Blog Post 2 September:  Donna Farmer’s Routman’s Chapter 3: Share You Reading Life

Routman is a great motivator!  I love to read, but prioritizing reading into my daily life has not been on my personal agenda.  I do have a book I have been reading periodically, but cannot seem to make the time to finish it. 

As a teacher, I read several books to my students on a daily basis as we discuss our likes and dislikes about the book, along with focus skills.  I also have a basket of books labeled as Teacher’s Favorites.  Students enjoy choosing books for me to read from my special basket.

At the beginning of the school year, I always survey student interests and create a library based on these interests.  The children are always surprised when I tell them they can travel to places far away just by reading a book.  They begin to focus on where a story takes place and compare locations on a map.  It is really cool to watch their interest grow throughout a school year!

The most rewarding part is when students surprise themselves with what they know.  The more they read, the more words they own.  As my first graders were researching animals, they were overwhelmed with how many words were in an article.  Once they realized they could actually read most of the words, the joy in their eyes was priceless.  Now, they can’t get enough and want to research everything!

Although I have not been as involved as I would like in reading on a personal level, I do carry a torch and share that light with my students.  They know and understand that reading is a lifelong skill and want to read.