independent reading assignments middle school

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20 Independent Reading Activities For Middle School: Worksheets, Discussions, And Practice Ideas

April 23, 2024 //  by  Jill Webb

Middle grade English students can struggle to focus during independent reading time. They need structure to not only continue reading their book but also to improve their reading comprehension and other skills.

Different activities and reading strategies can help keep them engaged and also give you a better understanding of their reading needs.

1. Think Marks

Having a student annotation guide is a great way to keep students actively reading. They work well with a chapter book – or a reading passage – and are a simple way to help middle school students better understand what they read.

Learn More: Writing Mindset

2. Conferences

Short one-on-one independent reading book conferences are an activity that will help both struggling readers and higher-level students. Having a healthy discussion around what students are reading gets them excited and also holds them accountable.

Learn More: Jennifer Findley

3. Stop and Jot

If you need a fun way to get students to answer reading questions, try a stop and jot with colorful sticky notes! They cover different topics such as characters, summarizing, and making connections.

Learn More: Pinterest

4. Coffee Shop Book Club

Making space for students to feel excited and comfortable is important! Create a “Starbooks” club where students can spend time snacking (as if at a coffee house) and getting to know books they are interested in (like a classroom party, but for books!)

Learn More: The Hungry Teacher Blog

5. Comprehension Skills Bookmarks

Comprehension questions and thinking stem bookmarks are good for keeping middle school students on track. They can use the book analysis questions on the bookmark as a reminder to stop and think about what they are reading. It also covers a variety of topics so you can focus on specific skills!

Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers

6. Art Book Cover Project

Give students time to express what they have read in a creative way in the English language arts classroom with an independent reading project. Have them create a new book cover for what they read – they should use important quotes and images that relate to the text.

Learn More: FC Fox

7. Somebody Wanted But So

This activity is great at any grade level and especially for students who have a difficult time explaining what they have read. The SWBS assignment for students is color-coded with highlighters so they have a visual of the four pieces.

8. Exit Slips for Independent Reading

These exit slips are general discussion prompts on different genres! It will keep students thinking about what they are reading whether it is fiction, non-fiction, informational, etc.

Learn More: Wild About Fifth Grade

9. Book Connection Chain

A fresh idea is to assign a book connection chain project. This activity extends over a longer amount of time, as it uses the independent books students have read in a quarter, term, or year. They will make connections between all of the books and explain how they are related.

Learn More: Angela Collis

10. Book Interview

A reluctant reader will be more motivated if they know someone is holding them accountable. In book interviews, the teacher has discussions with students or “book talks” where they ask a series of general questions. It also helps the teacher collect reading data.

Learn More: Teacher Thrive

11. Reading Response Journal

This task is perfect for quiet time in class and can even be assigned as homework!  Use these menus, created for both fiction and non-fiction texts, to give your learners a chance to decide what writing prompts they’d be keen on completing. Simply have them pick a prompt and record their response in their journal!

Learn More: Creatively Comprehensive

12.  Accountability Tool

The idea for this activity stems from Nancie Atwell, “In the Middle”. Rather than doing reading logs , students will give their “status”, meaning each day they tell the class a little about what they are reading.

Learn More: Tarheel State Teacher

13. Book Spine Art

This bulletin board idea is a fun activity to do when your readers finish a book! They can create a book spine for the text they read and add it to the board!

14. Bookmark and Notes Tracker

Working on reading skills should also happen during independent reading time, but it can be hard to keep track of all your students. An easy tool to add to your independent reading program is this notes tracker. Each day students will add notes from the book to their bookmark, when finished they put the sticky on their notes sheet.

Learn More: Raise The Bar Reading

15. Text Connections

No matter what the independent reading level, all students should be able to share in making connections. This simple activity has students add links to a change when they make one of the three connections. Extend the activity by having them write what their connections were on the link.

Learn More: The Art Of Learning

16. Reading Raffle

Help motivate students to reach their reading goals and add a layer of accountability. Students get a raffle ticket each time they reach a benchmark. For example, finishing a book or passing a reading quiz.

Learn More: Hanging With Mrs. Hulsey

17. Creative Reading

These are different task cards with fun prompts based on specific topics like theme, setting, conflict, etc. Students can pick whichever they would like to answer while doing their reading. Keep a set in your classroom libraries for an easy go-to activity.

