Amanda Maciejewski’s Blog Post #2 Section 2: No More Independent Reading Without Support

      After reading section one of, No More Independent Reading Without Support, I felt I needed to keep reading the book. I know I said this in my last blog post, but I feel it needs to be said again. In the past I have only had DEAR time every once in a while, and my students were only allowed to grab a book after they finished an assignment. The books they were allowed to read were from the previous unit I taught or a basket of books I had multiple copies of. Section two gave me some great practices that are critical for effective independent reading.
       One of the practices is to allow the students to choose what they read. I am guilty of only allowing my students to only read what I put out for them to read. They were allowed to choose from what I put out, but it was generally the same subject area of book. Now looking back I know why they would become bored and not want to read for very long. Barbara Moss states, “letting kids choose what to read motivates them to read even when it is not required.” (19) Last year I started putting out a variety of books and allowing my students to choose five books from the variety. I was amazed at how long they would sit there and read. They also started bringing books in from home for me to read or for them to share with their friends. After reading this section I realize that by giving them choice it makes them want to read and become readers.
      Another practice that I am now implementing in my classroom is, that students need explicit instruction about what, why and how readers read. In the past I would just say go read. Why did I not think that my kindergarten students don’t know how to hold a book, turn the pages, look at the pictures, and what book is best for them. Those are not things I should just teach in my small reading groups. I should be teaching those in whole groups, so that my students know how to be independent readers. Reading the section on how difficult independent reading materials should be was eye opening. This is something that I will have to continue to monitor and make sure each student is reading books right for them. I am guilty of giving my students the easier little readers because I think they can read it so it is perfect. According to our text, giving students too easy of a book can hamper their growth. It is important to make sure to give the students harder text so that they can grow as readers.
      Having my students talk about what they have read is another practice I am working on implementing in my classroom. This last week we discussed using a buddy to read to or talk to after they read. We practiced with a reading buddy. I loved hearing my students talk about their books. These discussions did not only happen during independent reading time. I walked by a student who was reading a book after finishing an assignment. He was telling another student all about the book he was reading. I hope to use the Reciprocal Teaching idea that Barbara Moss discusses in our text. My students are now just summarizing the books they are reading. I like the idea of discussing a book using the four reading strategies- questioning, clarifying, summarizing and predicting. These are four strategies I am going to have to teach my students, so they can use them during their book discussions.
      Section 1 of No More Independent Reading without Support, gave me some wonderful ideas to what works best with independent reading. Many of the strategies and practices I did not use. I am seeing how important independent reading is in order to help my students continue to grow in reading. My goal as a teacher is to have my students become lifelong readers. Independent reading is a great step in order to see that this goal is achieved.

Allie Meier Blog Post 2 - Regie Routman's Chapter 5 - Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

I chose to read this chapter because I know this is what my focus is for this year, to organize my classroom library and hopefully make it outstanding! I have strategically made my classroom a  rich and inviting environment but like the text states on pp.63, when libraries exist, its rare to see them well equipped and organized according to teachers and students needs and interests, which is my struggle. I go back and forth how exactly to organize my library appropriate for me and my needs but for my students to be able to appropriately access them.
The checklist on page 66 helped me know where to start when I start tweeking my own classroom library. My struggle with a reading corner is the lack of space. I have one of the smallest rooms in the building and do not have a corner to make a reading corner or nook. My first few years I tried hard but ended up having to take my pillows and bean bag chairs home. If I didn't have two small group tables I would be able to make it work but one of those is my working on writing area and the other I use for guided reading with small groups. 
Providing choice for my students when selecting books has been a good experience this year. Ive noticed the amount of excitement and engagement when it is a book that they are interested in vs. a book I choose for guided reading. Luckily I have a lot of high interest, easy readers for my students and have over the years narrowed down common interests of first grade students but I could also add to my collection. I am amazed at how many tiny hands come across these books and how after a year or two they start losing pages. Scholastic has been a great resource to earn points to purchase books for my classroom but unfortunately they seem to be the ones that tear up first.
My struggling readers are who I worry about the most especially due to the implementation of Daily 5 into my classroom this year. I want them to feel as if they can choose books as confidently as on level or above leveled readers.  I know I'd also like to find a way to make sure my students expand their at home  reading as well by sending home literacy book packs, ( I am always timid at sending books home because we have issues in the past with books not being returned or damaged as well as low parental involvement.) As a first grade team our goal is to try to take a class field trip to one of the Spartanburg libraries, in hopes students will encourage parents to want to take them.
Overall I think involving my students as much as possible even in the place they choose to read in is powerful and will drive students interests and overall growth in the classroom. 

