See more posts at Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life .
I’ve been a fan of using heart maps in my classroom for a while. At the beginning of the year, we made name heart maps. Later in the year, we may use a heart map to identify an interest area for a research project. This week, for the first time, I tried out readers’ heart maps. Georgia Heard’s book about heart maps offers many different styles. I tend to use the simple design. Plain white paper. Taco fold. Draw half a heart. Cut it out. Then glue in your journal.
Chloe decided to cut out three hearts. She made one with white paper. Then she asked if she could use colored paper. Then she made a blue one and a pink one. I suggested that she could layer them one on top of the other. She loved that idea. One heart became about her favorite book at home about Ariel. She’s a Dr. Seuss fan and made her blue heart about Dr. Seuss. On the big white heart, she chose herself and wrote one of her poems. Why not choose yourself as your favorite author?
Chloe’s layer of Reader’s Heart Maps.
Madison decided to fill her reader’s heart map with quotes from her favorite books. Her all time favorite quote comes from Percy Jackson, “I have become one with the plumbing.” She laughs out loud.
Madison’s reading heart map
I’ve been reading aloud Kate Dicamillo’s “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,” so my reader’s heart map became about this book. Edward breaks my heart over and over again.
My reader’s heart is broken and healed by Edward Tulane.
I think making heart maps is a great way to honor your students’ individual choices in reading. They can express what they love to read in a reader’s heart map. We will come back to the heart maps to write about ourselves as readers. What would you make your reader’s heart map about?
Reflections on the Teche 
Some days when I read your blog, my 5th grade heart just leaps up and says, “Oh, I want to do THAT!” I would have loved your class in 5th grade. I’ve never heard of heart maps, but these seem fantastic. As for what I would put on my own Reader’s Heart… I don’t know. But if I can find some time this week, maybe I’ll make one and show you. 🙂
These hearts look amazing. I have done them with my kids but a fair amount keep saying that they have no memories to write about. Sometimes it is like pulling teeth to get them to list anything. Maybe I will try decorating them to give more ownership to it.
Thank you for reminding me about this great resource. This is the perfect time of the year for it. The kiddos are back into books and connected with their favorite authors. I’m thinking of Kate DiCamillo as well. We’re reading The Tiger Rising. Today two of my students (who are big KDC fans) said, “We just noticed something, all of her books have a main character who has lost a parent!” Wow. Reading passion. Nothing like it.
I have used her heart maps for writing but never for reading! I am going to now though! Thanks so much for posting this idea
Inspirational. i am so glad I visited your blog today. the heart maps your students created are very personal and so varied. “…heart maps is a great way to honor your students’ individual choices in reading” – fully agree with you.
I’ve not heard of these before and am interested now that I’m subbing again. 🙂
I love heart maps but haven’t done a reading heart map yet. I might try those next semester in my Adolescent Lit class. I’m a bit bored with reading autobiographies and would like to refresh that assignment. Thanks for sharing these examples!