Melissa Anderson Blog #3 Chapter 3 Share Your Reading Life

         I chose to read chapter 3 of Reading Essentials: Share your reading life. In this chapter, Routman explains that it is important to let your students know what you are reading and why you chose to read it. I tend to agree with him. If students here and see teachers reading for pleasure and reading to gain new knowledge they will learn that reading is not only important as a child, but is also important as an adult. I like the idea of actually showing students and talking about what I am reading. This could lead to opportunities in the future for students to share with me and their peers what they are reading.
         I also feel that explaining to my students how I choose a new book is a great idea. Choosing something new to read is sometimes very challenging, especially for students with little experience with different kinds of books. Telling the students that some of my book choices come from my friends can lead to students sharing with each other possible book options that they might enjoy. I think this opens up an awesome opportunity for communicating about books in the classroom.
        As with all the professional reading and classes that I am required to take, I want to figure out how this applies to me and my personal classroom. Being a music teacher, I don’t often talk about books with my students. Perhaps I should open up this conversation in my classroom. These children should know that you don’t just have to teach math, English, social studies, and science to love reading. I also think that perhaps I could apply this to what I am singing. I could take a minute at the beginning of class and tell the students what pieces of music I am personally working on and why I chose that piece of music. It could lead to excellent conversations about music!