September H Bennett Blog 3: Share Your Reading Life

Class discussions are my students’ favorite part of the week. They tell me about their weekend, what activities they will be involved in that week, etc. On Fridays we share our current readings via padlet. While I may think my reading life is dull at the moment, the kids know that I am always reading, be it a bridal magazine or an article/book for my class.

Through this chapter, I learned more ways to share with my students as well as an understanding of why that discussion is so important. We model everything else, of course we would need to model what an avid reader looks like! Read alouds and guided reading are a major part of that, but exposing students to various types of books, sharing your own reading record, and discussing your favorite authors gives students a larger glimpse into who you are as a reader. In turn, they will share more with you about their reading life, thus allowing for your feedback and their growth.

“In order to teach reading effectively, teachers must themselves be readers and have a love of reading and a love of learning to foster that within their students.”

September H Bennett Blog 2: Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

This chapter was a great resource as I am currently attempting to re-organize my classroom library. It is a tedious process but my students are delighted that they have new books to choose from in easy to access tubs. I was able to bring in my own books at the beginning of school, but with access to books through Scholastic, I was able to order based on my students’ interests and our updated curriculum. Even with the new books, I’m not sure that our class library would reach Routman’s qualifications for “excellent” status – yet.

But how should books be organized? Genre? Series? Topic? Author? Level? The concern with labeling by level is that we don’t want students to be identified by their level. Though this may be motivation for some students, others will find it to be a deterrent.

Prior to reading this, Mrs. Culbreth suggested I not put all the books out at once, in order to keep students checking and interested in our library. They never know what they will find and it will be a pleasant surprise as they browse. Routman is in agreement. There are 4 bins available at any given time and books are added/removed monthly. In addition, we have a “Blessed Books” section. I give students a brief synopsis of these books to pique their interest.  

Students may sit anywhere in the classroom during independent reading. There are pillows, rugs, and a comfy chair. Some students choose to sit in rolling chairs while others find a quiet spot near the window or under a desk. Allowing students freedom to become comfortable while reading foster a stronger sense of ownership and responsibility. They are invested in our independent reading time, our books, and in becoming stronger readers.

Ms. Dawkins- October

I read You Only Have So Much Time this month. This article made me realize that I could do more with the time I have by keeping things simple and making the best out of each minute. Every week I’m constantly trying to find all things for my students to do and this article reminded me to keep it simple. One major take away I got from this is use transitional periods as teaching times. There are many times throughout the day that I could incorporate spelling, phonics, or rhyming words. In my classroom, I could have students line up by calling out a word that rhymes with their name or by holding up a sight word and they have to tell me what the word is before they line up.  Another way I could make use of transitional time in my classroom is to have the students count while we change subjects. To help my students with their high frequency words I am going to use the idea of having a mystery word for each day. I feel like the time in the mornings in my classroom are maximized and used efficiently but the afternoon could use some tweaking. In the afternoon after lunch, recess, and specials the momentum in the classroom slows down and everyone becomes a little restless and tired so I'm going to think about ways I can effectively maximize this time.  I can’t wait to have reevaluate my schedule and see how else I can maximize my teaching time to become a better effective teacher.

September H Bennett: Blog 1: Not This (Miller)

This chapter discussed the effectiveness of reader’s workshop (with conferring and reflection) versus sustained silent reading and DEAR time with the differences being that reader’s workshop is structured and instructional, while SSR and DEAR are not. The points that stood out most to me were the amount of time needed daily to allow students to read on their own and the importance of teacher feedback during that time. Since I started teaching, I have utilized reader’s workshop, but have never set aside thirty to sixty minutes for just reading. It seems that centers and other “reading related” activities took priority. I felt that I needed to keep my students busy, lest they lose interest and cause disruptions. The balance of it all has constantly been overwhelming.

As I re-read this chapter, my mind stuck on how much I don’t know about my students, especially their reading lives. I know what kinds of books they like and their reading levels, but I haven’t spent regularly scheduled time with them, allowing them to read to me so that I can hear and see their growth.

This chapter changed my view of reader’s workshop. As a result, I will restructure my ELA block to include more independent reading time. The last 5-10 minutes of the block will be a time for students to reflect on what they read and their thoughts on the feedback I provided during individual conferences. I look forward to getting to know my students better and, just as importantly, to helping them become better readers.

Ms. Dawkins- September

This month I read the article Plan for and monitor independent reading. I want to make sure the independent reading block is effective in my classroom and this article gave me great ideas and helpful tips. One thing that I learned and plan on incorporating in my classroom is put out more “just right” books for them to read. Before I had them read their read well books because I didn’t have a lot of just right books for them. After going through some of the books and receiving new books I have a better selection for them. I believe by putting these books out for them it will sustain their attention and they will be engaged. Another benefit to having more books the students will have a choice in their reading. The article talked about the importance of choice and how it contributes to growth of readers.

