Procedure:
- Individual work: The students select a text that interests them from a previously prepared stack of books. They read the text intently and take notes of questions which can only be answered upon fully absorbing the text content. Examples: What does the protagonist wear the first day of school after vacation? What is the name of the main character’s father? In which compass direction does the river XY flow?
- The questions are written on paper strips in the sequence in which they are answered in the text. Enough space must be left for the answers after each question (either on the paper strip itself or by adding blank, colorful strips).
- The paper strips then are attached to a string. Two students each exchange their texts with the riddles on a string.
- The students read the exchanged book or the text from the others (possible as a homework assignment) and try to answer the questions on the riddle string. After reading the texts, the answers are compared.
- Those who want to solve more riddles obtain other texts and corresponding riddle strings from other students.
Remarks:
- The project “riddle string” can be extended over several weeks.
- For younger children who are not yet able to read and write well, the project can be adapted with picture books and the help of an older student who produced the riddle.
- Riddle string can easily be created by groups so that individual students only have to read part of a whole book.
- Experiences in libraries have shown that books with riddle string are much more frequently borrowed by younger children.
Variants:
The students create a riddle string for every book in their classroom library, so that at the end of the year mostly all books are furnished with such strings.