Various classroom activities provide students with new ways to appreciate and celebrate reading. What works best for your classroom depends on the children's grade level and the community resources, but some basic ideas include a field trip to the library, a "read-in" and having local heroes visit the class to read passages from a book you've selected. If you're using a library field trip, send home the forms for a new library card with each student beforehand; students may not have cards. For a read-in, allow the students to come to class in pajamas or comfortable clothing and provide books and snacks for an all-day reading marathon. Use trivia games with questions based on a book the class read, literary bingo and crossword puzzles, and other games with prizes.
A classroom reading communicating fosters both a love for reading and reading participation. A reading community is a group of lesson plans and activities that create a literary community among the students. For example, have each student select a favorite book and then try to "sell" the book to the rest of the class. The student explains what he likes about the book and why others should read it. Recommended books are read by the entire class, and the class participates in a group discussion about the story. Create recommendation lists and even host book awards, when students vote on the books and award prizes based on set categories, such as "best male character." The elements of a reading community allow the students to share opinions and excitement about books with other students, invigorating the whole class.
A reading bulletin board is an ongoing project the students work on while reading a story. Select a book for the class to read and set up a special bulletin board for that story only. Have the students design pictures and create drawings reflecting the story's main setting — a board for a story set in a house could have the main rooms to start, for example — and have students add drawings and pictures as the story progressives. For example, each time a new character is introduced, the students could work on a picture of the character with brief description to add to the bulletin board. Set an activity for the end of the story. For instance, once all story characters and places are representative on the board, have students match quotes from the book to the correct character and story scenes to the right place.
Book reports show you students read and comprehended a story, but the students may find the reports themselves boring. Try different book report formats to draw the students into the process. Some ideas include character comparisons, character interviews, "psychic" book reports and live scene reenactments. A character comparison has the student compare himself to the book's primary character, including physical appearance and choices made in the story. Encourage students to explain why they would or would not make the same decisions as the book character. A student may make up an interview with a book character or interview another student playing that character, with the interview writing down questions and responses. For a psychic book report, ask the students to write down what they think the book is about based on the book's cover and back summary, with another report due after they're read the book. Live scene reenactments vary; selected groups of students may reenact a book scene or put a modern spin on the scene, such as assigning one student to cover the action in the role of a news reporter.