Learn More: Teach Nouvelle

18. Reading Sprints

Need a lesson plan to build stamina and fluency? Reading sprints are a burst of time where students try and read as many pages as they can, BUT they must read at a pace where they can still comprehend the text. It motivates students through a bit of fun competition!

Learn More: Reading And Writing Haven

19. Book Pass

A fun way to find a favorite book is by doing a “book pass”. The video shows you how to implement this mini-lesson into your class. The gist is that you pick a selection of a book students will enjoy. Then you have them read just a few pages and write a review to see what interests them.

Learn More: Colby Sharp

20. Currently Reading

A nice way to have informal book talks is by using this activity. On laminated cards, students will update daily what they are reading. If a student feels like they are confused or want to discuss something with the teacher, they place their card in the “Let’s talk about it” section.

Learn More: Teaching In Room 6

Bell Ringers

3 independent reading strategies for middle school.

Independent reading can be a struggle . You have a ton of ground to cover each school year, which means your class time is stuffed to the brim. You can’t imagine adding independent reading time, too. And even when you do attempt to make time for students to read on their own, the behavior is so bad – you regret the decision immediately. Luckily, there’s a way out of this chaos. With the right independent reading strategies for middle school, independent reading can be a part of your routine (without the headache).

Independent Reading Strategies for Middle School

You know how important it is for students to read on their own, which is why you’ve made attempts to do it in the past. But after a while, the stress of trying to find time and dealing with behavioral issues made you rethink the whole idea. Before I share some independent trading strategies with you, I want to find remind you of the why .

Independent reading isn’t just about expanding students’ skills. It’s about building a love of reading ( hopefully! ) and helping students see that reading is a part of their life. Whether they’re reading books for college courses or reading the news, reading doesn’t go away.

All of the independent reading strategies for middle school that I cover in today’s blog are from my workshop, The Independent Reading Reset ! In this workshop, I’m sharing 18+ strategies and resources you can use to get students engaged in independent reading. It helps to make it an effective use of time in the classroom. Learn more about the workshop .

#1 Creating a Reading Community

Before you rush into independent reading, you have to take a step back and work on your classroom community. If your classroom is anything like the ones I’ve taught in, you have a wide range of interest in reading. Anywhere from absolutely not having it to the avid reader .

You can’t convert resistant readers into engaged ones overnight, but you can make reading less painful. And that starts with creating a reading community .

In The Independent Reading Reset workshop, I walk about how you can use student interest surveys and reading life records to learn about student interests, explore different genres, and help students dip their toes into reading. This is a no-pressure way to support reluctant readers. Don’t worry about how many books they finish, focus on how many they try and experiment with. The goal is to find something that interests them.

#2 Creating a Reading Routine

Another simple independent reading strategy for middle school is to establish a reading routine. I know, it sounds obvious. But where a lot of teachers get hung up is trying to carve out a ton of time for reading in their crammed schedule. Or dedicating a day to independent reading. (I’ll share why that’s not a good idea.)

In the The Independent Reading Reset workshop, I talk about how my goal was 20 minutes of reading time a day. However, that’s not going to work for every teacher. Your goal may be 10 minutes.

Either way, you’re not going to start at 10 minutes because students have to work on their stamina. Start with 5 minutes (or even 3 minutes if that’s all you have). Students can stay on task for that quick burst of reading time, which decreases behavior issues. Slowly, you can increase the reading time. This is also why I don’t recommend a whole day of reading. Most students don’t have the stamina for 40 minutes of reading, especially in the beginning.

#3 Status of the Class

A big concern I hear from teachers is that independent reading feels like wasted time. Students might pretend to read or read one book for several months. Reading logs used to be the standard for holding students accountable with independent reading, but I like using Status of the Class .

In The Independent Reading Reset workshop, I show you exactly how I used Status of the Class with my own students, but I’ll give you a quick recap here. With this independent reading strategy for middle school, you’ll be verbally checking in on students’ reading progress. For example, during warm-ups or at the end of class, ask students how reading is going. Have they gotten to the next chapter? Stopped reading the book? Bored with the story?

This is your chance to encourage students, help them find a new book, or even let them know it’s okay to ditch their current read for something better. Plus, when you attend the workshop, I’ll give you a Status of the Class template, so you can implement this strategy right away.

The Independent Reading Workshop

These independent reading strategies for middle school are just the tip of the iceberg. In The Independent Reading Reset workshop, I’m sharing 18+ strategies, tools, and resources to help you take independent reading from chaos to time well spent in the classroom.

