We had the privilege last week to meet really wonderful educators from Fredericton New Brunswick, Wisconsin Rapids Wisconsin and Wauwatosa, Wisconsin! As we chatted with many of these delightful teachers, the question posted above seemed to come up over and over again.

Getting students to choose books that are a good fit for them can be challenging. We have found that teaching kids the IPICK method is what works for us. But here is the trick - we don't just teach it at the beginning of the year. Our system is to teach the IPICK lesson every single day, in some form or another, the first two weeks of school. After that, we teach and review the lesson every week throughout the school year.

Teaching IPICK directly, having others model, partner sharing the method, having the librarian teach, reviewing and using the method, as well as sending home monthly reminders of the expectation that children only read Good Fit Books, are all strategies we use to ensure that this critical component of becoming a lifelong reader is internalized with our students.