books is a way to activate students’ interest and introduce them to new texts they might otherwise miss. Think of a book talk as a brief commercial for a book. Book talks are short—you simply want to whet the students’ appetites.
Consider the following when selecting books for book talks:
- New books by authors whom the students love.
- Another book by an author whose book you’ve read aloud.
- “Best-selling” titles that are popular with the age group.
- Books on issues or topics that interest the students.
- Books that introduce a new author, genre, or illustrator.
Book talks enable you to help your students get to know authors, genres and books that appeal to them, and thus extend their literate lives. Excerpted from Guiding Readers and Writers.
