Reading Activity - Online Date With a Book Novel Choice Reading

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Reading Activity - Online Date With a Book Independent Reading: Use this creative activity to hook your students into reading and help them choose an independent novel they love! Students will develop an online dating profile for a book and also select a profile created by their peers to go on a blind date with. After reading the first chapter, they will complete a creative assignment to determine if it is a love connection or if it will end in heartbreak. This works well as a Valentine's Day activity or as a first week of school activity to help students find a novel they love.

How this Date With a Book Reading Activity Works:

  • Each student gets a random novel and creates an “Online Book Dating Profile” based on the book cover, the title, and the blurb on the back of the book or inside the jacket cover.

  • The teacher creates a class bulletin board that reads "Fall In Love With A Book" and displays all of the profiles underneath.

  • Students browse through the online book dating profiles on the wall or the bulletin board. When they find one they like, have them take it down. They have found their match!

  • Students read the first few chapters of the novel and examine their first impressions, then later decide if they have made a love connection or if it is heartbreak. They also examine their love story by demonstrating an understanding of story elements like plot, character, conflict, theme, and setting.

Included in This Date With a Book Reading Activity:

➡️ Detailed Teacher Instructions: Use the detailed teacher instructions to help you prepare for this engaging activity.

➡️ Online Book Dating Profile Assignment: Students will use this template to create their online dating profile for the random book they are assigned. Once all students have completed the profile, they will be posted for students to browse to find the book they want to "date."

➡️ Poster Banner: A long poster banner is included that reads, "Fall In Love With A Book." Students will put their online dating profiles under this on a bulletin board!

➡️ Student Bookmarks: When students begin their date with their book (reading the first couple of chapters), give them these bookmarks that say "Shh...I'm On A Date With My Book." This is a fun gift that takes this activity to the next level.

➡️ Rate Your Date Assignment: Students will share their first impressions after previewing the date. Then after reading a few chapters, they will decide if it is a match (they will continue reading this book) or if it will end in heartbreak (they will stop reading and find another novel). Students must justify their choices.

➡️ Our Love Story Assignment: After students have finished reading their independent novel, they will complete this final assignment where they will share what they learned about story elements over the course of the "relationship" in reading the book.

*** Digital Google Slides versions are also included for each of the assignments.


Benefits of This Date With a Book Reading Activity:

  • Students will be more engaged in choosing a novel for independent reading, a book report, or a book talk.

  • Students will not only judge a book by its cover. They will have to read the profiles to learn information about the plot, genre, the ideal reader etc. before choosing a book to read.

  • Students must use higher-order thinking to evaluate the text and explain the reasons for continuing to read or for switching to another book.

  • Students will demonstrate a deeper understanding of the text through an examination of character, plot, conflict, setting, and theme.

What Teachers Are Saying About This Date With a Book Reading Activity:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Great resource. This was a fantastic way to encourage my students to read their self selected library books. Accountability. Thank you for taking the time to create something of quality and then provide it for all of us!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I LOVED this resource - student buy in was high. This was also a great way to focus on loving a book - middle school is fraught with social 'stuff,' around Valentine's Day and this was a great way to diffuse & engage.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I used this as an assessment option for students when they completed reading an independent reading book - they loved it, especially with Valentine's Day coming up!


Pair this with our popular book talk resources:
>>> Using Book Talks in the Classroom


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