Purpose, Authentic, Choice, Explicit Instruction = Successful IR

In this section of No More Independent Reading Without Support, making the most of independent reading was discussed. The authors suggest doing four things: giving IR a purpose, make sure it is authentic, let students have a choice, and give students explicit instructions.

So why should we do this? There are many reasons. The book states, "When teachers are explicit and children have a clear purpose for their reading work each day, it engages and motivates them to want to read and work hard." I have seen this first hand in my classroom. If I just tell students to read, then what I get is students looking around the room at everything but their book! I have tried lately asking students what we are learning when they are reading, or relating what we are working on in class to their IR time. They have LOVED finding and analyzing figurative language in their own book choices this week.

Authenticity is also something that we have lost in education. We have become so focused on standardize test, that we often forget to tell children why what they are doing in class is important. This can by changed asking your students simple questions, discussing with them their reading, and even comparing books they have read to current situations in the world.

Third, we need to have student choice when it comes to IR, but more importantly we need to teach children how to make the correct choice. I have found that several instances in my classroom of students not reading during their reading time is because they have chosen books entirely too hard for them. The textbook states, teachers need to give children many opportunities to get to know themselves as readers and explicitly show them how to make wise decisions." By giving them choice, but also showing them how to make the correct choices, we are benefiting them greatly.

The last part of "PACE," is explicit instruction. We have to show our students how to make meaning of their text. This can be done in many ways through conferencing, discussions, writings, and so much more. We cannot just let our students read without support (the whole basis of this text) because we are setting them up for failure if we do so. By giving students instruction, and supporting them through their readings, we can catch early on if they are not comprehending a text and make the changes needed for their IR time to be more successful.