Ms. Dawkins- August

I chose to read Share Your Reading Life. After I read this article my first reaction was that I need to read more. I was not able to share my reading life with my class because I felt like I didn't have one. When I was younger I use to read for pleasure but the older I got the less I read for pleasure and only read because it was mandatory to pass a class. My original thoughts were that because I thought that reading a book is what made you a reader but that is not solely true anymore. After thinking and reflecting, I realized that I read a lot and more than I think I do. I came to the realization that I just changed reading preferences. I no longer read for pleasure I read for information. I'm always researching something or searching on google. Although it is not a book, I am still reading. With that new found realization, I am excited to go back and share with my students my reading life.
 Another take away I got from this article is the reading log. I am going to try this out with my class in the upcoming weeks. I already set up a get epic account so that it can keep track of some of the books they are reading but I like the idea of having them write a simple response to the reading. This will let me know if they really read the book and more about their interest and reading habits. This will be a way to place some responsibility on the students as readers. I plan on placing reading log response sheets in my read to self and listen to reading stations and when they leave that station that will be their exit slip. I feel like these reading response logs will help me out a lot. It also gives the students a chance to write and reflect. In the article, Millers states that "We need to show our students that reading means making meaning" and these reading logs will get my students to read with a purpose.

Ashley Smith- August -Share Your Reading Life

I always try to share my reading life with my students. I talk to the students about the children's books I read when I was their age. I also talk with them about the children's books I read now as an adult. I give them summaries of what the books are about and read excepts of some of them so that if they become interested they will read more. Sometimes I just shove a chapter book in their hands and say "read this book, you might like it!" One child is still reading the book I shoved in his hands earlier this week ( he usually keeps one short book and never tries to read anything else). Although, my students are more into strategy guides and comic books than they are in chapter books, I am still able to share my love of reading those types of books as well. I think my students understand my love of books as well as how I feel about the importance of keeping our classroom library books in good condition. I believe that most of my students have more respect for books and more respect for reading because I have shared with them the value I place on books and the value I place on reading.

Ashley Smith- September -Section 1 Not This

  In my classroom, independent reading is one of those times where I conference with students and ask them to tell me about what they are reading. I ask questions about the characters, setting,and plot. I also ask them to read aloud so that I can check if the book they choose is a good fit for them. Often times I feel like the books are too easy.  I ask them why they chose that specific book, and why not a chapter book. The answer is always the same. Chapter books are too long! My problem is not making time for independent reading, it is figuring out how to structure independent reading so that my students are engaged in reading as well as learning about themselves as readers.
Independent reading is an excellent time to assess students comprehension and fluency. The problem for me is that some of my students aren't reading! I also feel that my independent reading time needs more structure. I allow my students to read anywhere in the classroom but, I usually have to send them back to their desk because instead of reading they start to talk. I guess I need to really look at my classroom library as well as survey my students about what types of books interest them. I also believe I need to do more reading aloud so that I can expose my students to other texts they might not pick out otherwise.

Jessica Barwick: September Blog

Routman Chapter 5:  Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

I have been working on my classroom library since before I had my first interview for a teaching position.  I have always envisioned an organized, comfortable place filled with books that my students love.  In my fourth year of teaching, I am finally getting close to what I imagined my classroom library to be.

In reading this chapter, I was pleased to see that I have already established many of the things that Routman recommends.  My library has over 200 books, it is organized into bins by genre/topic, I have plenty of pillows, blankets, and comfortable reading nooks, and I have a library checkout system that my students run.  My students like to check out books and can easily find a reading bin based on their reading interest.

That being said, there are still many things I would like to add to make my library even more inviting and students more interested in reading.  The biggest addition to my library would be a larger nonfiction section.  As Routman states, "More nonfiction reading leads to more informational writing, which is related to higher reading achievements...In truth, students often prefer nonfiction."  I personally prefer fiction, so of course, I gravitate toward fiction when purchasing new books for my classroom.  I have observed, however, that many students love nonfiction because they are curious about the world and want to learn as many facts as possible.  In my current library, I have a section for nonfiction books, but it is not organized (except for biographies being separated) into categories. This may be why students are not visiting this section more often.

I also want to do a better job of displaying books, either on the counter where my library is or by installing rain gutters in my literacy corner.  I display books that I read aloud to the class and have recently started displaying books that relate to our current units in social studies or science.  But, I like the idea of doing "teacher book talks" where I hype up a book and display it.  It's amazing how students want to read things that the teacher is interested in!

Finally, I want to include more student writing in my classroom library.  Usually, I keep student writing to put in their writing portfolios, which I give to them at the end of the year.  As long as students were respectful of their peers' writing, it would be fun to add these published pieces to the classroom library.  I could also let students publish their free writing pieces that they are proud of to add, as well.  I believe this would personalize the library and build even more of a sense of community to read each other's writing.