Lyndsey Gantt - Blog Post #2: No More Independent Reading Without Support-Section 2

After reading section 2, Why Independent Reading Matters and the Best Practices to Support It, it made me feel really good about what is going on in my classroom this year. I spent the end of summer and the first week of school rereading The Daily 5 and The Café, which are two books written by sister teachers. They created a framework for teaching reading in the exact same way Barbara Moss describes how reading should be taught in No More Independent Reading Without Support.

            Moss describes the importance of teaching students how to choose books as well as the importance of constantly monitoring what students are reading through individual conferences. What Moss describes is exactly what we are doing in our first grade classrooms. In this section, Moss repeats the importance of foundation lessons, such as teaching book selection. The Daily 5 mimics the same thing, stating that you must teach and reteach foundation lessons for this type of model to be successful. I believe from what I have observed so far that the foundation lessons are as important as teaching students strategies. I also loved how Moss mentions using genre-specific reading instruction and it being neglected and we chose to teach reading through genres this year.

            Moss discusses the importance of classroom libraries and the research behind it. I have a small rant beings my IR is going so well. I will never understand why classroom libraries haven’t always been the number one priority in schools. Students need books to read if they are to become readers, better readers, and life-long learners. I just can’t comprehend why we haven’t chose to invest in our libraries first. Okay rant over! I love the advice Moss gives about the importance of having a lot of books that specifically interest your age group. I have found this to be so true. It can be difficult to find super easy and very interesting books for first graders. I have found that I Can Read books are the best for my students in the area of read ability and interest.

            I think providing students with support during Independent reading is the key to reading success. Moss and the authors of The Daily 5 both believe in the importance of Independent Reading, but also that it has to be monitored and used to help students grow in reading. I am excited to continue learning about conferencing and meeting my students’ individual needs through IR this school year. 

Lyndsey Gantt- Blog Post #1: No More Independent Reading Without Support-Section 1

After spending the last year researching Independent Reading and its effect on reading growth, I agree with everything Miller says in Section 1 of, No More Independent Reading Without Support. How can we find the time? It has taken me ten years and a year worth of researching to find the time to give my students the most valuable element to support reading growth, Independent Reading. Time was always a problem for Independent Reading time in my classroom because of the many reading programs we were trying to incorporate on a daily basis to teach students to read. Reading programs such as SRA, Sidewalks, Reading Recovery, and the basal always seemed to take all of the reading block in my classroom. Over the years I tried Reading Workshop models and I never had enough time beyond all of the mandated programs.

            In 2010 I tried to implement the Daily 5 in my classroom, which is a reading workshop type of framework that allows children to be engaged in literacy instruction, practice, and assessment. It turned out to be a disaster because I didn’t have enough time in the day outside of other programs to allow my students to read independently. This year has been my best year yet because I was given freedom of my literacy block. As soon as I found out that I didn’t have to teach the scripted programs and basal, I was rereading my CAFÉ and Daily 5 books by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. Yes, I am a dork. I was so excited to find that the Sisters had recently published the second addition of Daily 5 and it was all based on literacy and brain research. 

