Hasan‘s (2000) information literate
characteristics for research inquiry.
Preparing for a Book Talk
Now that the teacher knows the students and
has established a purpose for the book talk, it is
time to select and gather books. Keep in mind the
important rule to follow when planning book
talks throughout the school year is: mix it up, be
flexible, and do not be afraid to make things
work for the students‘ and the teacher‘s needs.
Variety is the spice of life, so in order to keep
students interested in weekly nonfiction book
talks, the teacher needs to rotate the book talk
purpose between love for reading, content
focused, literacy focused, and research inquiry
skills. It is also important to vary the promotion
style of the book talks.
A benefit book talks provide the teacher with is
flexibility in the daily schedule. Different book
talk purposes require different amounts of
instructional time. The teacher needs to think
about the different book talk times, compare
those times to the book talk purpose, and plan
accordingly. One option is to carve out a 15-20
minute block of time every Monday morning. If
Mondays are not good, the teacher can select any
day of the week to do the 15-20 minutes book
talk. This time can be first thing in the morning,
or it can be a transitional time between activities
throughout the day. These particular book talks
lend themselves to the purpose of encouraging a
love for reading. The teacher can book talk all
15-20 books, model the selection process, and
then display the books around the room where
students can easily access and read them during
independent reading time. This particular kind of
book talk can run for one week or two,
depending on how many books were promoted
and how long they keep the interest of the class.
An alternative time allotment could be a daily
5-15 minute book talk. This kind of book talk
goes well when the purpose is content, literacy,
or research inquiry skills focused. Anytime the
teacher is studying a subject for a week or more
and utilizing the book talk time to model
necessary strategies related to the subject area,
one or two books can be promoted a day instead
of all of the books at once. Bottom line, teachers
need to know their students and conduct weekly
nonfiction book talks in a way that works for
their students.
Selecting books goes back to the purpose. The
teacher must have a clear idea of the book talk
purpose before beginning to select and gather
books. Teachers often plan the week before they
actually teach what they are plan