Virginia Woolf said "Literature is no one's private ground, literature is common ground; let us trespass freely and fearlessly." (Atwell, The Pleasure Principle, p. 46)  With a well-stocked, well-organized, well-loved classroom library, students will feel "fearless" in exploring new territory in literature.

Caleb Thrower: October Blog

I chose to read Chapter 4 from Reading Essentials for my October blog and this chapter was about making sure that teachers are teaching with a sense of urgency. This means that our instruction is engaging and always trying to push students to their next step all the while evaluating and reflecting daily. This is especially true in an elementary school where I try to create lifelong readers.

In the chapter the author gave a top five list to help students become excellent readers. This list included things like providing a large classroom library that provides student choice and offering students feedback about their reading. These are things I have tried to implement in my room this year and we have been focusing on independent reading time for students through out the day.

At the beginning of the year, we spent the first few weeks of school discussing why independent reading is important and what it would look like in our room. We made anchor charts of my job and student job during independent reading and discussed classroom library checkout. I spent some time modeling what was expected of my students during independent reading time.

I have found that being intentional during independent reading time has helped me learn more about the readers in my classroom. I have learned what they like to read and have been able to try to incorporate some of those types of books in my classroom library. It has also helped me meet the needs of the individual readers in my room.

Caleb Thrower: September Blog

As I read Chapter 5 I began to think about my classroom library and what was good and what needed to be improved upon based on the suggestions made by the author. At the beginning of the chapter, there is an emphasis of having a large classroom library. I believe this is a positive for my classroom. My entire back shelf is dedicated to housing books of all sorts. In fact, it can be quite daunting at a quick glance. But the bigger the library means more choices for the students which is extremely important.

I chose to organize my library by genre and author, not by level. When books are leveled it can serve as a literacy cage that traps students into one specific area. It does not allow room for reading exploration. My class library has genres from historical non-fiction to poetry to biographies. This format, I believe, allows students to "genre shop" to find a style that is appealing to them. And when students are interested in what they are reading they become better readers.

There are a few points made in the chapter that I would like to incorporate into my classroom. I would like to create a place (possibly on the back shelf) to display "hot" new books for the week. They can be related to topics of study, upcoming holidays, or new releases from favorite authors of students in my class. I would also like to have a bin specific to magazines that girls and boys would like to read. I loved reading sports magazines when I was a child and this was a gateway into more substantial books for me.

I have tried to create an atmosphere in my room where students see the value and importance in a classroom library and books in particular. A great library can open new doors and give children free choice to read and learn about things they are interested in, not what I want them to read.

Ashley Smith October Blog Post

I read the article, Organizing an Outstanding Classroom Library. The article discusses how to organize a classroom library that is inviting, includes a variety of genres and literary forms, current, culturally diverse, created  with student input, and accessible to all readers, including struggling readers.

Every  time I read an article like this I pull out a pen and piece of paper. I underline ideas that appeal to me and write a checklist of things I need to do to make my classroom more literacy enriched and inviting. I love reading and I have been collecting children's books for many years. I have brought most of my books into the classroom and yet I have found that most of the books I enjoy reading or enjoyed as a child, my students find "too long." In the third grade I was reading chapter books within several hours and starting on a new book as soon as the first was finished. Most of my students who are reading on grade level enjoy reading simple books such as The Gruffalo and my struggling readers try to read chapter books like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I have not taught my students the importance of choosing just right books and I believe this is why they are not as avid readers as they should be or can be. It is essential to create a classroom environment that appeals to all types of readers. I will use this idea of organizing an outstanding classroom room library as a gateway to invite my students into a world of reading they have never experienced before, but first I must teach the importance of choosing the "just right" book. For organizing my library, I will start out by holding a book browsing lesson where the students will browse several genres and types of books to expose them to different types of texts. Next, the students will pick out the books they liked best and I will include those texts in the classroom library. I think it will be beneficial to do this several times during the year so see how students interests grow an change. For me, I think this will be a great start to organizing a library that is both appealing and beneficial to my students.