            So here is the good part, this year I have been able to fully implement CAFÉ and Daily 5 in my classroom and I have never felt more confident and excited about student learning. If you are not familiar with Daily 5, it is a structure that students come to the carpet for a 10 minute mini lesson on a focus strategy or skill then students spend the next 20 minutes practicing the strategy during independent reading time. The teacher confers with individual students during this time and meets with small groups of students with the same instructional needs. We do this three times each day, which means they are spending approximately 60 minutes a day practicing reading. Just as Miller says, “For students to do more than race through lots of books, they need a teacher to show them what behaviors they need to practice as they read, and the teacher needs opportunities to monitor and give feedback on how students are using those behaviors.” This is exactly what I am doing now in my classroom and I have learned more in the past three weeks about my students as readers than I have in the past 10 years. I am so excited to continue using Independent Reading as the focus in my classroom because students need lots of opportunities to practice reading. Practice makes perfect!

Jessica Amsler Blog post 2, No more independent reading without support, section 2

As I read this section of the book I thought about what I am currently doing to teach my students how to read.  After I read this article I was scrolling through Facebook and I saw a quote, “children are made readers on the laps of their parents” E. Buchwald.  That quote made my wheels start turning!  I wondered how many of my students had a parent that read to them at home.  The next day I came in and about a third of my class said their parents read with them before they go to bed at night.  I then went on to ask how many of them had ever been to the public library.  Most of them had a puzzled look on their face but four or five said they go to the library.  I thought that maybe they did not understand what I was asking so I showed them pictures of the Spartanburg library branches, still them same result. I then reflected on all of the statistics that I read in Section 2 of this book and I thought especially about page 21 that talked about how much kids need to read in order to become successful readers.  It discussed language-minority first graders and what they need to become independent readers.  Can I do all of this on my own? I know that most of my students depend on our school for their reading materials.  Do my students read at home? Can I encourage them to go to the public library? If only the parents would take them to the library?  Do they know that it’s free?  Is transportation a problem?   Can the book mobile come and give them access to more books?  My classroom library does not have enough books to help my students reach their potential.  I wish it did but I do not have the money to buy that many books.  If I used the genre wheel (figure 2-2) on page 20 my students would have a very sad looking wheel.

The main point in this section is that teachers play such an important role in students reading; we must choose help them choose books and we must confer with them while they are reading.  I felt good about this (compared to thinking about my classroom library) because we are doing the Daily 5 and the students read so much! I get to listen to them and help them read.  I talk to them multiple times a week and keep notes about their progress.  My students get to choose what they want to read and I think that is going to play a big role this year.  I think reading this along with the Daily 5 is going to help me become a better teacher and help my students become better readers. 

My biggest concern with all of this is how to grade the students.  Do they all earn a 100 because they are reading and working hard?  Should the students that read on a lower reading level earn a lower grade than the students that read on a higher level?  I would like to work with other teachers so that the grading is consistent across the board.  I don’t want my students to get to second grade and have high grades but not be able to read or vice versa.  I think the students are going to grow as readers but I need to find a good way to assess their reading.

Jennifer Jowers Blog Post 2 - Reading Essentials - Regie Routman - Chapter 3 Share Your Reading Life

