Have you ever been around a person who shares their passion for a topic in such an authentic way that you can't help getting excited? My 3rd grade son is not known for being a conversationalist, but when he starts explaining the finer points of Minecraft his eyes light up. And so do mine!
There is something about hearing another person's heart that creates a special connection. The same is true for books. That's why I encourage educators to talk about what they're reading with students (and each other). It's such a powerful practice...and less complicated than you might think. In fact, talking about the books we're reading can be as basic as discussing our favorite foods and movies.
This is where booktalks come into play.
A "booktalk" is the act of talking about a book. Booktalks are about sharing your heart for a book in the hopes of creating a connection between your book and a future reader. Booktalks can also be used to supplant reading logs, but that's another conversation. If you're interested in learning more about booktalks (or just want to hear people talk about some cool new titles) I'd suggest you check out the new Facebook Live show Jennifer LaGarde and I started.
The first show went live today and it was a blast!
Future shows will be quick, fun, and all about the books we love. We hope you can join us for "Read This Now" Tuesdays at 3:30pm CST (or whenever you access the archived link on Facebook).
"If sharing the books we love is the heart of literacy, providing students time to read books they've selected is the soul."
