Teachers have heard for a long time how important independent reading is within the classroom. I could not agree more. Growing up I fell in love with independent reading time in the classroom, especially in my elementary classrooms. I also had several teachers that would model what a good reader does. Those teachers would have independent reading time, at the same time we did! While we all sat in a comfy spot with a good book, my teachers would do the same. They didn't grade papers, make lesson plans, or any of the other many things teacher's have on their never-ending to-do list. Watching my teachers take the time to get lost in a good book, made me fall in love with reading more, because I was watching the people I looked up to and aspired to be, model to me what a good reader is and does. I've always wanted to model this same thing to my own students. I would love to say that I've done a fabulous job of this......but unfortunately, I have not. I get caught up in my never-ending to-do list, and don't sit down with a good book during independent reading time to model to my students what they should be doing. BUT this is definitely something I want to become better at!
Also, I believe meeting with students one-one-one during independent reading time is very important. One-on-one time with your students is always important, but to share with them the love of reading...how special that is! A simple conversation about the book a student is reading can lead to so many other conversations (Why did they pick this book? Does it remind them of something they've experienced? Does it remind them of something going on in their lives right now? How does this book make them feel about these experiences?). Plus meeting with students about the books they're reading, shows them that their teacher cares about what they're interested and their success in being great readers.
One more thing I enjoyed in this chapter was partner reading. I love this idea! I can remember doing partner reading throughout elementary school, specifically when I was in 3rd grade and my class would go to a 2nd grade classroom to be book buddies with 2nd graders. I remember feeling so responsible being able to help a 2nd grader read their favorite book, and them teaching me new things as well. Or just partner reading with my classmates was always a fun activity that led to interesting conversations about the book we shared (and the occasional rabbit trail that's bound to happen with 2 kids are talking, lol). I would love to implement more partner reading in my classroom, whether it's during independent reading time, or during our content in science. Since students love getting to talk about what they're learning in class, why not let them talk with each other about what they're learning?
Emily, a while back we had a Book Buddies program! Each 3-5 classroom was paired with a k-2 class to read to. I (and most certainly my previous students) have fond memories of that time spent together reading. You should pair up with a kindergarten or first grade classroom. I am happy to assist you with this. Even your lowest readers will beam with pride as their buddy listens intently to the book they are reading. Often those reluctant readers will read more in order to be prepared for their meeting. Let me know if you are interested in doing this. I promise it is beneficial to both students!
ReplyDeleteHi Emily,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and with Routman that making sure that independent reading isn't only stop, drop, and read but is supported by conferencing, by mini-lessons, and by partner reading is important to help us learn students' needs and interests and also to ensure students have an authentic environment for their reading. I love Nicole's Buddy Reading idea. Thanks, Dawn