Post-it Note Book Recommendations
Why a blog post about something as simple as putting sticky notes on books? This was something bigger. This was an experiment in the social reading experience. Our students are social creatures (mostly). Reading appears to be a solitary endeavor. However, when a book moves from the quiet place in our head and our heart into the world, we give a little piece of ourselves away with the recommendation. Through recommendations, students are connecting with one another and with the text.
I believe one of the most powerful ways to spread a love of reading is to share book recommendations with one another. My TBR list is ridiculously long, but I prioritize these according to what my friends and colleagues are saying about what THEY are reading. Why not take this same approach with my students?
I like to begin class by sharing what we are reading. We do this in a variety of ways - small groups, partners, whole group, lightning rounds, post-its, etc. This is usually a small part of our weekly class. One day earlier this year, I decided to make recommendations the agenda for our entire class. We began by chatting about "awesome" books. Students did a "turn and talk" with their neighbors about an awesome book then had the opportunity to share with the whole class.
Next, I presented some fun post-it notes that Todd Burleson gave me.
Students wrote something on their selected sticky note to get the attention of a potential reader. Why might someone want to read this book? What makes this book special? Students wrote a sticky note for a book and displayed it on the top of shelves. We even created an "Awesome Table" to display these. It wasn't long before these were gone. The power of suggestion sent most of these books home in a heartbeat.
I even asked teachers to do the same. I displayed the teacher recommendations on a table at the front of our library. These didn't go quite as quickly, but they circulated.
I attempted to script this for our 4th and 5th-grade students to include 3 kinds of recommending with a handout:
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| Student recommendations |
I believe one of the most powerful ways to spread a love of reading is to share book recommendations with one another. My TBR list is ridiculously long, but I prioritize these according to what my friends and colleagues are saying about what THEY are reading. Why not take this same approach with my students?
I like to begin class by sharing what we are reading. We do this in a variety of ways - small groups, partners, whole group, lightning rounds, post-its, etc. This is usually a small part of our weekly class. One day earlier this year, I decided to make recommendations the agenda for our entire class. We began by chatting about "awesome" books. Students did a "turn and talk" with their neighbors about an awesome book then had the opportunity to share with the whole class.
Next, I presented some fun post-it notes that Todd Burleson gave me.
Students wrote something on their selected sticky note to get the attention of a potential reader. Why might someone want to read this book? What makes this book special? Students wrote a sticky note for a book and displayed it on the top of shelves. We even created an "Awesome Table" to display these. It wasn't long before these were gone. The power of suggestion sent most of these books home in a heartbeat.
I even asked teachers to do the same. I displayed the teacher recommendations on a table at the front of our library. These didn't go quite as quickly, but they circulated.
 |
| Teacher recommendations |
My takeaways
The post-it notes gave students an opportunity to see their thinking and their opinions on display for all to see. This activity was a reminder that their voices count. Their opinions not only matter but are sought in our library. Every once in a while a book will surface with one of these post-it notes still attached and students will comment on how "that must be a good one!" Now I need to think about how to keep this activity in regular rotation so it isn't an event, rather a regular occurrence. I am thinking I will leave a basket out with post-it notes for students to do this on their own.I attempted to script this for our 4th and 5th-grade students to include 3 kinds of recommending with a handout:
- Talk - Discuss a book with a friend
- Write - Write a post-it recommendation
- Type - Type a recommendation in Destiny Quest
I thought my handout would help walk them through the steps, but it felt like it got more in the way of real conversation. I ended up completing #1 on the rug when I had the whole group together, then left them to tasks 2 and 3 on their own - write a post-it and login to Destiny Quest to write a review. We ended up ditching the handout.
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