Docherty’s Blog Post Chapter 3 Share Your Reading Life

      I’m a reader and have always been a reader.  I grew up in a home full of books, a family that read constantly, and even in one house I lived in our family had a room that was referred to as the “Library.”  It was full of bookshelves that were filled with antique books, best sellers, and children books for all ages.  There were chairs for us to read independently and a sofa where I often remember reading to someone or just lying down reading a cherished novel.  We were not required to read but read because we all enjoyed reading.  Even to this day, my immediate family members read.  My older brother carries two things with him to the beach:  a cooler to sit on and a mystery novel of some sort tucked under his arm to read while enjoying the outdoors.  I read because I enjoy it!  My daughter reads because she enjoys it!  Books are a part of our family more so than the television. 

For years my child and I would read a favorite book aloud to one another.  It has only been this past year that we haven’t found as much time to read together as we once had.  At eight pm all technology would go off and we’d spend time lying in the master bedroom with books in hand.  I miss those days.  Now, I read alone in the middle of the night things like social media, the internet researching something, or read something pertaining to school and children.

      I enjoyed reading this chapter.  I often tell my students “The more you read; the better you get.  The better you get, the more you read.” I want my students to learn to LOVE to read, not just to learn to read.  Reading for pleasure is so powerful.  Reading shouldn’t always be something that is assigned or read to increase their reading level.  I read for pleasure and I’m sure I’m not reading on my instructional level all the time.  I’m reading what I enjoy. 

      I loved the author’s take on having parents sign reading logs.  Not only as a parent who hated to sign reading logs but also as a teacher of many students who don’t have the parent support, I always felt like it puts the responsibility on the parent not the child.  For years my child read daily.  I would have to sign daily and yet it just added more stress than anything because she’d read before bed.  One of us would have to remember in the morning to write down what was read and often we’d forget.  She’d get penalized for something she did do!  She didn’t do it for the assignment but read because I read and we both enjoy reading.  She didn’t need her mom to sign that she read each night.  She already had intrinsic motivation to read.  The SIGNED log was a burden and nothing else. 

It is important to help students find books that interest them.  Doing inventories or interviews help to find out what a child likes.  Then finding books on their level also helps.  Showing them that we care and take an interest in them also is encouraging.

     I love books.  Yet, instead of having a large library of what I read I share my books.  I have a bad habit of writing my initials in a book with a pencil when I’ve finished the book.  I use the library and spend a lot of time at Barnes and Noble.  Yet, I’ll find a book at the bookstore only to check the library to see if they have it first before buying the book---Yip, rather read a used book than a brand new book.  I like passing books on, especially the ones I enjoy the most!  

Teresa Patterson"s Blog Post #3: Chapter 4 Teach with a Sense of Urgency

Teresa Patterson’s Blog Post #3: Regie Routman Chapter 4 Teach with a Sense of Urgency

“We need to keep our expectations high.”  I totally agree that not necessarily does Routman feel that leads to more activities but rather higher level thinking, problem solving, and questioning through relevant texts and curriculum. We do need to support our students in becoming more self-sustaining, thoughtful, independent readers and writers.

When reading her top five things listed that teachers do to ensure students become excellent readers,  I think most of those are done in our grade level. I think we are even in process toward her top five things, a work in progress. So often throughout my teaching career, I have unfortunately heard what the prior teacher didn’t do with a child. In the early years, I guess we could put blame on the parents or the home life which, without question, is very influential on the child’s learning we would all agree.  I still question how a child could be five and not know colors or some of them, yet I was enriched in a learning environment whereas many of our low poverty students lack that luxury. To teach is to take that student who comes into your room and move them forward as far as that teacher can with that sense of urgency as mentioned. The first of the year is always difficult for us as we forget how far students have truly progressed the year before and we have to remember to slow down enough to begin again. I think that has always been my joy in teaching kindergarten as the leaps and bounds are tremendous from beginning to year end.

The four phases of learning-demonstration, shared demonstration, guided practice, and independent practice somehow reminded me of student teaching. The teacher demonstrates first while the student teacher observes followed by student teacher participation. The student teacher then practices with support until finally achieving minimal assistance becoming solely independent. Yet, they are all integral pieces reaffirming that Don Holdaway’s beliefs that “all learning is social and dependent on relationships with others, with context, with environment, with the world, and with self” is substantiated.

In Routman’s section on interactive reading, I reflected to a past program we used where partners would “think, pair, and share”. The students did talk more to each other rather than just the teacher. I often stop during stories to explain the meaning of words or ask questions rather than rolling on through it. I found it relevant that second language learners could benefit from the interaction.

