Blog 3-Chapter 3-Emily Hammett

Chapter 3 by Regie Routman was absolutely incredible. I learned so much just in a couple of pages. I wish that I could have found this book before the beginning of the school year, so that I could have begun the school year implementing these practices.

I haven't shared my deepened love for reading with my students. I have told them that I love to read and the more I read the smarter I get, but I haven't told them that there are some nights when I just cannot put down the book and I am up until 3 in the morning reading in my bed by just the dim light of my cell phone. It is an addiction and I haven't expressed that with my students. Reading makes me feel better and takes me to places I have never been before. It is amazing what reading can do and I want my students to feel that love too! If I share that deepened love hopefully they will want to feel the same way about reading one day.

Something the author mentioned that I have a hard time with is was that she reads more than 1 book at a time. Kudos to her! I cannot focus on more than one book at a time. I get so involved to one book that I would be upset to begin another one and take away the attention from my current favorite. Until I think my students are comprehending the books that they are reading I do not know if I would suggest them to read more than one at a time. I did love her idea of asking students to tell me a book that they are reading now and a book that they plan to read next. This is an awesome idea of students showing interest in reading and being able to share with their classmates. I have just created a "favorites" book basket in my classroom. This is where the students can put books that they think were their favorite and others can easily choose those books. The kids are eating this idea up. I started by adding Charlotte's Web and now 3 more books have been added just over this week.

I loved the idea of the book review. Two weeks ago, I started a Padlet in my classroom where the students can go to write a short summary and "sell" their favorite book. I put the Padlet in ItsLearning so that all of the students can have access to it. This week my plan is to show them some book review so that they have a better understanding of what that may look like. As of Friday no one had posted on to my "What We're Reading" Padlet. I read about the author encouraging book talks and that is something that I want to do more research on before I begin it in my class. I want to be familiar and comfortable with book talks before I implement it.

The idea of no book logs sound amazing to me. It is one last thing that I have to grade and I haven't saw the students best work in these logs. The question that I always ask myself is, "How can I hold them accountable?" As teachers, how do we know if they are really reading at home or if they are just making the stuff on their logs up. Routman's idea of reading records entices me. I like that although it isn't a log it is making the students hold themselves accountable. I think this way the students gain ownership of reading and feel proud of the records that they have created.

Many of Routman's strategies and ideas will be used in my classrooms!