Casey Lyles- March/April Blog 7: Miller Ch. 2

In chapter two of No More Independent Reading Without Support, Debbie Miller discusses why independent reading matters and the best practices to support it.  A major key point that stuck out to me was that the “just right” amount of independent reading time may depend on reader proficiency.  Different time allocations should be provided for students at different stages of development.  We must not only find time for the class to independently read, but we also need to allocate time on a more individualized basis to meet student needs. The chapter discussed the importance in letting students choose their own books to read.  Letting students choose their text not only develops motivation but also assists in comprehension.

Miller also discusses the importance of a more active role for teachers during independent reading.  I can relate to the way the teacher from the chapter feels.  She states that she worries about what the other students are doing when she is conferencing with a student and she wants to ensure that everyone is on task and making the most out of their IR time.  The chapter provides many useful teaching strategies to incorporate in order to ensure that students are successful and on task during this time including large and small group discussions about texts, student accountability through creation of posters, reader response notebooks, etc. 

Miller’s basic key points and takes aways are that students need the following things to grow as independent readers:  classroom time to read, ability to choose what they read, instruction about what, how and why students read, to read a variety of books, access to a variety of texts, teacher monitoring, and the opportunity for students to talk about what they have read.