Allison Parliament-Blog Post #1 The Pleasure Principle: by: Atwell

When I was growing up, I learned to read by fill-in-blanks, teachers talking and children listening, sitting in groups. The books that I remember reading were all required readings, that we all read as a class, very few times were the actual books I got to pick out. I believe to this day that played a large roll in my enjoyment towards reading as an adult. One of our primary goals as reading teachers is to eliminate students frustrations, by allowing them to choose books based on their interests not the teacher, and at a level in which they can read the text. This will develop confidence among the readers, and enjoyment towards reading verses the drop and read for thirty minutes like we were used to growing up. Teaching our students the bill of rights giving the right to skip pages, right not to finish, right to reread a book, right to browse, right to read anything, right not to read something, right to read anywhere, right to read aloud, and the right not to defend your tastes.

Jennifer Pitman- Blog #2 "Why Not? What Works? Miller Section 2

The essentials in reading focus was evident in this section.  Miller made it clear that IR/ independent reading is a MUST & needs to be daily accessed through practice.  In doing so this should improve fluency & comprehension.  While being allowed to reading on their interest this can help build vocabulary & increase their reading achievement while enjoying their book of choice.  I feel the teacher must conference & help guide in book selections so that all of these achievement can be applied & achieved.  All studies show that children that read daily typically score well on the standardized tests... now the questions is how to make this time available & valuable!

Keeping all this in mind, I have begun to reevaluate my classroom library.  I'm listening, asking & seeing what my horizon students are reading & are interested in reading.  I have made suggestions & I am continuing to find used books on www.thiftbooks.com for a reasonable price to have variety in genre, informational text & nonfiction interest.  I love the idea of self-selection & had no idea the impact that it is twice as powerful in their reading development. Growing up round robin reading & basal books with tests each week; the pressure to test well & pronounce words correctly when it was your turn made me focus more on pre-reading ahead instead of focusing on what was actually being read.  I think we are getting to the real focus by allowing more self-selected reading.

I really liked the genre wheel design on page#20  to use to assign students to read at least one book from all ten genres.  I would use this in a regular ELA classroom to reference & conference with students to help keep track.  As their horizons/challenge teacher I want to do my best to encourage & motivate challenge reading goals for them. I will try by continuing to enhance vocabulary within our unit studies & providing higher level books for them to read.  I'm interested to find more ways to help my students meet these challenging needs & grow a love of reading!

Dawn Mitchell's Blog Post 2 - Regie Routman's Chapter 5 - Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

Dawn Mitchell's Blog Post 2 - Regie Routman's Chapter 5 - Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

During the month of September our literacy professional development focuses on creating a print rich classroom environment, organizing your classroom library to promote student interests in a wide variety of genres and topics and authors, and most of all to provide students with choices that tap in to their interests and abilities. 

In September’s blendspace you will find a variety of resources including read alouds from Miller’s “No More Independent Reading Without Support” as well as Atwell’s “Pleasure Principle” and one of my favorites highlighted within that article, “The Reader’s Bill of Rights.”  In addition to those texts, you will find resources created by many of our district literacy coaches and teachers including videos of classroom libraries, checklists for a print rich literacy environment and a well-stocked classroom library.

In talking about the importance of choice with respect to our students, we also want each of you to know that teachers need choices too.  We do not want anyone to feel pressure to have the same classroom library and we are not advocating a “cookie-cutter” approach to classroom libraries.  In order for our classroom libraries to be effective and to equip students and teachers with the materials and the motivation needed to grow as independent readers they need to be in a constant state of growth. 

In chapter 5, Routman validates the importance of effective classroom libraries and on page 64 she states, “The most effective reading programs are generally supported by large classroom libraries.  The better the libraries, the better the reading achievement as measured by standardized tests.  Books contribute more strongly to reading achievement than any computer software does.  Schools with lots of low-income families have far fewer books available for students, and classroom libraries can help level that playing field.  Simply put, children read a great deal more when they have access to books, and well-designed, organized, ample classroom libraries provide the easiest access for students.”

A few take aways that I had from this chapter are:

*The importance of well-timed, high interest book talks.  Penny Kittle in her professional dev. text, “Book Love” that I am also reading promotes book talks as well as an integral part of independent reading where the teacher and then students take a few minutes at the beginning of independent reading each week to share about a book from the classroom library that they are reading.