I loved the examples of creating our own texts and integrated reading-writing activities. We have already made a class book the first week of school with Pete the Cat. The students love to see Pete reading his book as well as looking at it themselves. I look forward to creating more texts they can read. The “What we’re really good at” example reminds me of our “I’m OK” writing we do.

In conclusion, I differ with Routman that “we expect very little from poverty-stricken students in financially strapped schools.” Our children are definitely poverty stricken but our expectations are high for them as they should be. Many of the students come to our school with no prior education, not knowing even his/her name sometimes. We find so many of our poverty stricken students begin to soar once they form a bond with students and teachers and are exposed to that which they have never had. They come to us knowing no letters or sounds and cannot follow the simplest of directions. With meaningful instruction these same children leave as little readers!   

Teresa Patterson's Blog Post #2: Chapter 3 Share your Reading Life

Teresa Patterson’s Blog Post #2: Chapter 3 Share Your Reading Life by Regie Routman

Sharing my reading life with my students is something I have never done to a great extent. I model reading and show great excitement over books when I read but I never really tell them about books I am reading or my reading habits. In reality, outside of my morning devotional time, I rarely have time during the school year for pleasurable reading.  I do agree with Routman that I can share what gives me pleasure as a reader and bring that into the classroom. 

I love and adore children’s books! One of my favorite classes in college was “Kiddie Lit”. I read to my nieces and taught one of them to read, putting books in her hand at the earliest age. She is still an avid reader. I was privileged to teach her in kindergarten instilling even more the love of reading. My personal library reflects my love of children’s books. I had quite an extensive collection long before my daughter was born. (Thankfully, through reading books, she delves into an imaginative world where dreams and wishes come to fruition.) I still can’t part with many of her favorites but my classroom library flourished as a result of her recycles or discards. “Kindergarten students who do well in school own more than fifty books at a minimum.” Routman struck home with this comment. Many of my students I am certain do not have even ten books in their home. The notes on small pieces of scrap paper lend one to perceive there may not even be writing tools accessible to them. I definitely agree with Routman in her comments about well -stocked and well-used libraries in homes and schools.  She says they are positively associated with reading achievement. Upon reflection of my daughter’s library as an infant, I fondly recall my mother in law telling me she had too many books. As she entered school and developed her deeper love of reading, my mother in law came back to me and told me she understood what I was doing and maybe she didn’t have too many books after all.  To this day, my child says she doesn’t have enough room for all her books!    

I enjoy the teaching tips and “try it and apply it” sections in the chapters.

I have mixed emotions concerning Routman’s ideas on respecting parents’ busy lives. Though I do believe that many of our families are overburdened and pressured, asking them to sign the homework paper stating they read with their child reminds our parents of their responsibility as a parent. Though some may sign for the whole week the first night in essence to get it done, others will do as we wish. Even siblings and friends can read with the child to count for their homework. Maybe we can put some responsibility on the students to make a happy face on the signature when it is done or sign their name as well.

I got an excellent idea from this chapter about a bulletin board with the students writing about/sharing their favorite book.  Perhaps later in the year, we will pursue that task. I also reflected on a past year when each student had their own reading basket in their cubbie with books of their interest. Another idea for future thought. I think we will discuss our “now” book and our “next” book even if it is for the whole class. Our children’s eyes brighten with surprise and delight when I share with them they are reading as they learn to read their names and those of their classroom community. 

  

Teresa Patterson's Blog 1:Chapter 5 Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

Teresa Patterson’s Blog Post 1: Chapter 5: Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library by Regie Routman

As a teacher of early learners, I focused primarily on the care of books. Our librarian has done an excellent job of talking to our students about taking care of books. Since many of our students have a deprived access to books, they also suffer from the lack of knowledge as to their care.  The first conversations often include those words of facing the cover forward when returning it to its place or gentle hands rather than throwing the books. Sometimes the conversation is as simple as “This is how we turn the pages and hold the book.” I use board books in the earlier weeks while impressing upon our little ones the necessity of caring for our treasures. Routman suggests bringing in books of our own and modeling the respect for the books of our libraries. I like the idea of a “book caring” policy in which the students take a role in establishing the rules.   

“An adequate classroom library will have at least two hundred books, but an excellent classroom library will have more than a thousand.” With my last year’s group, I had to send many books to the hospital for repair or discard. Our school received a grant some years back for books and more recently refreshed our classroom libraries with books the district purchased.  Even so, the classroom library needs careful consideration. In recent years, I reorganized my books into categories and this summer purged the baskets even more. I am still undergoing a renewal and labeling of the baskets. In the past with our young readers, I had too many books out at once and am trying a rotation of fewer books but more frequently. I may again try the personal book baskets as mentioned; I have done that in the past with a different clientele of students. Using rain gutters for a display is a fabulous idea.

