Some prospective teachers read about as much as their students: next to nothing.

This alarmed University of Mary professor Linda Gutensohn, who teaches education majors how to teach language arts, science and math.

"Teachers should have a passion for reading and writing," she said. "I had a student say to me that she gets bored when she reads."

She looked to book clubs to inspire her students to read for fun. The hope is food and a social setting would change how students perceived leisure reading.

Her students in a science methods class read one of four science-based books. They can read "Into the Wild," "The Perfect Storm," "Into Thin Air" or "The Last River." The selections came from a professor at another university who used those books in a similar assignment.

This gave students some choice about what they could read. In school, most reading is assigned to students and little time is dedicated to reading a book of choice.

"I like to read," student Sarah Skiple said. "I wish I had more time to read."

She read "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer, a book she's wanted to read but hadn't found the time. For a teacher, an excitement for reading is important, she said.

"If I go into a classroom and I'm excited about reading, they will be, too," Skiple said.

If her attitude toward reading was indifferent, students would react similarly, she said. She's found, regardless of subject, that her enthusiasm affects how students perceive the subject, she said.

A lack of choice could be behind the disinterest in reading. Gutensohn is researching the motives behind students not reading for leisure for a dissertation. Studies have shown if teachers read and write, their students perform better in school.

Few students do read, and those majoring in education are not excluded. As it is, some education students would not be role models for reading. She's had education students tell her they never read or they wouldn't read something unless someone told them about it, she said.

Those students could eventually be classroom teachers. She wanted to find a way to engage them in reading so they have the skills necessary to help their students be good readers and writers.

"They're going out there as role models,"she said.

The result of her book club was favorable. After the students finished reading the books, she hosted lunch and coffee in a campus coffee shop.

During this time, students could talk about the books they read. Then, students talked about the book they read with someone who hadn't read the book.

Gutensohn collected written reactions from the students and shared them with the Bismarck Tribune.

"I really enjoyed reading 'The Last River,'" wrote student Carly Feiler. "This is not a book I would typically read, but I really liked the book."

Feiler explained how she sees the importance of giving her future students a variety of books to read.

The exercise in discussing the book with students who did not read it will help them when they are teachers and need to discuss a book with a student, Gutensohn said.

"I am a social learner and hearing other people's perspectives helped me better understand the book," wrote Skiple.

Overall, the students felt the discussion improved their understanding of the books they read, and helped them see a book from other perspectives.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)