The Goldilocks Rule

Yesterday, I shared a great video resource for kids and teachers about choosing good fit books. Although, I have used the analogy of finding good fit books using shoes, I seem to always come back to The Goldilocks Rule. I learned about this for the first time when I started at my current school.

Here is how I set it up in my classroom. First, I read Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Many of my students are familiar with the story. Afterwards, we talk about Goldilocks choosing items that were "just right" for her. I use that analogy to help students understand what it means to read and select Just Right books. We compare how Papa Bear's items were "too big" for him, just like sometimes we may read books that are "too hard" for us. We discuss what it means as a reader when the book is too hard. Then, we talk about what it means as a reader when a book is "too easy." Like it was too easy for Goldilocks to enter into the Bears' home. Finally, we discuss the purpose of reading. Why reading and comprehending matter.


I do not do all this in one sitting. Depending on the grade level, students, and time of year, this could be an entire week's worth of lessons. I had created a wonderful poster to use but I have been without it all year since our Librarian has it in our library to help students there.

How do you help students select "just right" books?
Happy Teaching and Learning!