“Young students love counting and concept books, predictable books with rhythm and rhyme, nursery rhymes, alphabet books, fairy tales, joke books, familiar stories by favorite authors, and nonfiction animal books….” Our students made a class book of Pete the Cat which is in the library. They often ask Mrs. Anderson for pop up books when she reads to them. We also made a Pete the Cat emergent reader for each student they will have access to. Our Book Buddies program serves our students well as I know many of them are not read to at home. In a former school I taught in, I organized and started a Rocking Readers program in which a local business donated a rocking chair and community citizens came on a weekly basis and read to different students outside the classroom.   Putting books in the hands of children can never be a mistake. 

Dawn Mitchell's Blog Post 2 - Regie Routman's Chapter 5 - Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

 Dawn Mitchell's Blog Post 2 - Regie Routman's Chapter 5 - Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

During the month of September our literacy professional development focuses on creating a print rich classroom environment, organizing your classroom library to promote student interests in a wide variety of genres and topics and authors, and most of all to provide students with choices that tap in to their interests and abilities. 

In September’s blendspace you will find a variety of resources including read alouds from Miller’s “No More Independent Reading Without Support” as well as Atwell’s “Pleasure Principle” and one of my favorites highlighted within that article, “The Reader’s Bill of Rights.”  In addition to those texts, you will find resources created by many of our district literacy coaches and teachers including videos of classroom libraries, checklists for a print rich literacy environment and a well-stocked classroom library.

In talking about the importance of choice with respect to our students, we also want each of you to know that teachers need choices too.  We do not want anyone to feel pressure to have the same classroom libraryDawn Mitchell's Blog Post 2 - Regie Routman's Chapter 5 - Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library and we are not advocating a “cookie-cutter” approach to classroom libraries.  In order for our classroom libraries to be effective and to equip students and teachers with the materials and the motivation needed to grow as independent readers they need to be in a constant state of growth. 

In chapter 5, Routman validates the importance of effective classroom libraries and on page 64 she states, “The most effective reading programs are generally supported by large classroom libraries.  The better the libraries, the better the reading achievement as measured by standardized tests.  Books contribute more strongly to reading achievement than any computer software does.  Schools with lots of low-income families have far fewer books available for students, and classroom libraries can help level that playing field.  Simply put, children read a great deal more when they have access to books, and well-designed, organized, ample classroom libraries provide the easiest access for students.”

A few take aways that I had from this chapter are:

*The importance of well-timed, high interest book talks.  Penny Kittle in her professional dev. text, “Book Love” that I am also reading promotes book talks as well as an integral part of independent reading where the teacher and then students take a few minutes at the beginning of independent reading each week to share about a book from the classroom library that they are reading.

*The importance of high – interest books.  Routman explains how important high-interest books are to struggling readers.  I would argue they are important to all of us.  How many of us, as proficient adult readers value some light reading?  Um, this girl right here has her hand held up high!  I love my Southern Living and my South Carolina Wild Life magazine as much as anyone.  I also love a little In Style when I am in the chair once in a while to get my hair cut or every morning when I am reading my devotional and the news on my smart phone.  Light reading does not account to poor reading.  It is part of a balanced reader’s diet.  It has a place in the library and in our students’ hands too.

Routman says, “It really doesn’t matter much what kids read as long as they read and enjoy what they’re reading.  By gently nudging them and introducing them to better literature – through reading aloud, co-reading, and putting books into their hands – their reading tastes will eventually grow into more sophisticated materials.”

*The importance of a variety of books – Routman says, “An adequate classroom library will have at least two hundred books, but an excellent library will have more than a thousand.” She explains the importance to include multiple copies of favorite books, to include books in a series to motivate author studies, and to promote clear procedures with students in charge and involved of the care of the library including the daily book sign out in order to keep managing the classroom.

*The importance of organizing the classroom library around what students’ interests are.  On page 68 Routman suggests creating baskets/bins/tubs of books organized by topics that students choose.  Using an interest inventory, a survey, a poll, or even a conference to find out what they like to read and then organizing your classroom library to include these popular text sets can go a long way in motivating students to read and to find what they like to read.  Routman says, “The top three choices for more than seventeen hundred sixth graders in twenty-three diverse schools were magazines, adventure books, and mysteries.”  Don’t go by this survey though, let your students tell you what they like to read. 

*Avoid organizing by leveled bins – Routman says, “While levels can be a helpful guide for teaching students, we need to be careful to factor in the quality of the text and students’ interests.  When we show students how to select “just-right” books, even older struggling readers can appropriately choose books.”

