Eighth graders in Melissa Paris’ English class at Merton Williams Middle School in Hilton are finding their true match – with books that is. “Speed Dating with Books” is a “mixer” held once a month in Paris’ classroom. Angela Boccuzzi-Reichert, library media specialist, teams up with Paris to create a fun and interactive way to look at books by creating genre centers and then sorting books accordingly. Boccuzzi-Reichert works diligently to pull and sort books and then has book talks before the mixer begins.
During the mixer, students get five to six minutes with their “book dates” at each genre center. During this time, they gather first impressions – look at the front and back covers, read the synopsis, and open the book to look at the white space, illustrations and font size. The students also have time to start reading a book they “commit to” and also are able to dismiss any titles they are not interested in. In the final minute of their time at their genre table, they write down any titles that interest them. At the end of the five to six minutes, they move on to a new genre table.
Some of the genre stations students have enjoyed include true stories/autobiographies/memoirs, books in poetry form, new releases, graphic novels, “underrated, but amazing,” books that were made into movies, action and adventure, historical fiction, teen drama/stories, science fiction, and mystery subgenres.
Finally, the students log the new titles they have “met” and are interested in onto a document. They now have a list of viable books to choose from as they complete independent reading throughout the year. Boccuzzi-Reichert even checks out books right in the classroom.
“We also play the ‘oldies’ theme song to the original television show ‘The Dating Game,’ which the kids enjoy,” said Paris.
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