Three ways to ruin a good book

Here are three ways to ruin a good book:

• Require students to answer questions at the end of every chapter. It’s been called “basalizing” a novel, and it really detracts from the literature being read. I don’t want to answer questions at the end of every chapter I read, do you? There are lots of other ways to gauge comprehensionMaking meaning from something that is heard (oral comprehension) or from print (reading comprehension). , so it’s okay to drop the worksheet style questions for each chapter. We can teach (and assess comprehension) from trade booksBooks that are published for a general audience and available through online and brick-and-mortar stores. without ruining the beauty of the writing.
• Give students a book that is too hard or too easy for them to read. Rereading familiar books for fluencyFluency is the ability to read a text accurately, at a good pace, and with proper expression and comprehension. is an excellent strategy, but books used for reading instruction must be at a child’s instructional level, not their independent or frustration level.
• Plow through a book despite the fact that no one is enjoying it. Whether it’s a read aloud or a book for reading group, continually take the group’s “temperature” with a book. A book that worked with last year’s class just might not work with this year’s group. I’m not suggesting that kids be allowed to abandon a book if it gets too hard or is on a topic they don’t enjoy. I just think there are enough excellent books out there that if something clearly isn’t motivating or capturing a child’s attention, steer him in a different direction.

What would you add to this list?