     As teachers we are often one of the most influential people in our students' lives. On a daily basis I spend about 9 to 10 hours with my students. That is probably more than their parents spend with them by the time they get home, eat, and go to bed. Teachers make a big impact on their students. I can remember all of my teachers, even back to preschool, and I remember which ones influenced me the most. I was always one of those students who loved to read. My mom was the first one to develop my passion for reading and my teachers molded me into a better reader so that I could enjoy it even more. I want to pass my passion for reading onto my students. I don't want them to see it as a chore, and very often it becomes one, especially for struggling readers.
     I loved how chapter 3 emphasized that we should share our reading life. A lot of my students choose to do things simply because I do them. I see this when my students are playing teacher. They say the things I say and even copy my mannerisms. If I can influence them to love to read then that will hopefully continue for the rest of their lives. Routman says that if they don't learn to read for pleasure then they are not likely to make reading a lifelong habit or goal. As a kindergarten teacher, I am privleged to get to work with them in the beginning of their school career. I can help to create lifelong readers and I can do this simply by showing them my love for reading.
     As a reader I enjoy sharing with others about I loved and I also like to see how many books I have read. I really liked the idea of having students recommend books to each other and share what they liked the most. I want to create an area in my room where I can put up some of my favorite books and create an area for books my students enjoy as well. Routman says, that even students with reading disabilities can be proficient if there are interesting books. Having an area of books students and I recommend  would help to build their interest and make them eager to read.  I know that I am more likely to read a book if someone recommends it to me. I liked the idea of creating a class reading record. My students would likely look at it as a challenge to read as many books as possible and that will help build their excitement for reading and it makes them feel accomplished and proud.
     Routman mentions in the chapter that she doesn't agree with making parents sign off on reading students do at home. She wants students to assume the responsibility and share their reading on their own. I had never really thought about this in that way. Usually we have parents sign to show that they are working with their children, but that is making the parents responsible and they aren't our responsibility. While we like to know that parents are taking an interest in their child's learning, often students are punished because their parents did not do their part, and often our parents are unable to work with their child for various reasons. We want parents to take an interest on their own and not necessarily force them to. I would love to find a way to see if our students are sharing with their parents what they are learning without putting the responsibility on the parent.
     I am excited to use some of these great ideas to encourage my students to be passionate about reading as much as I am.

Allie Meier-Blog #1 No More Independent Reading Without Support Section 1 Miller

   After reading the first two chapters it really validated that what we are trying to do this year on the first grade team is what is the best practice for our students. This is the first year, since I have been here that we have done away with SRA and headed in the direction of student getting choice in what they read. These past few weeks of implementing the Daily 5 routine in place of my typical SRA curriculum I have noticed a lot of positive changes. My students are excited when it comes to read independently. We have taught students necessary skills to become independent readers and they are thriving. We have also spent the proper time building stamina which to me can make or break your independent reading time. If you allow students to build their stamina before long they will be able to be an engaged reader, leaving you time to really work one on one with students. I am grateful that we have been given more time this year to go full force with a program like Daily 5. It's structure is a no fail approach to allow students to work on their own.
   One element of the Daily 5 that left me uneasy was that they get so much choice.  Like Jessica and I have talked about before in prior meetings was the fact that we were not given much choice in what we were allowed to read going through elementary school. For me, as a child I enjoyed reading at home when my mother allowed me to buy the books I wanted to read. Other than that I don't remember any positive experiences in school. My goal is to not allow my students the same experience as I did in elementary school. I do not read as an adult as much as I would like to but when I was a child at home I remember I was always reading and loved doing it. I wish I knew what went wrong, why I lost that passion for reading and can I ever get it back.
   I felt that the table on pg.16 was helpful to use as a guide to reference. It listed a few ways for students to grow as independent readers. I have begun to teach mini lessons on good fit books and trying to teach my students the difference in easy, just right and challenging books. They seem to approach the challenging books more confidently knowing they can read the pictures and that I will give them support in reading that book.
   If it is a best practice we should be implementing it into our classrooms and time should not be a factor.

Amanda Maciejewski's Blog Post 1- No More Independent Reading Without Support- Section 1

