Reigniting the Joy of Reading With Book Tastings

Samantha Sova, an English language arts teacher at Fauquier High School in Warrenton, Virginia, has heard it time and time again: “I hate reading.” In her efforts to inspire students to enjoy reading, she sees value in giving them choice. “If they like what they’re reading,” she notes, “they’ll actually do it.”

To maximize students’ options, Sova takes her class to the school library regularly. There, the librarians regularly offer an activity called a book tasting, where five-minute timers prompt students to rotate among tables that each represent a different genre. The librarians offer a wide variety of books at each table, including graphic novels, novellas, and verse novels. Students learn how to quickly sample a new book by reading the back cover, the inside flap, and the first few pages. When they find one that interests them, they write down the title and a few quick notes on a book tastings handout the librarians have provided.

As the students move through, Sova and the librarians visit different tables and share summaries of books they’ve read previously, offering their recommendations. Once students have visited all of the tables, they rank the books they’ve written down and check out their number one pick. Again and again, Sova has seen students who swore they hated reading change their tune after the book tastings—they leave the library with a book (or two or three!) in hand, excited to give reading another try.

To hear a teacher's perspective on encouraging reading with book tastings in her classroom, read Emma Tackett's article, “Giving Students a Little Taste of a Book.”

To learn more about why book choice can be so valuable for engaging young readers, check out the video from Edutopia’s popular How Learning Happens series, Motivating Students With Book Choice.