*The importance of nonfiction books – Routman says, “More nonfiction reading leads to more informational writing, which is related to higher reading achievement.”  Routman goes on to cite a study from second grade teachers in Tenafly, New Jersey that taught all of their reading through nonfiction books connected to science and social studies.  She said students not only learned a tremendous amount about the world but they also tested above grade level in reading on standardized tests.

*The importance of talking about books – Many of you have heard me share my book review genre of study in writing workshop and how I’ve used the book review unit to integrate reading and writing and to promote students analyzing what they read in order to argue for or against reading it.  Many times we even publish our book reviews on web 2.0 sites like Amazon or Barnes and Noble in order to inform other readers about our opinions.  Routman does this too through her “top-ten” lists. 

*The importance of creating a cozy climate – You know when a book nook beckons to you. It’s the cozy café seating at Barnes and Noble with the smell of coffee and new books all around you and the low level lighting beckoning you to come in.  It’s the children’s section of the local public library that has books artfully arranged by staff, colorful carpets with big books and eye level baskets full of board books.  It is important to think about our classroom library aesthetic environment as well, doing the best we can with what we have to make that spot as inviting as possible.  I loved Routman’s idea on page 78 of using rain gutters to display books.  I have seen this on pinterest and have admired them as well. 

As we enter in to our first full month of school with September, there is a promise in the air of a new year, with new students, and a new found support for best practices in literacy.  Let’s start with our classroom environments.  It’s where our students will spend most of their day time hours.  Let’s make room for reading, room for choice, and a room that is inviting and motivating for this year’s readers.  Let me know how I can help.

Sincerely,

Dawn

Laura Riemensnider’s Blog Post: 1 Regie Routman Reading Essentials Chapter 3 Share your Reading Life

Laura Riemensnider’s Blog Post: 1 Regie Routman Reading Essentials Chapter 3   Share your Reading Life

The first sentence of this chapter is a very powerful one. Regie Routman says, “When I introduce myself to a new group of students, I always talk about myself as a reader.” So this inspired me to tell you a little bit about myself as a reader. I will do so using the suggestions of things you should share with your students that Routman gives throughout the chapter.

“Share your reading habits & Share your passion for reading”

My favorite place to read is on my patio on a somewhat cool Saturday or Sunday morning before the rest of the world comes out of their homes. I’ll wake just a few minutes past my usual workday time, just enough to claim “sleeping in”. I’ll carefully sit a warm cup of “Jamaican Me Crazy” coffee on a nearby stone wall in the mug that sports the cast of the Andy Griffith Show or the one that was a Christmas gift emblazoned with pictures of my niece. My favorite reading buddy always accompanies me to our little spot. Frank sniffs the air and studies the birds while I flip the pages sinking into a magazine article of a long forgotten drive-in or newest bluegrass festival somewhere in Eastern North Carolina. If a dog could be called a southern gentleman, he would surely earn the title. Loyal and quiet, he lays just feet away, only glancing in my direction when a humorous article or deep memoir elicits a verbal response from my lips.  It is a most peaceful time.  I can usually read this way for about 30 minutes to an hour before the traffic picks up on the main road behind my house and the neighbors begin the weekend rituals of yard work or visiting.

“Discuss the importance and pleasure of having a personal library”

My personal library now sits in parts. My books are scattered between my home, office, and childhood playroom. As much as I love my copy of Arnold Lobel’s Small Pig and my giant stack of Berenstein Bear books, I love them even more in the hands of my dear niece. We find ourselves reading book upon book on summer days back at my parents’ home. Upstairs in my guest room stand two very solid bookshelves that hold my current favorites and inside the cabinets at school, my professional books are waiting for the next time I need a snippet of golden information.

“Let students know what you are reading and what you will read next & Talk about favorite authors and favorite books”

I am currently reading every Simone St. James gothic mystery she can publish.  She is a relatively new Canadian author, currently writing her fifth book. The books are dark and sweet at the same time. They are set in the 1920’s with a ghost or two, and always a little romance.  I get lost in her words and when each book is done I feel a little sad that I have to mentally leave that era and come back to this one.                                           

Almost every weekend I choose an old issue of Our State Magazine to read.  This magazine chocked full of wonderful memoirs, travel accounts, articles on current places and people from the State of North Carolina. Because both sides of my family live in North Carolina, I have traveled to many beautiful and interesting places across the state. Reading this magazine brings back memories.   