Erin Lee Blog 3: Share Your Reading Life

The focus of this chapter was to share who you are as a reader with your students in order to help develop their love of reading.  The tips or strategies offered are to motivate students to want to read instead of them feelings like it is something they have to do while at school.  As teachers, we would love for our students to have this natural interest or enjoyment of reading but the truth is that most students will not feel this way unless we guide or model that for them.  Some of the main points within the chapter were to share your reading habits, share your passion, talk about favorite authors and books, discuss the importance of having a personal library, and maintain a reading record.  I feel like these are all good ways of helping show students that reading can be for fun as opposed to something they have to do.
Reading is something I have always enjoyed doing but it's not something I ever really discussed with my class.  About the only time I have ever mentioned to my class that I like to read is at the beginning of the year when we were doing the "Get to Know You" activities.  Throughout reading this chapter, it helped me to understand how I need to share my enjoyment of reading with my class more so that it will help them to understand and know that reading is not just something you do in school and stop once you are done.  I think that this would definitely help my students become lifelong readers.  When I think back on my childhood and when I started to read for pleasure, it wasn't until middle school.  Even then it wasn't because of a teacher sharing with me about how they liked to read, it was just something I started to enjoy on my own.  I have to admit though that I'm not as much of a passionate reader as the author seems to be.  I don't keep reading records or read anything I can get my hands on.  For me personally, when it starts to get to that level of keeping a record or reading professional books just because, it takes some pleasure out of it.  I like to read because it helps to relieve some stress and if I were to be at the level the author is about reading it would feel like some type of school work.  Overall, I see the benefits of sharing who I am as reader with my students and it is something I will try to start incorporating into my reading time.

Erin Lee Blog 2: Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

This chapter focuses on how having a good classroom library can help to improve the reading level and interest of students within a classroom.  Having a classroom library that is organized and accessible to children is very important and this chapter gives suggestions on how to do that and the benefits of it.  It walks teacher through a process of evaluating the classroom library they currently have and the giving ideas of how teachers can obtain new books for their library, how to include students in the decision making process of organization and books to include, and how to display books to gain interest.

                I have to admit that reading this chapter made me long for the classroom library that I had at my pervious school.  When I first started teaching, I was very fortunate to inherit a classroom library from a teacher that was retiring and didn’t take any books with them.  There were thousands of books that were in good condition.  I went through all these books and sorted them into baskets that based on topics and labeled the baskets accordingly so students would be able to find the easily.  I bought very few books during the time I was at this school because I pretty much had majority of what I needed.  When I came to Bobo, I did not have the same type of library waiting on me.  Majority of the books that I have in my room now are ones that I have purchased on my own.  I got most of these books from places like Goodwill and consignment sales.  I have been able to build up my classroom library to where it is adequate to meet the needs we currently have but I still have a long way to go to get it to where I would like it to be.  I still have my books in baskets labeled based on the topic in order to make it easy for students to find books.  The primary way I use my library is during guided reading.  I have it set up as a center for my students to go to while I am working with groups.  I very rarely have students reading from the library during independent reading because I would prefer them to be reading at their level during this time and I don’t have a lot of books to accommodate all levels in my classroom library.  Other than that, I felt that a lot of what the article talked about are things I have worked on putting into place over the years.

Erin Lee Blog 1: Section 1 Not This: Is There Enough Time? And Is Time Enough to Support Independent Reading?

This section discussed the importance of independent reading in the classroom and how it differs from other reading times such as Drop Everything and Read and Sustained Silent Reading.  It also discussed how to find time within the day to include more independent reading by cutting out or down on other activities going on.  A large part of this section was focused on a school outside of Baltimore that worked on incorporating independent reading in the classroom to help prove just how beneficial and easy it is. 

                I really agreed with all that the article had to say about independent reading and even though I have always had this as part of my schedule, there were some things I noticed that I need to work on as well.  Throughout the years I have had independent reading in my room but not for the 30-60 minutes that it stated in the article.  The maximum time that I have used is about 15 minutes.  I have found being in 2^nd grade that anything longer than that is not productive time.  After about 15 minutes, the kids seem to lose interest in reading or get tired of sitting still to read.  I find that I have to redirect students more while I am trying to conference if the independent reading time goes on too long.  Another thing I felt like I could work on was making sure there was a focus for the independent reading time.  This is something I haven’t really done in the past.  Sometimes I feel like we get so wrapped up with other things, that there’s not enough time to really set a focus or strategy of the reading. 

Kathryn Quinn September Blog Post

It's easy as a teacher to get anxiety, but Routman clarifies that "teaching with a sense of urgency" is not teaching prompted with rising stress levels; it is simply making every moment in the classroom count. He states that to do this, students on a daily basis must be engaged, self-evaluating, reflecting readers. He lists his top five things teachers can do to ensure students become excellent readers which include: Demonstrate that I am a reader; provide an excellent classroom library; let students chose books they want to read and give them time to read them; teach strategies students need to know to process and understand text.; and evaluate student regularly, giving them feedback and helping them set goals. I look at each of these suggestions and cannot pick out one that is more important than another. Students need a leading example and a set framework. Time makes doing all these things in one day hard sometimes, but they are very important because how beneficial they are to each child.

Something that stood out to me in this chapter is the "Promoting Joy in Learning" section.  He says that "effective language instruction...is social and dependent on relationships with others, with context, with the environment, with the world, and with self. Such learning is enjoyable as well as meaningful." Good readers draw on prior knowledge and experience to help them understand what they are reading and are thus able to use that knowledge to make connections. Struggling readers often move directly through a text without stopping to consider whether the text makes sense based on their own background knowledge, or whether their knowledge can be used to help them understand confusing or challenging materials. By teaching students how to connect to text they are able to better understand what they are reading. Accessing prior knowledge and experiences is a good starting place when teaching strategies because every student has experiences, knowledge, opinions, and emotions that they can draw upon.

