Michelle Lanford- March Post- Chapter 6 Routman

This chapter is about the importance of independent reading. Routman states that students need more than just good instruction. They also need practice with reading to get good at it. However, she also says that not all students will be better readers just because we give them time to read. Students' reading has to be monitored. If the books are too difficult and they don't understand, there won't be much change in their reading. We have to be monitoring the students' reading along the way with individual conferences. This is why we listen to them read and take notes about what we notice. We can use this time to reinforce some reading skills that we see them using or quickly "suggest" some that they may not be using. Then we can go back later and see if they are applying what we have "suggested." At the beginning of each year we teach students how to choose "just right" books for themselves. Then we keep a check on it to make sure they are doing this. We want students to grow as readers and they can't do this if they are reading books that are much to easy or too hard. An important part of independent reading is student choice, but we have to teach them how to make the choice. In my room students are given a tote bag at the beginning of the year. They get to decorate and personalize it which they love. They use this bag throughout the year to "shop" for books from the library. They hang their bag on the back of their chair and they always have books within reach. It is a great way for early finishers to be occupied until time to move on as well. Students get books from their tote bags for independent reading in class as well.