When you grab the workshop, you’ll get the 120-minute workshop walking you through the strategies and tons of real-life examples. You’ll also get access to bonuses that make implementing these new strategies even easier. Your ticket comes with the Literature and Realistic Fiction Unit, book tasting resource, Status of the Class template, exit tickets, reading response rubrics, and much more .

Want access to all the resources and workshops for ELA teachers? Join The Hungry Teacher’s Hub ! This membership is full of tools, trainings, and resources to help you teach middle school with confidence (while still having fun). You’ll have access to The Independent Reading Reset workshop, plus additional trainings, reading units, writing resources, curriculum guides, and more.

• Read more about: Middle School Reading

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4 Independent Reading Activities to Challenge Students

You’ve established independent reading in your classroom. Congratulations! But now what? How do you make independent reading meaningful for students? Once students are actually reading, there are many independent reading activities you can do to take advantage of reading time without killing the fun! 

(Still working on establishing an independent reading routine? Learn about putting together a great classroom library !)

Independent Reading Activities Idea #1: Quick Reading Skill Reviews

You’ve got students engaged in a book! Don’t forget to have students actually think about their reading now. 

Now, don’t go crazy. If your students are new to independent reading, you don’t want to assign a whole project or essay to go with it. That’s a fast way to kill any excitement your students might have for choice reading. 

However, I think it’s totally ok to ask students to reflect on their reading. Their choice novels can function as excellent examples for implementing other reading strategies. 

The key is to keep any assignments or tasks short and simple. (I honestly wouldn’t even call anything you hand out an assignment or homework.) 

I love short and easy exit tickets for this. Each takes less than five minutes to complete, but review an essential skill or a literary term. The task or question you put on these exit tickets should be short and applicable to nearly any novel. 

For example, having students describe the protagonist of their book reviews an important literary term, asks students to reflect on their reading, and can be answered regardless of which novel students are reading. 

You can create your own exit tickets or buy some already prepared for you. I love these exit tickets for reviewing reading strategies and these exit tickets for reviewing story elements . 

Independent Reading Activities Idea #2: Literature Circles

Once students are comfortable with reading independently and have brushed up on their skills, launch into a bigger independent reading project. Literature circles are a natural progression from independent reading. 

(Not sure how to even begin putting together a literature circle? Check out this post! )

Personally, I would separate a literature circle from independent reading activities. Either continue to do independent reading along with literature circles or suspend independent reading while doing this unit. 

Literature circles use the skills that students have built up while independently reading, but they limit choice. While independent reading allows students to choose almost any novel, literature circles are usually more limited. You might provide students with a list of possible novels or they may need to find a group willing to study the same book.

Like independent reading, students will have to use their reading strategies and discipline to read a novel on their own. They might have fewer choices to read, but they’ll have peers with whom to discuss their ideas.

Interested in a done-for-you literature circle? Try this one based on three social justice novels.

Independent Reading Activities Idea #3: Let Students Get Creative

Personally, I love letting students do something creative when the opportunity is present. It’s a fun way to engage students who might otherwise be less interested in literature. There are so many ideas out there that can be applied to any novel. 

A common activity is to have students design a new book cover for their chosen novel . This kind of activity is perfect because it can be done with any novel but still requires students to think about important symbols, characters, and events in their book.

Another activity that students love is to create an “Instagram” post. The post can be about the book or a fictional post from the perspective of an important character. So much of our students’ lives involve social media; they dive right into assignments like this. You can have students create this post on any blank paper or give them a premade template like this . 

There are innumerable ways to let students combine their creativity with analysis.

Independent Reading Activities Idea #4: Turn Choice Novels Into Mentor Texts

One of the amazing benefits of lots of reading is that it tends to improve writing as well–but only if readers are analytical about the words they read . Asking students to look to their chosen books as mentor texts is one way of helping them to make the connection.

There are many ways of doing this. You could assign a scavenger hunt and have students look through their choice novel for examples. Students can record excellent examples of strong writing, examples of literary terms, or examples of story elements. You could easily adapt this Figurative Language Scavenger Hunt to be used with novels. 

Another way to use any novel as a mentor text is to assign students an author study. Again, you don’t want to assign too much work with independent reading, so maybe you could allow students to choose an author to study from any whole-class novels or their choice novels. 

An author study forces students to examine the way words are used in writing. Eventually, they’ll try and mimic their chosen author’s style. 

