While I was doing some research on the Web, I found the hand-outs for a workshop given in 2007 on “Pleasure Books: The Power of Choice.” It was led by Sally Collins, Leesa Cole, Kay Honeyman, Darcy Young, and geared towards teen readers.
It contains excellent summaries of recent research, plus a very nice reproducible sheet students can use when they do a “Book Pass.” I’ve used a similar form with students when they quickly review tons of books to see which ones they’re interested in, but I like the form they have better. You can read about how I structure the Book Pass in Answers To “What Do You Do On The First Day Of School?”
I’m adding this post to My Best Posts On Books: Why They’re Important & How To Help Students Select, Read, Write & Discuss Them.
Thanks for referencing our “maiden voyage” presentation on the Power of Choice: Pleasure Reading — it was the true collaboration between the ELA teachers and the LMS that helped fuel our passion for the presentation. On our own campus ( and beyond ) “book passes” have become a regular occurrence.
Informed by both my experiences as a user of English as a Second Language and as a teacher of the subject, I’ve come round to the belief that one way of promoting reading in English for pleasure with ESL learners, especially among the reluctant, is by relating, as far as possible, some of their reading activities to their areas of interest e.g. Music, Dance, Sports, Art, to name only a few. So, with this in mind, and now with advances in technology, I’ve managed to develop an online game (www.sensedom.com) that is designed to stimulate users to practise reading in English while also having fun. In this way users additionally learn to read for pleasure without realizing they’re learning at the same time. The game is still evolving, but I wonder if you, or any of your readers and colleagues, could kindly review it even as it develops.