*The importance of high – interest books.  Routman explains how important high-interest books are to struggling readers.  I would argue they are important to all of us.  How many of us, as proficient adult readers value some light reading?  Um, this girl right here has her hand held up high!  I love my Southern Living and my South Carolina Wild Life magazine as much as anyone.  I also love a little In Style when I am in the chair once in a while to get my hair cut or every morning when I am reading my devotional and the news on my smart phone.  Light reading does not account to poor reading.  It is part of a balanced reader’s diet.  It has a place in the library and in our students’ hands too.

Routman says, “It really doesn’t matter much what kids read as long as they read and enjoy what they’re reading.  By gently nudging them and introducing them to better literature – through reading aloud, co-reading, and putting books into their hands – their reading tastes will eventually grow into more sophisticated materials.”

*The importance of a variety of books – Routman says, “An adequate classroom library will have at least two hundred books, but an excellent library will have more than a thousand.” She explains the importance to include multiple copies of favorite books, to include books in a series to motivate author studies, and to promote clear procedures with students in charge and involved of the care of the library including the daily book sign out in order to keep managing the classroom.

*The importance of organizing the classroom library around what students’ interests are.  On page 68 Routman suggests creating baskets/bins/tubs of books organized by topics that students choose.  Using an interest inventory, a survey, a poll, or even a conference to find out what they like to read and then organizing your classroom library to include these popular text sets can go a long way in motivating students to read and to find what they like to read.  Routman says, “The top three choices for more than seventeen hundred sixth graders in twenty-three diverse schools were magazines, adventure books, and mysteries.”  Don’t go by this survey though, let your students tell you what they like to read. 

*Avoid organizing by leveled bins – Routman says, “While levels can be a helpful guide for teaching students, we need to be careful to factor in the quality of the text and students’ interests.  When we show students how to select “just-right” books, even older struggling readers can appropriately choose books.”

*The importance of nonfiction books – Routman says, “More nonfiction reading leads to more informational writing, which is related to higher reading achievement.”  Routman goes on to cite a study from second grade teachers in Tenafly, New Jersey that taught all of their reading through nonfiction books connected to science and social studies.  She said students not only learned a tremendous amount about the world but they also tested above grade level in reading on standardized tests.

*The importance of talking about books – Many of you have heard me share my book review genre of study in writing workshop and how I’ve used the book review unit to integrate reading and writing and to promote students analyzing what they read in order to argue for or against reading it.  Many times we even publish our book reviews on web 2.0 sites like Amazon or Barnes and Noble in order to inform other readers about our opinions.  Routman does this too through her “top-ten” lists. 

*The importance of creating a cozy climate – You know when a book nook beckons to you. It’s the cozy café seating at Barnes and Noble with the smell of coffee and new books all around you and the low level lighting beckoning you to come in.  It’s the children’s section of the local public library that has books artfully arranged by staff, colorful carpets with big books and eye level baskets full of board books.  It is important to think about our classroom library aesthetic environment as well, doing the best we can with what we have to make that spot as inviting as possible.  I loved Routman’s idea on page 78 of using rain gutters to display books.  I have seen this on pinterest and have admired them as well. 

As we enter in to our first full month of school with September, there is a promise in the air of a new year, with new students, and a new found support for best practices in literacy.  Let’s start with our classroom environments.  It’s where our students will spend most of their day time hours.  Let’s make room for reading, room for choice, and a room that is inviting and motivating for this year’s readers.  Let me know how I can help.

Sincerely,

Dawn

Terri Gowdy Blog Post 2 - The Habit of Kidwatching & Watching and Listening to Children Read

In the articles about Kidwatching the consistent thread is that it truly fine tunes and guides your teaching. What we notice about our students can come through so many elements of the day, and I appreciated these three articles for expanding my view of the various ways kidwatching can be conducted. It is true that kidwatching is ongoing from the moment they come in the door the first day of school. I am learning to be more aware of opportunities for informal, spontaneous observation, and I hope to develop better ways of recording observations. I find that to be a bit challenging. I have appreciated the guidance in creating a notebook for conferencing with the students during Independent Reading. I intend to do the same for writing. I loved the suggestion to at times even tape a child and let them listen to see what they notice about themselves as a reader! I think that would give them an insight into themselves that could be quite motivating. I also see value in using something like the Burke Reading Interview to gain perspective on how they each view reading and themselves as readers. I would certainly agree that we cannot use a better tool to construct our curriculum to meet kids where they are and strive to move them forward than kidwatching!