One last idea is to have students pull in their books for grammar lessons. Teaching sentence types? Have students identify sentence clauses in a paragraph from their book. Parts of speech? Have students list strong nouns, verbs, or adjectives from their novels. You could even have students list sentences from their book that break grammar rules for an interesting discussion on when and why to do so. 

When trying to make the most of independent reading, it’s important to remember that it should be fun for students. Ideally, independent reading should mimic reading in real life.

“Real readers” don’t sit down after finishing a book to write an essay about it. They might, however, write a review or discuss the novel with a friend. They might create art after being inspired by a great story or imagine alternative scenes or endings.

When deciding what independent reading activities to add to your classroom, make sure they don’t detract from the pure enjoyment of reading a book for fun.

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20 Independent Reading Activities for Middle School

• Reading & Literacy

1. Book Reports: Students choose a book and write a summary, detailing the plot, characters, setting, and themes. They can also include a personal reflection on the book.

2. Reading Journal: Encourage students to keep a journal, where they jot down thoughts and questions while reading.

3. Genre Bingo: Create a bingo card filled with different genres (mystery, biography, science fiction, etc.) and have students fill in the squares as they read books from each genre.

4. Vocabulary Building: Have students create flashcards for new vocabulary words they encounter in their reading.

5. Book Trailers: Ask students to create a short video trailer for a book they’ve read as if promoting it to other readers.

6. Visualization: Instruct students to draw a scene from the book they are reading to help build their visual comprehension skills.

7. Text Mapping: Have students map out the structure of the text (e.g., exposition, rising action, climax) and provide examples from the text.

8. Author Study: Allow students to research and learn about an author’s life, works, and themes.

9. Silent Sustained Reading (SSR): Set aside time during class for students to read independently without any specific tasks or expectations.

10. Reading Circles: Form groups where students take turns discussing and sharing insights about their chosen book.

11. Reader’s Theater : Encourage students to adapt scenes from their book into a short play or skit for classmates to perform.

12. Book Club: Create a student-led book club where students meet regularly to discuss their books of choice.

13. Book Speed Dating : Organize a “speed dating” session where students briefly share their favorite books with classmates and at the end of the activity, each student has a list of new books they’d like to read.

14. Reading Goal Setting: Help students set personal reading goals, such as a certain number of books or pages per week.

15. Book Reviews: Require students to write a book review for their peers, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the book they’ve read.

16. Book Talk Show: Organize a “talk show” activity where students take on the roles of host, author, and literary expert, discussing books in an engaging manner.

17. RAFT Writing Activity: Assign students a Role (R), Audience (A), Format (F), and Topic (T) related to their book, then have them create a piece of writing using these elements.

18. Literary Device Scavenger Hunt: Ask students to identify examples of literary devices (e.g., simile, metaphor, alliteration) from their reading and explain how these devices enhance the text.

19. Classroom Library Shelfies: Encourage students to take photos or create visual displays of books they’ve read, along with reflections or reviews, to share with classmates on classroom “Shelfie” bulletin boards.

20. Creative Connections: Have students make connections between their reading and another creative outlet, such as art, music, or technology, by creating something inspired by their chosen books.

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Spark a Reading Transformation in Your Classroom with Structured Independent Reading Activities

This structured independent reading activities unit is the perfect way to get your students embarking on reading journeys. With a variety of engaging activities and resources, your students will be so excited to read that they won't want to put the books down.

Students who don't read are at a disadvantage in school and in life

Students today face a different world. Ask them, and many will admit they're not big fans of traditional reading. Why? Well, the answers are at their fingertips - through YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms. Plus, with jam-packed schedules filled with work and extracurriculars, finding the time to dive into a good book often takes a back seat. And let's be honest, when school focuses so much on decoding and comprehension, it can overshadow the sheer joy of reading for pleasure.

So, how do we reignite that love for books? Help them discover the joy of reading together!

Teachers are under more stress than ever

Here's the thing: when reading is fun, students naturally want to do more of it. And guess what? The more they read, the better they become. It's a win-win! However, when they've faced challenges with reading – maybe even as early as third grade, being held back behind their friends – they might dodge books altogether. This can lead to a cycle where they miss out on the joys of reading and even develop anxiety around it. We definitely don’t want that, right? Let's break that cycle together and reignite their passion for books! 

How Do You Reignite the Joy of Reading in a Standards-Based World?