The next books I plan to read are the two that Nick Offerman has published. I am waiting patiently for them to come in on hold at the public library. Offerman is a comedian from the show, “30 Rock” and both these books are said to reflect the voice of the character he played on the show. I was a fan of the show, so this led me to become interested in his books.

“Explain how you choose books to read”

               My friends and family help to influence the books I choose. My friend, John, suggested the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency book series by Alexander McCall Smith. I read a total of six before pausing to read anything else. It is an excellent series. I try to give every recommendation that I’m given, by someone who knows me well, a chance. I have rarely been disappointed.

In all my years of teaching I haven’t had this type of inspiration to reflect upon how important it is to share my reading life at such a deep level with my students. I had found it helpful that the kids knew I loved reading, but this level of sharing opens up so much more! This will connect us as readers. I can really envision this creating a love, not just for books or favorite books, but about reading and having a reading life! This chapter was full of wonderful, easy, suggestions of how to share your reading life with your students. I learned several practical ways to share by looking over the sections marked, “Try it Apply it.” I am going to try the idea about making time for kids to “sell” books to peers with the small group that I will be meeting with each week. This will be more powerful than just having the student tell whether they think someone else would like it or not. I will encourage them to bring a beloved book or pick a favorite from the classroom collection to recommend to the group. This will be about enthusiasm and the love of books that mean something to us. We will all share a bit of our reading lives!

Dawn Mitchell's August Blog Post 1: Finding Time for Independent Reading

Dawn Mitchell's August Blog Post 1: Finding Time for Independent Reading

In Section I of Debbie Miller’s No More Independent Reading Without Support she writes that children learn to read by reading but not without support.  I love this challenge she gives us at the beginning of her book and I definitely think it is relevant to us at the beginning of this school year. 

Miller writes, “What if there were a way out? What if there were a way – at least for part of the day – where things slowed down, your students had their hands and minds on great books, and you had the pleasure of conferring with them about their reading and themselves as readers?  No rotations, activities, or worksheets – just you, your kids, and books. If you could find a way out, would you take it?”

Miller explains that independent reading isn’t just Sustained Silent Reading where everyone stops, drops, and reads, the teacher included.  She explained that truly effective independent reading provides an instructional component, an application component, and a formative assessment component so that students have support during independent reading time.  Miller advocates for a reading workshop model.  She knows that to do this well, there has to be a consistent block of time during the school day.

This time is an investment into the workshop structure.  It is an investment into independent reading and more than that, it is an investment into each one of our students.

For the last fourteen years of my teaching career I have worked to implement workshop structure for both writing and reading where students have a supportive context for their application of real world literacy skills.  I know first-hand how we, as teachers struggle against the clock for time to make this meaningful work happen.  This was the first roadblock I had when implementing reading/writing workshop into my own fourth grade class over a decade ago and it is still the first instructional roadblock I always hear from the wonderful teachers I work with.  We don’t have enough time.  I agree.  There never is enough time. 

Time is the great equalizer.  We all have the same amount, each and every day.  Since we cannot make any more time, I agree with Miller that it is worth our time to carefully examine our schedule and look closely for the time that is hiding.  There is time, chunks of it hiding in the minutes of morning work we do to keep kids on task while we take attendance.  I have found a little time here and a little time there in transitions that take too long or routines that may not be necessary to extend all morning.  Debbie also asked to take a long look at our existing reading block and to see if we were really using our time to engage students.  Do they really need the packets of worksheets, the isolated times for all of the activities in the basal reader…? 

I know from my own experience when I moved from a scripted program to an authentic workshop structure where I used time for independent reading and writing, for formative assessments to help me know who my students were as readers and writers, and what skills and strategies they were and were not using to make meaning I could design mini lessons to specifically target what they needed to work on.  This wasn’t always easy, but it was fulfilling and everyone in the classroom grew, including me.  I used every resource I had to create lessons and it was constantly changing because my students were. 

I love how Debbie explains the difference between SSR and reading workshop on page 7.  She says, “When students sit quietly at their desk with a book or magazine during DEAR or Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) time, we might see them flip a page every minute or so, but we can’t see what’s happening inside their heads.  We don’t have evidence of how they’re making meaning of the text, the specific ways they’ve grown as readers, or what they’re struggling with as they read.  Without that information, we can’t teach them how to get better and we can’t be sure that – even if they read every day – all students are becoming better readers this week than they were the one before.”

With knowing already before school begins that we have only 180 days to do the best we can with the time we have, it is vital that we utilize the most effective methods possible.  I want to know that my students are growing.  I want to see evidence of them applying what they are learning in their independent reading.  I want to give this year all I’ve got.  I want to give them independent reading with support.

Sincerely,

Dawn