Miller, Section 2 Why Not? What Works? Why Independent Reading Matters and the Best Practices to Support It Blog #2 Teresa Knox

      Independent reading can be very effective as Miller states in his article. It helps students improve fluency, increase their vocabulary, and the reading achievement also increases. In the classroom I try to conference with the students as they read and record their responses about the book. This can also get the students excited to read when they know the teacher will eventually come around to them so they can read their book.

     Reading outside the classroom us very important as well. Miller discussed how students are in a higher percentage rate by reading 30 minutes to an hour a day. Finding the time to read daily in the classroom can be a challenge for me. I notice throughout my day while teaching, the most time we have to read independently is by the end of the week.During that time I conference with as many students as possible during the actual scheduled time. Of course students have a choice to decided what they want to read to keep them focus on a particular book. Then they will have lots of reading practice overtime to help increase their reading achievement.

     Miller also talked about how it is important to have lots of books in your classroom library. This helps the students choose what they want to read. Having a variety of different genres can make the classroom library more interesting for the teacher and the students.