Book speed Dating

Book Speed Dating is a quick and fun way to engage students in the process of finding an independent reading book. I set up several tables with different books; depending on the teacher's preferences, each table may be a different genre (fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, poetry) or each table may be a different sub-genre of fiction (sci-fi, realistic, horror). I, first, engage the students in a conversation about speed dating to make sure they have a frame of reference, then we discuss different genres. We also discuss cover art and how much emphasis we place on the book's cover. 

I then split the students up at the different tables and give them 5 minutes to find book covers they like, read the inside of the dust jackets, and rate a book or two on their handout (attached below). They continue this process until they've visited all the tables. At the end, they go back to whichever book they were most interested in and check it out.