Kathryn Quinn August Blog Post

My reaction to reading the "Not This" chapter was a happy one. I do have independent reading time, every day after Specials, where I am conferencing with students individually while trying to keep other students on task reading in their chosen spot around the room.  I love this time of the day, and many times all students enter the class excited to read and become quickly engaged in their books.  I always feel like I can do more though.

I used to worry a lot that while I conference with students, others weren't completely taking in the meaning of their text. However, there is no possible way for me to conference with every student in one day. My worries have decreased dramatically since I've started having them complete Padlet posts. At the end of every independent reading time, students are expected to make a post on Padlet using one the following skills: summarizing, making connections, asking questions, synthesizing, inferring, and determining importance. I have task fans at the back of the room that contain questions related to each skill. Students choose a task fan and then choose an question in that task fan to restate and answer in their Padlet post. The kids really enjoy showing their knowledge and being able to see what their classmates are reading. I have noticed that students are now recommending books to each other more.

Another thing that I feel like I do well is letting students choose their own reading materials.  In No More Independent Reading Without Support, Miller and Moss state that "self-selected reading is twice as powerful as teacher-selected reading in developing motivation and comprehension."  By allowing students to choose their own books, they will be more likely to stay engaged while I am working with others. At the beginning of the year, I had to talk to my students about choosing that "just right" book. During parent-teacher conferences last week, I also spoke to the parents about communicating that to their child at home. One of my ESOL students picks under-level books regularly. Today, however, he ran up to me and showed me a book that would actually be a light challenge. He was so excited and I was thrilled.    

Yes, I do believe it is possible to find the time in our day for independent reading and reduce some of the "time wasters."  I, personally, prefer to conference with students individually but will sometimes conference in small groups to provide instruction on how to improve a common skill.  I struggle with always wondering if I reaching all students every day.  All I can do is provide the framework for a successful reading workshop and trust my kids will be productive readers.

Caleb Thrower: August Blog

As I read Section 1 Not This I was challenged by the author to reevaluate how I use independent reading during the school day. For the past few years I have made time for independent reading, usually crammed at the end of the day. As I was reading it became clear that just setting time aside for independent reading with support from the teacher. Like most, my one hesitation with doing this consistently was the idea that there was not enough time during the day. But the more I read the more I realized that there is time in the day, I just have to find it.

I loved the analogy of the soldier guarding the bench when nobody had a clue as to why. As I reflect on my usual daily schedule I am challenged to see what time I set aside for different activities when maybe they are necessary. I am realizing I spend more time on things like morning work and packing up during dismissal. The time I can cut away from these everyday routines can then be used for student support during independent reading time.

Going forward, I am going to make better use of independent reading time with my students. Conferencing with them about what they are reading will allow me to gain insight to their success and struggles as a reader and will help me create an individualized learning path to help them become better readers during their time in my class. I am also excited that this will allow me to spend meaningful time with individual students to create an atmosphere where readers can be comfortable and confident in their skills and abilities.

Alisha Bridges - Oct. Routman Ch. 8 - Teaching comprehension

I chose to read this section on teaching comprehension because it is something that I will get to work closely on with my 2nd grade pull out group. I liked all of the author's suggestions and was pleased that there was no magic bullet hidden here with which I wasn't already familiar. Some of the ones that the author highlights that we used in first grade for years were: make connections to the story , think about the meaning of the words as you call them, visualize what you're reading, ask questions, and make inferences. These were standards in first grade ELA curriculum as well. As well as instruction on what to do to build comprehension, time to apply the strategies must be given. This is powerful to see the students try your direct instruction on comprehension and be able to understand more than ever before from their reading. Guided reading lessons provided the opportunity to do this with my class. Small group while students were engaged in other stations around the room gave each child one on one time to practice reading and have the teacher suggest which strategies will help, then they try it! The single most important strategy to teach comprehension, and I wish I knew this out of the gate as a first year teacher, is modeling what YOU do as a reader. This is why read alouds became important to me and went away from my time stealers list and onto my time savers list. I began to see that students won't know what you're thinking as you're reading unless you stop and give them a window into your mind. A little aside here and there while reading aloud every day gives them strategies to try when they are comprehending their own independent reading. In my opinion, this is what builds strong comprehension in our students more effectively than any other strategy. The author sites rereading as the single most important, but that gives the child no new tools. Modeling how you think when you read: making connections, looking for causation in the events, thinking how scenes in the book would look to you --these are new strategies for early readers. And daily repetition of them in your read alouds is the best way to sneak in reading instruction when the students are just enjoying your reading. It is also important to foster students making their own connections and monitoring their own reading. I like students asking themselves "does it make sense" "Do I know what's happening" or "Does it sound like language". If students can ask these things of themselves, it will invariably increase their comprehension. I also enjoyed that the author suggested lots of interaction for students. Turn and talk (if done right) can be such a great way to increase comprehension. Also, our LEGO initiative provides ways to focus students' interest and attention to what they can comprehend from the stories they read. Overall, I agree with this author and will make sure to incorporate the strategies outlined with my group of 2nd graders.

