Choosing Books

Good Fit Books:

We work all year on choosing books that are a "good fit" for us. We talk about the idea that books are like a pair of shoes. Shoes are worn for different purposes:

-Soft slippers for long mornings where we get to hang out in our p.j.s and drink hot cocoa

-Tennis shoes for fun bike rides and walks with the dog

-Dressy shoes for when we need to look our best

-Flip flops for lazy days by the pool

I show the kids that all my shoes fit my foot and fit a purpose. Then I put my husband's shoes on and tell the kids that these too fit my purpose for walking the dog and riding my bike, but they are too big and don't fit.

We talk about the fact that books also have purposes:

-To learn something new

-For enjoyment

BUT not every book will fit every reader so we need to look at more than just our purpose for reading.

We use the I PICK strategy to decide if a book is a good fit

I look at the book

P urpose (I ask does it fit my purpose?)

I nterest (I ask is it interesting to me?)

Comprehension (Can I comprehend what I am reading?)

K now the words (Do I know most of the words on the page?)

As your child is picking books out at the public library or book store ask them to use their I PICK strategy and make sure the book is a "Good Fit".
 

You can see our classroom library collection here:

http://www.librarything.com/home/MrsRodriguezJCES