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.