Ashley Walter August Blog: "Not This" Section 1

As I began reading the article "Not This" Section 1, I thought, "Hey, I'm doing something right! I already have independent reading time everyday"..... then I kept reading and realized I had it, but was not using it effectively. While my students are in independent reading, I am pulling guided reading groups. We focus on a book for 4-5 days, master the book, and then my students place that book in a book basket that they carry off to read to self where we never really discuss it again. I never realized that my kids could be taking that book into independent reading to do absolutely nothing with it. I am unaware if they are reading with fluency or expression the way we practiced, or if they are even reading the books at all. 

In my classroom, I noticed behavior problems were arising during center time. Students weren't focusing on their jobs and my assistant was having to call students down more often than usual. I couldn't figure out why some students were struggling in their reading centers, until I read this article. My eyes have been opened to the possibility that it may not just be rambunctious kids who didn't want to obey rules; it legitimately may be that they are unsure of themselves as readers and I, as their teacher, need to do a better job of modeling and showing them how to be REAL readers. At the beginning of the school year, I modeled how to behave in their centers, but now I need to go back and model how to be effective readers in those centers.  

Corrie Waddell Response to Blog 1 (August) Section 1 Not This

Reading this chapter made me think of my classroom and all of the daily routines  I force my students to go through. In doing so I began to ask myself these questions: "Do I have a valid reason for each activity? Could I be doing these activities just because I have seen other teachers do them?  Are all of these routines necessary? Could I be wasting valuable time doing countless calendar activities?" I, like the teachers mentioned in this chapter have found myself thinking there is not enough time in the day for independent reading or conferencing with students. I have never stopped to think that this could be because I am wasting valuable time doing unnecessary activities. I would love to find the time to sit down with my students while they are in the reading area and conference with them about the books they have chosen to read. This chapter has forced me as a teacher to look at my daily routines and teaching strategies and make adjustments. I must find time to conference with students about what they read. My presence during reading time may also make my students more eager to visit our reading interest area.

Alisha Bridges August Blog

When Reading "Not This: Section 1" I was faced with a similar question that I see in all my fellow educators' blog posts: "What can we cut?" As a teacher, we don't waste time willfully because we know it is a precious commodity. We can, over time, fall into a routine of what we find comfortable rather than best practices. To combat this, it is essential to revisit your routines and norms periodically and see if the reason they were implemented is still a valid reason for the betterment of your class. Only by answering these questions, and every educator's answers will be different based upon the needs of their class, that we will be able to find what we can cut. Knowing what is deemed essential within a reading block is another guiding principle we could use to determine this. I feel that is essential that students have guidance and a teacher as a thinking model while they model excellent reading strategies for the students. Students also need the chance to try out these thinking and reading strategies while they get feedback from their teacher, who is the reading pro. A lot of times we get caught up on what the reading program we are supposed to be teaching with says we need. This is a disservice to the kids we teach. We need to get to know them as readers, ascertain their needs, and then think about what we do as readers and how our brain processes print to make meaning. Then it is up to us to give the readers we teach all the clues, strategies, and hints we can to put in their own toolboxes to become pros at reading themselves. Even the newest teacher has at least 15 years of reading experience! I agree that SSR and DEAR are not enough. Independent reading must have structure. Kids (especially in the younger grades) need to know what is expected of them during this time and how to check their own participation. Independent reading also needs instruction. This could be your small group reading lessons or a minilesson on something you've seen your whole class struggling with in their reading previously. Independent reading must have support. That support means you provide and recommend and track the books the kids read. You conference with them about their reading. You take interest in the readers they are becoming. You enjoy books with them. This kind of meaningful independent reading does need to happen in classrooms daily as the author suggests.

