Section 1 Not this (Debbie Miller) Is There Enough time? And is the Time Enough to Support Independent Reading?/September

This was an interesting section to read because I often wondered during independent reading time if the students are really getting something out of it. In the older grades most students are able to enjoy some silent reading time but in the younger grades their short attention span prevents them from staying on the task of reading independently.

This section explains how teachers can use a “readers” workshop in thirty minutes to teach students to read independently, conference and reflect on their reading and what they learned about themselves as readers. It seems that this method can work very well once the procedures and expectations are established. Once those expectations are established and it becomes a routine for the students then I think this can be an excellent way to make sure the students are not just fake reading. The author states that when we “set children loose” day after day after day, with no focus or support, it can lead to fake reading and ultimately disengagement (Miller, p.8). However, this section did not explain in detail what goes on in the conferencing and reflection time so I’m looking forward to reading ahead and getting more ideas on what goes on during “readers” workshop.

Something else I learned from this reading is that if time to have independent reading is an issue there may be things that you are doing on a daily basis that could be modified or stopped altogether in order to make time. Some things that I felt could be modified that were used as examples in this section are calendar activities and worksheet packets. However, others such as schoolwide morning announcements are not something you can really change unless it comes from administration.

Last, a very important take away from this section is that if you are going to conference with students about independent reading time then it is imperative that the teacher provides feedback as well. The author tells us that sometimes the feedback helps students choose the right book, one that lets them experience success in their reading (Miller, p.8).