Chapter 6 Krystal's Blog Post #6

Ch. 6 Plan for and Monitor Independent Reading

With the schedule tightness this year, squeezing in independent reading has been a challenge.  Students have 15 minutes to independently read in the morning and 15 minutes to independently read in the afternoon time.  There are times when students who complete tests and quizzes in all content areas can independently read, but that time only works for those who finish early.  That eliminates other students’ chances to have more extended times to independently read.  Because of this, independent reading assignments are assigned each night for homework.  From the text and my teacher knowledge, I understand that struggling readers need more time to practice independent reading.  Trying to plan and balance this out with schedule has been deemed challenging this school term.  With added assessments, in school programs, band/orchestra, etc it has been difficult to consistently allot for independent reading times.  With this in mind monitoring independent reading is just as equally if not more challenging.  “Ironically, when teachers are pressed for time, independent reading is usually the first thing to be cut (Routman, 2003).  I am guilty of this statement.  With the independent reading at the end of the day, if I have not finished a math lesson with students, I typically use their independent reading time to finish.  Although, I understand the importance of independent reading, I tend to think about the opportunity for them to independently read for homework each night.   After reading this text, I have realized I need to work smart, not hard on accomplishing effective reading time.  With this in mind, I plan to sit with my team members to design a better schedule and for the upcoming school year that will support the independent reading program.