Being English teachers, we truly get it. Our students deserve those golden moments where they can just read for the sheer joy of it. But, with all the standards, high-stakes tests, and increasing classroom demands, it's tough to squeeze in those precious reading moments. And let’s not forget, we're often expected to have regular graded assignments. On top of that, we want to give our students timely feedback and chances to express themselves about their readings. It feels like a race against the clock, doesn’t it? We're in this together, striving to find that balance for our students. 

Enliven Your Students' Love of Reading with Reading TRIIPS Independent Reading Projects

Over a decade of teaching middle and high school English, I've crafted a unique independent reading curriculum. Think about how much we all love a good adventure – be it wandering through a field nearby or scrolling through captivating IG photos from distant lands. I've channeled that universal love for travel into our reading journey using the acronym TRIIPS. It’s all about encouraging students to embark on literary adventures, dive deep into the stories they choose, and then reflect and share their experiences. Just like a traveler documenting their escapades, our students can journey through books and bring back tales to share. Ready to set sail on this literary adventure? 

Our Product Main Benefits

Our structured independent reading activities provide independent choice within a framework of reading groups to help scaffold student learning.

Increased motivation to read

When students are given the choice of what to read, they are more likely to be motivated to read. This is because they are more likely to be interested in the books they choose, and they are more likely to find them enjoyable.

Improved reading comprehension

When students read books that they are interested in, they are more likely to pay attention to the text and to understand what they are reading. This is because they'll want to learn more about the characters and the plot.

Broadened knowledge base

When students read a variety of books, they are exposed to a variety of topics and ideas. This can help them to broaden their knowledge base and to become more well-rounded individuals.

Students can share their thoughts and ideas with others

When students work in groups, they have the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas about the books they are reading. This can help them to better understand the books and to develop their own critical thinking skills.

Students can develop social skills

When students work in groups, they have to learn to collaborate and to communicate effectively. This can help them to develop important social skills that will be valuable in college and in the workplace.

Reduced stress levels

Reading can be a relaxing and enjoyable activity. This can help students to reduce stress levels and to improve their overall mental health, particularly when students have choice in both what and how they read.

What You Get

Teacher Guide

This guide includes the purpose and rationale for the year-long reading journey, instructions for setting up the reader's notebooks, and ideas for projects students can engage in as they discover who they are as readers.

Student Guide

Print or upload this guide to Google Classroom or another closed course management system for access by students in your class.

Reading Autobiography Lesson

Not only will you earn about who your students are as readers (knowing your students is one of the most important elements of accomplished teaching, according to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards), they will need to spend time analyzing their own experiences as readers and how it is they have arrived where they are, whether they are avid readers or reading avoiders. Download this lesson below.

Mini-Lessons Slideshow

Introduce your students to each element of the reading TRIIPS on which they will embarks this year, including T ie-ins (connections), R eactions, I nferences, I nquiries (Questions), P redictions, and S ummaries. Download the slideshow as a PowerPoint file, but you can upload it to Google Drive.

Student Reader Surveys

The best way to encourage students to read books or articles is to help them find reading that they are interested in. You can best do that by simply asking the students. Of course, if you're like most secondary teachers and have dozens of students, it might take you weeks to talk to each one. With this Google Forms survey, you can ask all of them and them pour through their answers and send them recommendations on your planning period, at home, or anywhere!

Reading Challenge Signup

Some students love a challenge! (Yes, I know that others aren't such fans…) So we've incorporated a reading challenge in which students are facing off against themselves and their reading pasts. Encourage your students to read more than they did last year, or to read a wider range of genres. Any growth your students experience is a win! (Replace the academic standards section with the relevant standards from your state or school.)

Reader's Notebook Graphic Organizers

Tracking reading isn't about you grading the numbers–it's about students evaluating their own reading habits. Did they read this week? What did they read? Did they abandon a book? Is there a pattern that they see in what they choose to read and what they abandon? Students setup this tracking system and use it throughout the year to watch their growth as readers.

Structured Reading Response Graphic Organizers

What is reading without conversations? Students, after all, are very social. With this graphic organizer, students are not only encouraged to choose or create a question to answer about their reading, but also to quote text, cite their source, and write commentary that analyses what they have read. Students are also encouraged to respond to each other!

Reader's Notebook Rubric

Once a month, or on your schedule, students evaluate their progress in their reader's notebooks. Have they maintained their current reading list? Do they have a list of books they want to read in the future? Have they finished reading any books? Students fill out the rubric and you take a quick peek at their notebooks to verify. No grading at home!