     TIME – That little four letter word seems to haunt me in all aspects of my life. I find myself complaining about time more than anything. Before school starts I start thinking about time. Will I have enough time to teach this? What time am I going to be able to teach that? Will I be able to stay on time if I do this? I can feel the anxiety bubbling up just writing about it. Section 1 of No More Independent Reading Without Support really opened my eyes about the importance of finding the time for independent reading and making sure that I am conferencing with my students during this time.
     Last year someone suggested to Kindergarten that we have silent sustained reading. I know the first thing that popped into my head was, “when will I have time to do that?”. I have to admit I also wondered why I would want to implement that in my class. I teach kindergarten, they cannot read many words by themselves, especially for a long time. I had always allowed my students to go to the reading area after they finished their work. I also had DEAR time every Friday. That seemed like enough time to have kindergarteners reading by themselves. I decided I needed to look into independent reading. After reading all the benefits to independent reading I decided to try to find the time. I cut a little of the activities, that were mentioned in section 1, to allow my students independent reading. During this time I was able to see my students as readers. Like Miller and Moss stated, I learned more about them in that ten minutes than I did all year long. It was amazing!
     This year kindergarten decided to start using Reader’s Workshop, which has helped us implement more independent reading time. This time is set in the schedule, so I do not have to worry about making time. I have had to cut some of the time I spent in other areas again, but I can already see the improvement in my students reading. In kindergarten we have started off slow. We have taught them how to be a “book lover” and how to read the pictures. It has been amazing to see them reading the pictures during their independent reading time. This time has also allowed me to conference with my students. I love hearing what they are reading and what they think the books are about just from the pictures.
      Miller and Moss state, “it’s our job to do everything we can to equip children with the tools they need to stay engaged and motivated when we are not there, when they don’t have a grown-up giving them the command to “drop everything and read.” This statement is exactly what I believe as a teacher. We need to make sure we give them the information and motivation to become lifelong learners. Independent reading is one way we can have them become a lover of reading. Finding the time is extremely important to properly implementing independent reading.

Melissa Wells' Blog Post 2: No More Independent Reading without Support, Section 2

After a busy day at school, one of my favorite ways to decompress is to come home and read.  I read Facebook to find out all about what my friends and family members have been up to that day.  (And yes, I do count Facebook as a reading activity!)  However, a couple of days ago, I stumbled across this sponsored ad from Whirlpool:

I was disappointed that Whirlpool fell victim to the classic confusion between causation and correlation.  Clean clothes do not CAUSE students to have better attendance rates.  Rather, not having clean clothes may correlate with other factors that decrease attendance rates.   The National Reading Panel (as cited by Miller and Moss on p. 15) recognized that many studies on independent reading (IR) at the time of their report in 2000 focused on correlational, not causal, relationships between increased reading time and increased reading skills.  Even though the research they reviewed in 2000 could not single-handedly prove that IR caused improved achievement, ample research showed that a definite relationship between these two variable existed!

In this section, I noticed two main components of IR that contributed to improved achievement:  picking books and the teacher's role.  The students' reading of self-selected texts is the defining characteristic of IR.  It can be daunting, however, to navigate 20+ students reading 20+ self-selected texts!  Miller and Moss reminded me on p. 19 of the importance of providing students with explicit instruction in picking out these books.  For some students, their past experience with "choice" may have been limited to a certain dot, a certain level, a certain basket, or a pre-determined textbook.  We still need to coach our students to choose a best-fit book for them.  (And, of course, we need to consider carefully the organizational systems in our classroom libraries to assure ease of access to our texts!)  Once we've given that direct instruction over time, we gradually release the responsibility to the students to choose their own texts, which frees us up to do the most important work:  teaching!

I loved the quote on p. 39:  "...for IR to succeed, the teacher must be an active participant."  We are actively teaching during this time as we offer explicit instruction through mini-lessons and check in with individual students in their reading journeys through conferencing.  For this reason, I was so glad to read that the authors insist that striving and ELL readers need IR the most (p. 37)!  Sadly, I know of many kids over the years who fell into this category but who actually missed their IR time due to pull-out intervention.  We have the best intentions--we want our kids to receive high-quality, targeted instruction, but when this replaces IR, are we helping or hurting them?  Is IR the time where they are "just reading"--a wording that diminishes the crucial importance of this time--or is IR the time where they are actively growing as readers?  Do we skip IR when we have a time-crunched day, or is it the one thing we make time for no matter what?  If we were to analyze our schedules honestly, how much time would we find that students spend engaged in reading continuous text--not just reading-related tasks--on a daily basis?  These are sobering thoughts that still haunt me as I worry about my own former students, but by asking--and answering--these critical questions, we will be better able to meet the needs of all of our readers.

