To make reading relevant to students, relate the articles and books you read in the classroom to things 6th graders experience in real life. Around this age, 6th graders are approaching puberty, navigating complex emotions about growth, change and relationships. Choose classroom texts that approach these concepts. If your 6th graders appear to engage with certain books, find and recommend other books with similar themes. Once young readers find their niche, they tend to enjoy books with a common theme or writing style, motivating them to read more often and on their own time.
Almost all teachers and students relate reading in class to book reports. Engage students with unexpected hands-on activities that will get them thinking about books and reading in a new way. Such activities include drawing the characters as you imagine them in your mind, making puppets out of the drawings and putting on a puppet show of one of the scenes in the book. Make character maps by having students draw the face of their favorite character, then write in explanatory words about the character around the drawing such as “charismatic,” “talkative,” “brave,” and “sarcastic.” Rather than relying on writing responses alone, incorporate drawing, music, dancing, charades and other activities.
Reflecting on reading is an important part of engaging in the reading. Before 6th grade readers can reflect on their own, it’s helpful to reflect with a teacher and classmates. Arrange students into small, even groups and assign each group a chapter or passage. Ask each group to find the significance in that passage and how it relates to a specific prompt question or to the rest of the chapter and book. Each group presents its findings to the class, and the teacher facilitates group discussion about each presentation.
While 6th graders might have a hard time engaging with assigned reading, they’ll have an easier time delving into a text of their choice. Set general guidelines, then let 6th graders pick a book that excites them to read and report on. Allow them to draw, make collages, write a poem or conduct a fake interview with a fictional character in their book report. Oversee the process of the book report to make sure students are fully engaging with the material, given the freedom to choose their books and report types. This project inspires 6th graders to read more often on their own and to read in a reflective manner.