Alisha Bridges September post

Chapter 5: Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library This is my first year as a special areas/related arts teacher. So when this chapter opens up with how phenomenal your classroom library MUST be and we were shown checklists and videos and inventories of how our classroom library could be, I was immediately convicted. I DID NOT EVEN HAVE A CLASSROOM LIBRARY! After the R2S course, I knew I had a new mission for my LEGO Lab -- find a spot, buy the books, put in the work and get on board. I knew no one would be coming around and writing up a report if I didn't make a classroom library. But I also knew it was just the right thing to do for my students, which is where my heart is. I agree wholeheartedly that students should be choosing what they read. What better place to come and read a LEGO book than in the LEGO Lab? When selecting texts to make available to students, I knew I would want to make as many (and I'm still collecting if any of you readers want to donate) LEGO books available as possible. These are high interest and they come in a variety of reading levels and the students from Kg - 5th grade just find them to be fun reads. I know when I taught author studies as a first grade teacher , any book I read aloud was them added to the teacher basket at the front of the room and kids were allowed to grab them at will. You’d be surprised at how the kids’ interest levels would peak after hearing the book read aloud. They’d want to read the book to themselves and to each other. What if I opened all the LEGO lessons with a quick peek at a book? That's something to consider! In chapter 5, Routman states, “The most effective reading programs are generally supported by large classroom libraries. The better the libraries, the better the reading achievement as measured by standardized tests. Books contribute more strongly to reading achievement than any computer software does. Schools with lots of low-income families have far fewer books available for students, and classroom libraries can help level that playing field. Simply put, children read a great deal more when they have access to books, and well-designed, organized, ample classroom libraries provide the easiest access for students.” Now I know that my LEGO Lab book nook won't be everything all readers need. But I am looking at this as what I can contribute to the WHOLE of what our school offers our students. The books I was able to collect are added to the classroom totals of each teacher's class library. This is the small way in which I can make a difference for my school.

Jessica Barwick: August Blog

My initial reaction to reading the "Not This" chapter was "This is great, but it's easier said than done."  I do not have DEAR or SSR time in my classroom as described by this chapter.  We have independent reading time every day where I am conferencing with students individually while trying to keep other students on task reading in their "book nooks" around the room.  I love this time of the day, and many times all students are actively engaged in their books, rather than trying to turn their book nook into a social event.  But, I still feel like I can do more.

Miller writes, "When students sit quietly at their desk with a book or magazine during DEAR or Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) time, we might see them flip a page every minute or so, but we can't see what's happening inside their heads.  We don't have evidence of how they're making meaning of the text, the specific ways they've grown as readers, or what they're struggling with as they read.  Without that information, we can't each them how to get better and we can't be sure that - even if they read every day - all students are becoming better readers this week than they were the one before."

This passage hit home because this is exactly how I feel as a classroom teacher during independent reading time, even if I am conferencing with students.  There is no way to conference with every student every day, and while I am trying my best to reach all students, there is still only one of me.  What about the students that are left to their own devices while I conference with others?  Are they actually engaged or just appear so?  Are they just looking at the pictures rather than making meaning from the text?  Are they fooling me into thinking they are learning new vocabulary words while they are actually planning their recess time?

To try to help me organize my conferences and give students purpose to their independent reading time, I developed strategy cards for each student.  During our conference, on an index card, I will list their strengths, their goal (I try to focus in on one), and a strategy to help reach that goal.  These cards are pinned to our CAFE board underneath the category that their goals align with.  During IR time, students can go get their own cards so they have their personal strategy to practice independently while I am conferencing with other students.  This is something I have only recently tried, so I'm not sure of it's long-term effects, but so far, it appears to be working for some students.  I have observed many students practicing their reading strategy aloud (adding expression, repeating passages to increase fluency, stopping to check for comprehension) so I know they are engaged in the process.  However, I still wonder if I am doing enough during this time to help them all grow as readers.

I think it comes down to trust.  I have to show them how, build up stamina, then trust the students to work on their own independently.  It is hard to let go of that control, but if I want my students to love reading and get better at it, I have to trust them enough to practice without me holding their hands.  This also includes letting them choose their own reading materials.  In No More Independent Reading Without Support, Miller and Moss state that "self-selected reading is twice as powerful as teacher-selected reading in developing motivation and comprehension."  By allowing students to choose their own books, they will be more likely to stay engaged while I am working with others.    

So, going back to my initial reaction.  Yes, it is possible to find the time in our day for independent reading and reduce some of the "time wasters."  Yes, it is possible to have a reading workshop with a short mini-lesson, reading time, and reflection.  Yes, teachers can conference with students individually or in small groups during this time and provide instruction on how to improve.  But, in practice, it is difficult to do these things well.  It is hard to feel like you are reaching all students every day.  And it is impossible to know exactly what is going on inside the kids' minds when they are reading a book without you.  All we can do is provide the framework for a successful reading workshop and trust our kids are learning from the process.

Linda Burrell's October Blog

Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

I LOVE books so I provide MANY for my students to enjoy and many that we share together in read alouds. I feel my classroom library is organized and that it includes many types of reading material on all levels. My area to improve upon is the attractiveness and invitability (new word) of the area. Students need to be given the opportunity to select their reading area during independent reading time so they will feel more comfortable, another area for me to work on. Following a suggestion from the article, I tried giving a "Book Talk" for some of the book basket books and my students LOVED it and eagerly "read" the highlighted book.


