Creative Alternatives to Your Reader's Notebook or Culminating Projects

Encourage your students to share their reading with each other and a wider audience. Students can choose from projects such as a printed book advertisement to an online book trailer they upload to YouTube. Push them to use their imaginations as they persuade each other to read! Can be used for students who struggle with the notebook or as culminating project options for all students.

Are you ready for a completely done-for-you unit that engage your students in structured independent reading projects?

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‘Speed Booking’ Lets Students Share Book Recommendations

This fun, fast-paced activity guides middle school students to share their reading recommendations, and it can be adapted to suit a variety of literacy activities.

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As a language arts teacher, I’ve found that one of the best ways to keep students motivated to read books independently is to provide them with opportunities to share with classmates about their current reads. Speed booking is a fun, high-energy method for students to get book recommendations and practice their summarizing skills. It offers movement, connection, and a creative outlet. It can also be adapted in innovative ways through student-generated questions, character role-playing, poetry analysis, and research reporting to encourage higher-level thinking. 

Speed Booking Rounds 

The energy in my classroom comes alive when students get to move and discuss, which makes speed booking an instant hit. In the weeks leading up to our Speed Booking day, I’ll let the class know they’ll soon be sharing about their independent reading books so that everyone can come in confidently for discussion. On Speed Booking day, half of the class remains seated while the other half rotates to different partners. I put number cards on tables so the traveling students know which spot to progress to next. Students travel with a “book wish list” so they can write down titles that sound interesting. 

During each rotation, partners share summaries about books they’re currently reading. When the timer goes off after a few minutes, students move to the next spot and meet a new partner. At the end of their speed booking rounds, students come away with potential ideas for new books to read, as well as a sense of one-on-one connection with various classmates.

Students love the rapid nature of this activity, excitedly sharing as much as they can about their books in a small amount of time. As students are discussing their books, I circulate and sit with different partnerships, taking down brief observation notes. I’ll hear students share things like “I’m swiping right on my book, Among the Hidden , by Margaret Peterson Haddix, because I couldn’t wait to hear what would happen to the main character in the end! Let me tell you what it’s all about!” or “This was a fun read, but I wanted more character details to really feel connected. I’ll share the best moments.” 

Following speed booking, I’ll have students reflect about the experience with questions like these:

• What book(s) might you consider reading?
• What did you notice, like, or learn from this experience?
• How did you feel while speed booking? Did your feelings change throughout the process?    

TAKING SPEED BOOKING FURTHER 

While students can get book recommendations in many ways, from class book projects to ChatGPT, there’s something joyful about the partner connection through speed booking that can’t be replaced. To extend beyond summarizing, I've come up with some creative ways to adapt speed booking.

Student-generated prompts: Together as a class, we generate a menu of sentence starters. Students might jot them down in a notebook or add them to a digital discussion spinner to use during each of their rounds. 

Here are some examples: 

• A character who has grown or changed throughout the book…
• An internal or external conflict a character has faced…
• A connection I made…
• A new title could be…
• If I made this book a movie…
• A theme I noticed…
• I had empathy for a character when…
• I would change…
• If I could add a character…
• Describe a prequel/sequel…

Having prompts helps students expand their thinking while taking the guesswork out of how to begin and sustain the conversation. 

Character role-playing: Another way students can share about their book during speed booking is through character role-playing. Students often use props, accents, or costumes to fully immerse themselves into the mindset of their character. 

I’ll provide students with idea prompts like these:

• As your character, describe how you’re feeling at this moment in the book and why.
• What have you been dying to tell another character but have been holding back? 
• What are your hopes for the future? 

I model this for students by playing the role of Dad from our class read-aloud, The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, which gets everyone energized because he’s a dynamic character that they’re all familiar with. Playing the role of Dad, I’ll begin by dramatically expressing, “I have to tell you, I’m feeling a bit low right now. It seems like everyone, even my own family, is beginning to lose faith in me. But I promise you all, I’m going to build that glass castle!” 

Students then pretend to be their favorite characters from their books. At the end of the rounds, I’ll ask students to reflect on which character combination turned out to be the most interesting or fun. If the students choose to, they’ll reenact the conversation for the class. Students love when a particularly unusual match arises, like Katniss from The Hunger Games having a conversation with Castle from Ghost .   

Informational reading reporting: Speed booking can also be used when students are reading informational sources. Using their research notes, students can share the main idea and details and delve further into their thinking with prompts like these: 

• What does your current research reading make you think, feel, or wonder about? 
• What has stood out to you the most?
• What do you hope to investigate further? 