Jennifer Jowers Blog Post 1: No More Independent Reading Without Support, Section 1- Debbie Miller

Section 1-NOT THIS: Is There Enough Time - Debbie Miller

It seems since I started teaching the main problem every year is always finding time. Every year there is something else students and teachers are being forced to do and the first thing a teacher says is “I don’t know how I am going to find the time.” It is a big problem. Creating a schedule that works for my students and allows enough time for them to actually learn the material is always a struggle for me. There just isn’t enough time in the day. I feel like sometimes I am just throwing information at my students and hoping some of them can catch onto it.

I am a big advocate of reading. I love to read myself and really want my students to love to read as well. I feel like teaching reading is one of my weaknesses. I don’t really remember learning how to read, I just remember doing it. I have really had to learn a lot about how to teach students the strategies they need to read.

In section 1, Miller focuses on finding the time. When she discussed how she helped one school look at their schedules in order to find time, I began thinking about my own schedule. In the beginning of the school year it is especially hard to find extra time because students are still learning routines and getting used to being in school, many for the first time ever. Going to the bathroom can often take an extreme amount of time, but as the year progresses it may be easier to find extra time for students to practice reading and enjoy it. I would also be more apt to find the time for students to read if I knew they were really getting a lot out of it.

My biggest obstacle is how to get my students to read independently before they can even read at all and keep them on task. It takes a while before my students can put words together to read and I struggle with how to start them reading independently before they can actually read. It is kind of stressful, because I know they will become bored, start to distract others and may cause them to think of reading as a chore. I am guilty of giving my students books and just letting them go read without having a real purpose. It makes a lot of sense to give them tools and then let them practice these so that they have a reason for reading. I just am unsure of the scope and sequence of how and what to teach them with their mini lessons. I feel like a lot of my teaching of reading was kind of sporadic and not organized well. I was teaching them to read but not in a way I felt confident.

This section made a lot of sense in the boosting of students actually practicing reading as opposed to doing activities about reading. So often this becomes the go to for centers. I am guilty of this a lot. It is hard for me to just let them go read. I think because I am not as confident with how to get them to the point of reading independently purposefully.

I look forward to learning how to make my students enjoy reading and how to give them the tools they need to be better readers. It is an area I feel I am weak in and I hope to learn more and to become more confident in teaching reading.

Jessica Amsler’s Blog Post 1 No More Independent Reading without Support, Section 1

As I read section one I felt really good about what first grade has been doing for the past few weeks.  We were able to find the minutes!  We struggled to find the time for independent reading for so long and then we cut out SRA.  I am worried about what the kids won’t learn by not doing SRA but I am excited to see what great readers they will become as they go through the year with choice.   We are doing the Daily 5 this year and are pretty much sticking to the book this year.  You can venture out and do your own thing but since this is our first year we are doing what the authors tell us to do.  Our students seem to love the Daily 5! We have a two hour reading block and the students are given time for independent reading every day with books of their choice.  I feel like we have done the first step by finding the minutes.

 To me, the most powerful sentence in Section one is on page 1, it states that we want “children to develop the habits and identify of thoughtful, strategic, proficient readers, they need to practice and, to make their practice productive, they need the tools that we can provide through instruction.”  This is so true! We are all trying to teach our students the skills that they will use throughout their life and reading is imperative!  When I read this I thought about registration day and how so many of the parents have a hard time registering their children because they do not have the ability to read the papers we ask them to fill out.  Will the worksheets we’ve been running off for years and having the students complete them help them in the future?  Will they be able to fill out papers on registration day?  Will they read to their future children?  Will they as excited as I get about picking out a book at Barnes & Noble or the public library?  Will they grow to love reading? My goal is to help my students become better readers and to love reading.  I think by giving them free choice and allowing them to read what they want to read about that they will reach that goal.

