Book talks are group meetings between small groups of students reading the same book, but they can include a teacher to guide the discussion. Groups are formed based on the book choices of each student, such as all readers who chose the same book are in the same group. Every week, each group is informed of the passages and sections of the book that will be discussed at the next week’s meeting. Students are individually responsible for reading, but motivated by the active discussion and group interest of the other students. The discussions include question-and-answer periods about sections of the book, discussions about the motivations of characters and opinions about the overall story.
Independent free reading time is a specific period each day when teachers give students free time to read a book in which they are interested. Students have the free choice to select any book for this reading time, but teachers and other students can offer advice based on student preferences. The primary component of this strategy is the free right for students to select books they wish to read. Students are motivated by the opportunity to make personal reading choices, and have the opportunity to enjoy reading as a relaxed part of each day.
Book conferencing is a meta-reading idea, where teachers talk with students about reading choices and the process of reading. Children are invited to contribute personal preferences and ideas to the conference. Teachers discuss different reading genres, literary styles or new literary trends. The goal is share information about the wealth of options students have in terms of book choices and give students the opportunity to learn about different types of books. Student motivation is the product of student excitement, when a child discovers a new literary genre she previously did not know existed and is given the opportunity to pursue this genre on her own.
Reading intervention is the necessary process of sitting down with a child privately and studying the student’s ability to read. This includes asking the student to demonstrate his ability to read, answering questions about passages he just read and discussions about the meaning of words. The goal of the teacher is to determine whether the student suffers from learning barriers, keeping the student from learning successful reading skills. The teacher can act to teach the student, removing those barriers that kept him from reading well. A successful intervention has a motivational conclusion when a student realizes he can now engage in reading, with the confidence he previously saw only in other classmates.