This method offers students an opportunity to teach and inspire one another about various topics and practice synthesizing information in a fun, spirited atmosphere. At the end of their rounds, students reflect on what they learned from each other. During this activity, students often inspire one another and find common topics of interest, which is a way for students to make connections when diving into cooperative learning and group research projects.

Poetry analysis: The speed booking method is also a fun way for students to share favorite poems they’ve been reading. I’ll often encourage students to connect with their partners by asking them to ponder questions like these:

• What was at the heart of your poem? What did it teach or show you?
• What were your favorite lines? Why? 
• What does the poem make you feel? 

Professional development: Recently I tried out speed booking with a group of middle school language arts teachers at our monthly department meeting. Teachers brought their favorite books and professional resources to share. In a short time, we learned a lot about one another through the selections we had chosen to bring and came away with a treasure trove of ideas and inspiration. 

How to Run a Successful Independent Reading Program in the Middle Grades

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10 Independent Reading Time Ideas

Independent reading is a favorite time of the day in my classroom! My students love finding a cozy place to read and get lost in their books. As the year goes on, independent reading stamina grows and grows. One of my favorite parts of teaching students how to read is watching them grow into avid, lifelong readers who don’t want to close their books!

Except…every year, SPRING happens. At this point in the year, it never fails. My superstar readers get a little… restless when it comes to routine. When that “restless routine” feeling starts to creep into our classroom, I start adding in some surprises when it comes to independent reading time. These ideas never cease to boost student motivation, engagement, and energy! In this post, I’ll walk you through 10 ideas that are easy to implement, teacher-tested, and student-approved. Ready? Let’s go!

The following blog post contains Amazon affiliate links. This just means my blog receives a small compensation if you purchase any of these independent reading supplies using these links, but don’t worry- there is absolutely no extra cost to you! I hope you find the links helpful and convenient!

Flashlight Fridays

My students look forward to Flashlight Friday all week long! Every Friday, during independent reading time, I break out my mini flashlights or our finger lights for the students to use. I close all the blinds and turn off the main lights. They LOVE it! Flashlights and finger lights are such small tools, but they always create huge excitement when it’s time for independent reading. You can see a picture of our finger light Flashlight Friday in the main picture at the top of this blog post. Below are the links to the flashlights and finger lights that I use in my room.

Furry Friend Fluency Day

Announcing a Furry Friend Fluency Day always results in cheering from my first-graders! On these days, they get to bring a furry friend in from school to “read” to during independent reading. They can sit by their furry friend, whisper read to their furry friend, retell, summarize, etc. Furry friends must stay in their backpacks until it’s time for independent reading time and they must return to the backpacks right after reading time is over. If we have any mini-lessons at the carpet (pre-covid days and hopefully again soon!) the furry friends sit in their chairs and wait for them during the lesson.

Reading Reporters

Novelty items never fail when it comes to giving my independent readers an engagement boost! What’s more fun than reading to yourself with a pretend microphone ?! Reading Reporters use reading microphones to read smoothly and with expression. During our mini-lessons, we discuss the idea that nonfiction readers use a “reporter voice” to read and deliver facts and information. My students LOVE to use their plastic microphones to be news reporters when they read nonfiction books independently! When they read their fiction books, they get to be storytellers with their microphones. The microphones I use in my classroom are linked below. I like them because they are cheap and easy to clean!

Rule-Breaking Bookworms

Are you feeling exhausted, yet you’re wanting to amp up the stamina and motivation during independent reading time? Explain to your students, “Today only, you get to be Rule-Breaking Bookworms! What can a Rule-Breaking Bookworm do? Rule-breaking Bookworms can sit ON TOP OF THEIR DESKS! They can even sit UNDERNEATH their desks. (Gasp!)” (Of course, you’ll want to go over safety rules and model how to get up, down, and how to sit on the desks.) Nevertheless, they will think Rule-Breaking Bookworm Day is the best independent reading time they’ve ever had!

Magic Carpet Reading Ride

You’ll need about 15 minutes prior to independent reading time in order to implement this idea. Ideally, you’ll also need an outdoor space on the ground that you can draw on with chalk. Tell the students that today, they will go on a magic carpet ride ANYWHERE they want. They can think of anything or anywhere they would like to read independently. You can throw out some ideas to get their creativity started: a pirate ship, under the sea, on a beach, in dinosaur land, on the moon, etc. “Where would you read if you could choose from anything or anywhere?” Then, students will draw a picture of their imaginary reading place with chalk outside and sit IN their chalk creation as they read independently! I’ve had students read with mermaids, on a unicorn, in a castle, etc. They think it is SO fun! Be sure to give them a time limit for drawing their creations, and then have them return the chalk before independent reading time begins.