Donna Lowe Blog Post #2 Routman Chapter 3

One day last week I hurriedly stuck a note in each one of my first grader's homework folder's that said, "Please let your child bring in a favorite book from home to share with the class tomorrow."  The next morning at 7:30am I was amazed as 19 children were begging to show me their books at the door.  Honestly, in the early morning rush of getting myself and my family ready for the day I had not thought once about those books yet.  In fact, it took me a second to figure out why everyone was shoving a variety of books in my face at 7:30am.  But once I did, it was so sweet.  I saw a Llama Llama book, a little golden book (the ones with the gold on the edges), a Minecraft book, a Treasury of FairyTales, and so many more.  Yes, I did have one or two who forgot their book apologizing for not bringing theirs, but thankfully I have baskets full of books for them to choose from.  One thing I noticed was this:  It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, have new books from Barnes and Noble, old books from the attic, books from a yard sale - children will love books if they become available to them.  They love the pictures, the colors, the animals, the superheroes, and the chance to pretend that they are part of the book.  Most of all, they relate to the person who introduced the book(s) to them.  They will remember who sat and read that Little Golden book with them in the rocker.  So, I think that as Routman suggests that we create a classroom library and an effective independent reading program, it is essentially the connection that a teacher and a student make as readers.  Routman states, "Our students admire us and want to emulate us." I agree.  Young students want more than anything to connect or share something in common with their teacher.  When we, as teachers display our love of reading books and provide books and time to sit together to read, a connection is made.  Over the years I have shared my love of the Magic Tree House series.  I have started with number 1 each year and some years have gotten as far as #28.  All of my students, past and present, know that MTH are my most favorite books.  We have even had parties where the students could dress up like their favorite Jack and Annie character from their favorite MTH book.  Kids come back to me the next year showing off which MTH book they are reading. I have chosen those books because they relate to boys and girls.  There is a main boy character and a main girl character in each book.  I understand, as Routman discusses, that we must help students find books that interest them.  To close, as my students "turned-and-talked" about their favorite books to one another that day last week, they were enjoying discussing their books.  As they shared out loud about what they had learned about their partner's favorite book, they were quoting full titles and authors names.  They were about learning new books from one another.  Sometimes they can teach one another better than I could have done.  The connection between books and people help make reading enjoyable for so many children and adults.

Anna Johnson Blog Post 1- The Habit of Kidwatching

Kidwatching is the ongoing, uninterrupted, systematic look at how children learn. It is taking what we as teachers know about our students and turning that into instructional practices. Kidwatching gives students a voice and allows us to get to know each child in as many different contexts as possible. As a special education teacher I use a lot of record keeping on my students that I use in their IEP’s and to guide my instruction specific to each child’s individual needs. Kidwatching sounds like a realistic way to use record keeping without having files and files on each student. I am always looking for an ongoing way to look at my students, learn about their specific needs, and turn that into instructional practices for them. My students are very complex and unique, Kidwatching would give me a way to know each child in many different ways.

Coaching is the most important teaching and evaluation tool used in Kidwatching.  You try to record as many miscues and self-corrections as possible. After the notes, you talk casually with the student about the reading. This can give you a better insight of the student and their understanding of the reading. With my younger students or lower readers I could give more specific advice when needed and I would be able for them to tell me verbally how much they retained from their reading. So if you are thinking about record keeping, Timothy O’Keefe gives the advice to write something, even a single sentence, everyday about your child. Our comments as teachers are so much more valid than letter grades and scores. Sitting with a child listening and watching them may be the best thing we can do to get to know our students better as readers. 

Sheryl Elliott, Blog Post 2, Section 2 Why Not? What Works? Miller

     According to the article, independent reading has many benefits.  Improving fluency and comprehension and increasing reading achievement are just two of the benefits that stood out to me.

     Why has it been taken out of the classroom?  I know for me, it’s time and lack of motivation for the kids.  I always feel like it’s such a struggle to get the “non-readers” to read during silent reading time.  The stronger the reader, the more they will read in class.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the more a child reads; the better the reader!  But how do we make this practice effective in our classrooms.

     The article gave several good suggestions on what practices are critical for effective independent reading.  Classroom time to read is very important.  I am finding ways this year to plug this in as much as I possibly can.  Student choice is another important part of an effective independent reading program.  I think student choice still has to be monitored, though.  Some students just need more guidance in choosing books than others.  I’m trying to make sure I know what my students’ interests are so I can help them choose good books.  Giving the students a purpose for reading is another important part of an effective independent reading program.  I have implemented this in my classroom this year more than I ever have before.  It seems to be working!  I think one of the most important parts of an effective independent reading program is teacher conferencing.  I’ve completed more conferences this year than I ever have.  I truly know my students as readers, and we’ve only been in school for three weeks.  I have been able to steer students toward books that are appropriate for them.  They love talking to me about their books.  I love hearing about them too!  I also love the spark in their eyes when they talk about how good the book is or how it made an impact on them.