#2 Helping Children Choose Books Appropriate for Them: A Lesson Plan for Language Arts Teachers
by Stacy Thomas

Background:

Language arts teachers will experience students of varying reading levels in their classrooms. They will need to find appropriate texts for readers of all abilities, and just as importantly, they need to teach children how to choose their own reading materials. By empowering children in this way, teachers can help ensure that children are taking home voluntary reading material that will foster an enjoyment for reading, rather than resulting in a frustration with reading.

Teachers who have free reading periods during their class time also need to show children how to choose appropriate books. The goal of this lecture is to acquaint teachers-in-training with "The Goldilocks Strategy," a tool for students to use when choosing reading material. Source: The handouts included with this lesson plan were provided to me by Dr. Jo Worthy of UT.

Objectives:

1. Students will learn what factors influence the ease of reading material.
2. Students will come to understand why it is important for children to read at the appropriate level of difficulty.
3. Students will become familiar with "The Goldilocks Strategy" for choosing books and learn how to use it as a tool in their classrooms.

Materials:

Handout on "The Goldilocks Strategy"; handout on the factors that influence the ease of reading material; and three books that the instructor can use to demonstrate her "soft, hard, and just right" reading levels.

Activities:

1. Supervisor will ask students to write for five minutes about what they think are characteristics of successful parent/teacher conferences.
2. Supervisor will ask students to share and elaborate on their ideas; all students record the list on their own paper.
3. The instructor will begin class by asking students to give their opinions about what makes a book appropriate for a child's ability level.
4. Following this discussion, the instructor will briefly lecture about what makes a book "instructional" for a child. She will explain that a book that is too difficult causes frustration and is not educational. A book that is too easy will not lead to growth or improvement of reading skills. A book that is just right is one that a child can read rather fluently, but the child will still need help with some vocabulary and comprehension. Like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, some books are too soft, some are too hard, and some are just right.
5. The instructor will then pass out the two handouts, which will be covered using an overhead.
6. To demonstrate the concepts, the instructor will present three books: one at her "vacation" or "too soft" level, such as a romance novel; one at her "dream" or "too hard" level, such as a book on astrophysics; and one at her "just right" level, such as "Experience & Education" by John Dewey. She will think aloud, explaining how she came to determine the levels of these books.
7. Students will be given the following assignment: Choose reading material at each of your levels (vacation, dream, and just right) to share with the class at the next class meeting. Students also will be encouraged to experiment with "The Goldilocks Strategy" in the classrooms in which they are currently working.
8. At the next class meeting, students will share their reading selections and explain their reasoning. They will also discuss how the strategy worked when they tried it out with children.

Evaluation:

The discussion during the second class meeting will be evaluated for the students' depth of understanding and ability to apply "The Goldilocks Strategy."

A Tool for Students to Use When Choosing Books: The Goldilocks Strategy

Vacation books (easy, familiar, good for independent reading):

I have read the book several times before or I have read books like it
I understand the book
I understand almost all of the words and I can figure out the hard words
I can read it smoothly and with expression

Just right for challenge (some challenges but someone can help me):

The book is new to me or pretty new
I understand most of the book
There are only a couple of words on each page that I'm not sure of
I can read some of the book smoothly and I only have a few trouble spots
Someone can help me with the book

Dream books (too difficult to read on my own):

I am confused about what is happening in the book
There are many words I don't know
My reading is choppy
I would like someone to read the book to me

Based on Ohlhausen, M., & Jepsen, M (1992). "Lessons from Goldilocks: Somebody's Been Choosing My Books But I Can Make My Own Choices Now!" The New Advocate, 5, 36. The labels "vacation" and "dream" are from Roller, C. (1996).
Variability not Disability: Struggling Readers in a Workshop Classroom. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Teaching the strategy:

Demonstrate to students over several days what the categories mean with your own reading, explaining when it would be appropriate to read each type of book. On day 1, give students a copy of the chart above and go through each category while you read a portion of a book that fits the category for you (see suggestions below). As you read, think-aloud about the relative difficulty of each book (refer to the chart). On day 2, repeat the same process but let students decide, the category for each book you read. They should back up their decisions with evidence from the chart. Then let students browse through books in the class library and pick books to read themselves to "test" using the Goldilocks system. They can work in pairs to test their books, while you move around the room listening and making suggestions. Continue this procedure, reviewing and explaining as needed. Help individual students who are having difficulty while the others read from "vacation" books.

Choosing books for demonstration:

For a "dream" or "too hard" book, you might choose an article or a book that covers a topic of interest but which is too difficult for you to read on your own. For example, I'm interested in neuroanatomy but I have very little knowledge of the subject. Even though I can pronounce most of the words, most of the vocabulary is unfamiliar to me, so I would not be able to read with understanding. I would need a teacher to explain the concepts to me and, perhaps, read and explain the book in small sections.

Something on my "just right for learning" level might be an educational psychology journal article on a topic that I have some knowledge of. It would help me to discuss the article with someone who knows more about this field and could be a teacher for me.

When I go on "vacation," or when I'm reading by myself for fun, I like to read mystery novels, magazines, or information books about something that I know a lot about (for example, dogs). I can read and learn from these books without any help but I will enjoy sharing them with my friends.