Thank goodness for parent conference half days which allow
me one more opportunity to head east and spend some time soaking up the sun on
the shores of Surfside Beach. Even more exciting is my beach bag full of books
that I plan to dive into (since the water might be a little too chilly) while
the world slips away. My joyfulness at the thought of having many hours of
uninterrupted reading time has me feeling like I’m walking on sunshine (couldn't
refuse another 80’s music reference thanks to Katrina and the
Waves J).
All of my anticipation over this long awaited weekend of
reading and beaching has me wondering about my students and their love affairs
with books. Are they as hooked on books as I am? Do they find reading something
they can’t get enough of? Does reading a
book bring them intense pleasure? Routman’s book Reading Essentials stresses the necessity of an independent reading
program in order for students to become lifelong readers. “Any reading program
that substantially increases the amount of reading students do will impact
their reading achievement” states Routman on page 83. She cautions, however,
“that not all students automatically improve their reading just because we give
them time to read.” Progress must be
monitored, books must be “just-right,” goals must be set, and conferences must
occur. Without strict guidelines and ongoing assessment we will not move
students forward.
While I agree with Routman’s recommendations and
philosophies, I struggle in my own classroom with putting them into
practice. Teaching reading strategies
and using the optimal learning model often require large amounts of
instructional time and independent reading often becomes a classroom management
issue. Struggling readers constantly complain that reading is boring and they
hate it. Despite my best efforts to match books to their personal interests and
reading levels, the spark needed to start the fire is missing. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems.
Heeding Routman’s advice (on p. 121) that “we need to think
deeply about our own reading processes, and trust what we do as a reader to
guide our teaching,” as I head out for a weekend of some book lovin’ and soul
searchin’ has me hoping that one day my students, too, will fall in love with
reading like I have and experience the satisfaction that comes from spending a
sunny day on a beach with an irresistible book (and maybe a glass or two of fine wine).
Cheers to reading!
I do agree that just because we give students opportunities to read books, but that does not necessarily mean their reading will improve. We need to provide strategies to our readers and not expect them to just get it. We need to conference and have book talks with our students. Even in the middle school we need to provide assistance particularly to those struggling students we all have in our classes.
ReplyDeleteIndependent reading is key to having successful readers! I love Routman's advice on thinking about ourselves as readers to relate to our students. I was never a student that like reading what the teacher chose for me to read, I always loved reading... but it had to be what I wanted to read. I need to keep that in mind when thinking about my students as readers.
ReplyDeleteReading CHOICES! Allowing your students to choose what they want to read during that time. Reading inventories will help you with those strugglers who don't like to read. If the students make their own book choices, then they can't complain about what they are reading. I often ask my complainers, "well why did you choose that book?" or "you made that choice, tell me why". This puts the responsibility back on the students.
ReplyDeletePatrice,
ReplyDeleteTeaching Reading and Assessing Reading can be very challenging and time consuming. In order for teachers to ensure the success of their students, we have to implement strategies that we learn from reading books, courses, or colleagues. I agree with the statements that you made about reading. "Progress must be monitored, books must be “just-right,” goals must be set, and conferences must occur. Without strict guidelines and ongoing assessment we will not move students forward.
Cheers to reading, indeed! I hope your weekend has been wonderful. You describe Routman’s Reading Essentials as stressing "the necessity of an independent reading program in order for students to become lifelong readers. 'Any reading program that substantially increases the amount of reading students do will impact their reading achievement"” (Routman page 83). I love that you are honest the struggle with implementing all of the tools and strategies in practice. To learn and grow, we take risks to learn, collect data and take risks to change our practices. You are reflective in identifying your struggles, and moving to change as you model learning for your students. You are right that these are no small tasks "Teaching reading strategies and using the optimal learning model often require large amounts of instructional time and independent reading often becomes a classroom management issue... Nothing is ever as simple as it seems."
ReplyDeleteI hope you return to school ready to tackle these issues with your students' needs and skills, to make your year an even better one.
Cheers to reading, indeed! I hope your weekend has been wonderful. You describe Routman’s Reading Essentials as stressing "the necessity of an independent reading program in order for students to become lifelong readers. 'Any reading program that substantially increases the amount of reading students do will impact their reading achievement"” (Routman page 83). I love that you are honest the struggle with implementing all of the tools and strategies in practice. To learn and grow, we take risks to learn, collect data and take risks to change our practices. You are reflective in identifying your struggles, and moving to change as you model learning for your students. You are right that these are no small tasks "Teaching reading strategies and using the optimal learning model often require large amounts of instructional time and independent reading often becomes a classroom management issue... Nothing is ever as simple as it seems."
ReplyDeleteI hope you return to school ready to tackle these issues with your students' needs and skills, to make your year an even better one.
You had me with the word beach! I have found that one of my favorite places to read is on the beach, maybe because it is so peaceful, relaxing, and "unplugged" from electronics (TV, computers, phones, etc...). We are seeing so much in this course about modeling for our students so that they see us reading and reading for enjoyment. I think it all comes down to getting students to understand that reading can be relaxing, a chance to get away for a while, and enjoyable...especially when you are on a beach!
ReplyDeletePatrice,
ReplyDeleteYou had me "Walking on Sunshine!" right there with you! I am so thankful you had a chance to slip away to the beach and into a good book! You brought up some excellent points in your post about how we can effectively motivate students to want to read just like we do, and to yearn for extended time to get lost into a book. Like you Routman's points about the importance of time in our day for students to independently read and the importance of us supporting that time through our instruction and our formative assessment of students so that we know they are engaged in meaningful reading really resonated with me. It's not enough to stop,drop, and read. We need to have an investment into what they are reading, what they think about it, and what they are doing as readers as they are reading. I know you said it can be a struggle to implement Routman's optimal learning model when students are struggling to read. I know this is a reality but I also know like you that many of the choices we make as educators determine if students love to read or if they have to read. I am thankful you had an opportunity to enjoy the beach and a book this weekend!