Books to Savor

Just as a balanced diet helps a child grow strong and healthy, a well-rounded "reading diet" fosters a love for reading and enhances literacy skills in young readers. This month, English Department Chair Mary Munkenbeck has been encouraging her fourth grade students to explore a variety of literary genres through a creative activity she calls "book tastings."

On a recent morning, Mary transformed her classroom into Chez Munkenbeck, complete with centerpieces and numbered tables. Each table was dedicated to a different literary genre—poetry, non-fiction, mystery, and realistic fiction—offering a selection of books for students to sample. The students were invited to "taste" a book from each genre by examining the cover, noting familiar authors, reading the summary, skimming chapter titles, and reading the first few pages. These steps gave each book an excellent opportunity to capture the students' interest. As they worked their way through the genres, students used "menus" to record their thoughts, noting what caught their attention, how the author "hooked" them, and whether the book was something they'd want to read further.

Although fourth graders have regular "book shopping" days to exchange classroom library books, they sometimes get stuck in a particular genre or series. Mary's book tastings are a fun way to expand their reading palette while allowing them to choose what they enjoy. She plans to hold these tastings throughout the year.

"I want to open them up to different genres so they don't always pick books that rely on the same reading and comprehension skills," Mary explains. "Exploring genres like poetry and non-fiction challenges them to develop new skills and helps them become more versatile readers." Exploring different genres is also a regular part of the classwork in fourth grade reading. During small reading groups, Mary intentionally introduces "less-loved genres" to spark excitement for something new.

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Books to Savor