A preview stack
is a collection of books that you curate for a student with their specific interests
and reading level in mind. Not only can these customized stacks jump-start your
students’ reading lives, they can also help you understand their reading
preferences as well as their strengths and weaknesses as readers in a deeper
way.

You may find it especially useful to build preview
stacks with one book from each of the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction and sit with
students as they explore and discuss the books. Make notes about which categories
intrigue students most, and use that information to recommend even more books
in the future.

After students have selected and read some
books, check in with them. Use what you learn to create more finely-tuned
stacks. As you hand a customized preview stack to a student say something like, “I know you like books about the environment, and I remember your
favorite categories are browseable and expository literature. I found these
titles just for you.” 

This
simple act will make a deep and lasting impression on the child. It will show
them that you understand and honor their unique interests and that you care
about their development as a reader.

As the year progresses, use reading ladders, a
strategy highlighted in Reading Ladders: Leading Students from
Where They Are to Where We’d Like Then to Be by Teri S. Lesesne, to help students gradually build their nonfiction
reading skills. The School Library Journal article “Beyond Reading Levels: Choosing Nonfiction for
Developing Readers” by Mary Ann Scheuer and Alyson Beecher
provides excellent examples and suggestions for creating nonfiction reading
ladders.

Identifying your student’s reading preferences
at the beginning of the school year  and
noting how they change and grow over time can also help tremendously as you
plan instruction and make decisions about what books to add to your classroom book
collection.