At this point we have had many chances to pick out books to read to our children. We know what to look for-- repetative/perdictible text (rhyming is always fun too!), big, beautiful illustrations and characters that your children can connect to. It has to be a story that delves into enough depth, but short enough to keep their interest. And if this wonderful, perfect picture book happens to incorporate a theme that the class is learning about, then you might just have found a book that is acceptable for the day.
But now, oh boy. Now we have to pick a book for the STUDENTS to read! Yikes! This, to me, seems so much more difficult. It's not like a read aloud that you can adapt on the spot to meet the needs of your students. You can't replace big vocabulary words with simple kindergarten words, you can't shorten big chunks of text when students begin to loose interest. When you pick a book for THEM to read it has to be just right. If it's too hard, the student will get fustrated and may begin to shut down. If it's too easy, the assessment is useful and the student will likely become bored with the text. It's a lot of pressure.
I hope that this pressure eases with time and experience. I am sure it's just like any other aspect of teaching. With practice it becomes natural. I just hope that I don't miss judge too many students' capabilities along the way.