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Claire Foote: Section 1 Not This

While reading this article I found it intriguing that many of the 'time wasters' are very familiar to me.  It's made me re-evaluate how I am using class time.  I've always thought that DEAR is a good idea.  I never though about how "we can't see what's happening inside their heads."  When my students are listening to a song I always have them follow the words on the page with their finger because, and I always tell them this, I can't see through their eyes that they're with me.  I always 'say' it but never thought about that when it comes to individual reading.  I also though liked this quote from the article: "They realized they'd been doing all this stuff 'about' reading, but never got to actually read and practice what teachers were working so hard to teach them."  We need to help them apply these skills we're teaching them!  

Dawn Mitchell's Blog Post 3 – Debbie Miller’s Section II of No More Independent Reading Without Support and Regie Routman's Chapter 7 – Make Assessment Instruction’s Working Partner

Dawn Mitchell's Blog Post 3 – Debbie Miller’s Section II of No More Independent Reading Without Support and Regie Routman's Chapter 7 – Make Assessment Instruction’s Working Partner

During the month of October our literacy professional development focuses on formative assessment, specifically the benefits of using Running Records and Miscue Analysis to determine not only what reading level a student is on, but more importantly who the student is as a reader, and how the student reads.  This provides us with an opportunity to use this information as a formative assessment tool and also as an instructional tool.

In October’s blendspace you will find a variety of resources including examples of informal reading inventories, videos of students reading to use for miscue analysis, excerpts of articles, and relevant activities to help you to apply authentic reading assessments with your students.

This month I read Section II of Debbie Miller’s No More Independent Reading Without Support and every part in this section spoke to the importance of providing support through instruction and through formative assessment for our students’ independent reading.  In the table provided on page 16, Miller says to grow as independent readers students not only need classroom time to read and choice of what they read, but they also need explicit instruction about what, why, and how readers read.  They need to read a large number of books and a variety of texts, and they need teacher monitoring, assessment, and support, as well as opportunities to engage with others to talk about what they’ve read.

Later in this same section, Miller specifically outlines specific actions such as individual schema-based learning, conceptual learning, and transactional learning as effective support structures for supporting student growth.  Miller also listed successful teacher intervention behaviors including teacher responding to student questions, teacher-led discussions, and teacher monitoring and modeling of comprehension strategies as effective as well.  It was no surprise to me that the authors found that, “It is the specific actions that teachers take to support students during silent reading periods that produce significant growth in students’ comprehension.” 

In my own experience as a reading teacher I have seen first-hand how in a reading workshop where the independent reading time is supported with a mini-lesson that provides students a goal or invitation for them to try out a new reading strategy the students have a purpose and a direction for their reading and it is targeted toward their growth.  I’ve also seen when the students during their try it out time during independent reading are supported with formative assessment strategies such as miscue-analysis and conferencing that provide differentiated support work to build a relationship with the student and help them to form their identity as a reader and a writer within a wider collective classroom community of readers and writers.

 I’ve also seen how these formative assessment strategies are also instructional in nature.  The students when they are reading to you and to their peers and/or are discussing what they’ve read benefit tremendously from the experience and we as teachers are able to use that meaningful experience to gauge student understanding and can build on that with the next mini-lesson.

Our reading assessments do not have to be limited by what is criterion or norm referenced or standardized.  In fact, the teacher’s assessments are the ones that provide our students with the most support.  In chapter 7 of Routman’s Reading Essentials, she says “As much as possible, we teachers need to do our own ongoing assessments with our students using materials that students are already reading or are likely to read.  Our own assessments are the ones that really drive instruction.  Someone else’s materials and notes rarely give the full documentation we obtain through first-hand observations of students we know well.” (page 99).

She gives a series of questions in this chapter that I have found helpful to guide my reading assessments: 

                *Is this a valid and useful assessment?

                *How am I using this assessment?

                *What goals am I setting?

                *Who else do I need to inform?

I also really love her Framework for an informal reading conference that she outlines on page 104.  She follows this natural routine in her work with students.

                *Bring me a book that you can read pretty well.

                *Why did you choose this book?

                *What is the reading level of this book for you?

                *Tell me what the book is about so far?

                *Read this part of the book for me.

                *Tell me what you remember about what you just read?

                *Let’s discuss your strengths and what you need to work on. (Sets Strengths and Goals)

                *How long do you think it will take you to complete this book?

Routman says, “Sitting right next to a student, observing him read, probing her thinking, is the best way I know to evaluate all aspects of a child’s reading and move the student forward.  While there are many informal reading inventories available as well as all kinds of formal tests, the most accurate information is obtained by carefully observing the child by your side, in the act of reading.” 

I want to make more opportunities in my work with students to have them engaged as readers and writers and to value the time spent listening, watching, supporting, and coaching them to be read longer, to read stronger, and to foster a love for what they read and what they learn from it. 

Sincerely,

Dawn