When I was in elementary school, I remember how excited students would be for the Book Fair. Students were always excited about buying new, colorful stationery and walking away with a brand new popular book they saw online or in the movies. There would always be large stands and cut-outs of the books of new movies coming out, and I remember how I was inspired to start reading a “Wrinkle in Time,” after seeing it at the book fair.
After elementary school, book fairs started to phase out, and reading culture in schools diminished greatly. Building a reading culture in your school doesn’t require any major programs or huge budgets, but can start with motivation to help reading feel inviting, and more accessible.
A good first step to building a school-wide reading community is making books visible. Students are more likely to read when books are placed in the spaces they already spend time in. This can mean putting book carts in hallways, small displays in classrooms, or a few shelves in the cafeteria or counseling office. When books are displayed face-out, students naturally become curious. Simple themed sections such as “Banned Books” or “If You Like This Movie, Read This” help make reading feel easy to approach.
One of my favorite ways to grow a reading culture is through motivation and competition. My school library has once held a “Most Books Read in a Year” competition. Each book that you checked out and returned to the library during the given time period would put your name into a raffle. At the end of the competition, the librarians pulled one ticket and the more books you read the better your chances of winning the raffle were. At the end, I won first place in my school and received an Amazon gift card for $50!
A reading culture can also grow when reading becomes social. Events like book clubs, optional lunch reading sessions, and group discussions help students see reading as something they can share with others.
A reading culture can take time to build, but small, consistent actions can be seen by the students and make a real difference. When students feel encouraged and welcomed into the world of reading, it can become something they want to be part of rather than something they do only for class, and bring back the nostalgia of being excited for reading.
-Anna Lee