As I was reading this section I thought of my school experience and how much I hated reading.  I hated reading because of Accelerated Reader (I know I’ve shared this with some of you) and not having many books to choose from.  There were not a lot of AR books when I was in eighth grade and we had to have so many points to get a good grade at the end of each semester.  I was a good student but I did not like to be told that I had to read something and the choices of books at this time were slim.  I read the easiest books and got 0.5 points so that I would not fail.  I remember my mom being upset with me and my teacher talking to me as well.   I felt bad for not working as hard as I should have but I didn’t like any of the books that I could choose from.  I hope that by giving my students choice that they will have a good school experience and learn to love to read not hate 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

Melissa Wells' Blog Post 1: No More Independent Reading without Support, Section 1

In my imagination, I'm on the set of a new gameshow called "Teacher Feud."  Two contestants, both teachers, stand behind their buzzers, hands poised for action.  The question pops up, "What is the #1 challenge facing teachers in classrooms today?"  Instantly, the first contestant buzzes in.  "Time," she states assertively.  Sure enough, the word "time" appears in that number one slot on the board.

Miller and Moss focus on the challenges of finding time to devote to independent reading in this section.  I know the time struggle is real.  I'm flashing back to my own time struggles in my first year teaching kindergarten, my third year teaching overall.  I didn't have an independent reading time for my kindergarteners that first year.  Like Miller and Moss said, I was "guarding benches"--I was doing reading-like things (doing centers where they had to match letters to initial sounds of pictures, creating flipchart games where they had to sort pictures and words into groups by their phonemic features, and so forth), but my students rarely had the time to READ.  It took me until the end of my second year teaching kindergarten to figure out the management of independent reading in my classroom that worked for me.  It took bravery to find those benches I had been guarding and letting them go.  Instead of morning work, my students read.  Instead of rotating through 14 centers a week, my students rotated through 3 daily:  reading with a teacher, writing with an assistant, and computers.  Instead of letting time hold me captive, I had to find those minutes and use them wisely, as Miller and Moss said on p. 3.

I know the time struggle is real, but I see my role as a literacy coach to partner with teachers so they don't face this struggle alone.  We have to recognize those things we do because we always did--Donalyn Miller calls them "wallpaper" in her book, The Book Whisperer--and we have to make changes with our students' needs in mind.  Miller and Moss also wrote about their conversations with teachers who said they didn't know their students as readers.  To me, this is the most exciting part of teaching reading and literacy coaching--to help make the normally invisible reading process visible, so both teachers and students can know themselves as readers.  Instead of relying only on standardized tests that somehow convert the complex reading process into mere numbers, teachers can know their readers through conferring, kidwatching, and miscue analysis.  We can grow readers with the careful investment of time and informed instruction based in actual reading opportunities.

Tara Farmer's Log Post 1- Routman Chapter 3-

Share Your Reading Life 

What is the goal of reading? To function in life? Learn about anything the world has to offer? To enjoy reading? I have to admit, I would prefer to live through experiences rather than read about them. I would rather visit a waterfall; hear the roar of the crashing water, feel the spray even from a distance, and witness the sheer size of it's beauty. I don't know of any book that can provide those sensory experiences. I do live in the real world, however, and realize that many of our children will not be exposed to these experiences. Through literature they are able to explore and discover any experience they can dream of.
On page 24, Routman lists the ways reading infiltrates his life. He has an extensive home library, he keeps a reading record, and he reads in many genres. It is obvious that his life is completely influenced on many levels by reading. We know that kids (and people) don't do what we say, they do what we do. Without having the students come to his home or follow him around, he tries to paint the picture of his reading lifestyle. On pg. 27, he stresses the importance of a personal library. We all agree; but how do we get children of poverty, or ESOL children to develop personal libraries if it is not a priority in the home?
Putting my reflective thoughts into action; (aka. a To-Do-List)
1. Create a working chart labeled; FAVORITE AUTHORS- and hang it in classroom- add to it (pg. 30)
2. Have students create book reviews (pg. 32)
3. Adding genre to reading logs (pg. 35)
Some critical thoughts- He suggests not having parents sign off on reading logs. I'm not certain I agree! How do we ensure they are reading at home? Why shouldn't there be some parent responsibility? I agree that we shouldn't give kids hours of homework a night- but I think reading should always be a part of night time procedures.