If you don’t have space outside, you can also complete this idea using large pieces of construction paper or paper rolls and crayons. Students would simply draw on the paper and sit on or by their magic carpet ride destination.

Hoola Hoop Reading

Does your gym have hoola hoops? Ask your physical education teacher if you can borrow them! Either take them outside with your students’ book bins, reserve the gym, or spread out around your classroom (if space allows). Students can sit inside their hoola hoop to read! Sometimes the simplest novelty item is all it takes for them to get excited for independent reading time!

Bubblegum Bookworms

This one may or may not work, depending on school rules, your students, and your own feelings on bubblegum ha! Giving students a piece of bubblegum to chew on during independent reading, or even a few mints, can feel like a super-special independent reading day to them! It can also decrease hyperactivity during independent reading time and increase a students’ ability to focus while reading.

Playground Reading

If the weather is nice, have a Playground Reading Day! During independent reading, students can sit anywhere on the playground they’d like. This works best, of course, when you have the playground reserved to yourself. If you have a grassy area, the simple act of getting OUT of the classroom and reading outside in the fresh air can work wonders for student concentration. My students LOVE when they get to sit on the bridge of the playground, at the top of the slide, or under the monkey bars! Of course, our rules are that we are reading on the playground during the entire independent reading time and NOT playing. (However, at the end of our independent reading time, an extra 5-10 minutes of playtime is always a hit!)

Magic Wand Word Wizards

Magic Wands can actually be magical when it comes to independent reading engagement! There are many ways to use them. For kindergarten readers, using a magic wand during reading time will keep students pointing to the words as they read. First and second graders can use their magic wands to be what we call “word wizards.” As my first graders read, they “zap” a word in the text with their magic wand depending on our focus for the day. Some days, they zap interesting words. Other days, they zap tricky words and keep a list of their tricky words in their notebooks. The magic wands that I use are listed below.

My magic wand disclosure: They ARE on the larger side. I don’t mind that because my students love the idea of the magic wands. However, if you want something thinner and smaller for your students to point with, these Star Wands on Amazon are also really cute and fun!

Bonus Independent Reading Idea!

The ideas above are perfect for “special edition” days! If you’re looking for a way to help your students stay engaged during independent resource on a daily basis , meet your new best friend, Read and Think ! My Read and Think Comprehension resource helps readers think, respond, and monitor their understanding while they read.

Each comprehension symbol provides visual reminders for students to stop and jot down their thoughts as they read. Students will respond to the books they read with these six symbols:

• I predict… (making predictions)
• I wonder… (asking questions)
• I notice… (noticing details in the illustrations or photographs)
• ___ feels… (identifying character feels, emotions, and character changes)
• The lesson is… (thinking about the lesson or moral of the story)
• This part makes me think… (making connections)

Each strategy symbol, includes a model, whole-group lesson plan that you can use when you introduce the symbol to your students. Independent reading bookmarks, posters, graphic organizers, and sticky note templates are included, too!

If you have wanted your students to start responding to what they read on their own during independent, whole-group, or small-group reading but have not been sure where to start, this resource is for YOU! Learn more about the Read and Think resource by clicking HERE!

Make Independent Reading Fun!

If you or your students are starting to feel restless with your daily routine, or you just need to re-energize your readers a bit, these ideas should do the trick! For me, the ideas in this post provide opportunities to make our independent reading time memorable and FUN! You see, it’s okay to break routine once in awhile. Novelty helps our brains stay engaged and activated for learning! (If you are wanting some major breaks in your reading routine, check out my Restaurant Retell blog post or my Compare and Contrast Construction Day ideas!)

Have fun, and leave me a comment below to let me know which idea you’re going to try first!

Feel free to use the image below to save this blog post on Pinterest! On Pinterest, you can share this post with a colleague, or save it and refer back to it at a later time. Thank you so much!

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One Comment

Thank you! I have your bookmarks but have not used them as I am trying to figure out a way for my online kiddos to use them. I have in person students too and am going to introduce to them. I love all the ideas and like the tip about microphones and “reporter voice”! Flashlight Friday will be my first choice

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