At first his choice for independent reading surprised me—the incongruity was truly shocking, and very few sixth-graders made this choice. The more I thought about it, however, I drew a few conclusions.

But I have kept these particular reading engagement questions under my desk blotter for many, many years—so many that I don’t even know who did the research, but I do know these questions are effective at improving reading motivation, in the person who responds, AND in those who listen to those responses, as in, my students, in my classes.

This post is a Special Thank You to All School Helpers—an indispensable part of every school.

I often read Rachel’s book to incoming students, and as a teen, she returned to read her book to some of my first-grade remedial students. I hope that teachers who encounter students who repeat a class or a grade level will contemplate Rachel’s monster drawing.