Skipper Blog # 2 Routman Chapter 5 Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

I spent a week in my classroom this summer trying to organize my classroom library to make it easier for my students to use and easier for me to let them use it.  I had many books that I have never let my students read because I called them my books.  I was afraid that the students would tear them up or take them.  That worked for me until last year when I had a class full of readers.  Those students never had enough books to read, no matter how many books I made available to them.  That experience was new for me and I learned then that I was being selfish with my books.  This summer when I was labeling my books, I realized how many books I was keeping for myself that were actually on my students reading level.  It was exciting and a little scary to get my library organized for my students to have access to all of my books.

I like that the author talks about paying attention to the students' interests and not their reading level.  Prior to the reorganization to my library, I had books labeled and organized by reading level.  This summer I decided to label the books with reading level, but then organize them by topic.  This makes all books available to all readers.  I would like to do more book talk with students this year.  Another feature that I would like to include in my classroom library is some more comfortable seating options for my students and maybe some lamps and varied lighting options.  I think that making my library "outstanding" with my students' input will help them care for my books and grow their love of reading.

Skipper's Blog Post #1 Reading Essentials by Reggie Routman Share Your Reading Life

This chapter was very interesting to me because I do not think about sharing my reading life with my students because I haven't had much of a reading life.  I have never been someone who loves to read for fun.  As a child, I didn’t really learn to read until 5^th grade.  I could read enough to get me by, but I couldn’t read much more than that.  I was in the gifted program from 1^st grade on, so my teachers weren’t concerned with my lack of reading ability.  There was nothing that said that children could be gifted but have difficulty in an area.  My 5^th grade reading teacher was different though.  She noticed my lack of reading ability and lack of desire to become a better reader so she took it upon herself to help me find my love for reading.  She taught me how to look for books that I enjoyed in the library and helped me get hooked on reading.  From that point on, I practiced reading because I wanted to and became a better reader.  Since that experience I have read out of necessity for my job or education and I read things that I enjoy as a way to escape.  I am very thankful for my experience in 5^th grade and hope to pass that on to my students.  After reading this chapter, I now want to share more with my students about my reading life.  I want to instill the love of reading in them that I didn't have as a young child.  

Mandie Allen's Blog Post 1: Miller Section 1 (August)

In Section 1 of No More Independent Reading Without Support, Miller stresses the importance of quality independent reading time for students.  She states that independent reading time is important for students' growth as readers and while great teachers give wonderful reading instruction, students spend very little time actually reading in classrooms.  Furthermore, when students are reading independently, they receive very little feedback from teachers about what they are reading.  In many schools, classrooms have adopted a time period where everyone (including the teacher) is quietly reading to themselves.  With this form of silent reading there is no guarantee that students are reading or comprehending what they read.

After reading this section, I was reminded of our Common Core training with Dr. Cox.  She emphasized the importance of independent reading and the remarkable impact it would make on our students.  Last year, I had a strong group of readers so I put a lot of focus on them picking out books, reading them, and taking an AR test.  Students were so excited to see their AR flower "grow" each time they earned points for passing a test.  Even my lowest readers gained confidence from each passed test.  At the end of the year, the STAR test showed tons of growth for almost all of my students (even students who scored high to begin with).

Seeing how effective independent reading was has motivated me to continue with this year's group.  I would also like to be better about conferencing with my students as they are reading during their independent time.  One challenge I face with this is having low readers.  Since my students are in first grade, if they are low readers then often there are a limited number of books that are on their level.

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.

Dawn Mitchell's Blog Post 3 – Debbie Miller’s Section II of No More Independent Reading Without Support and Regie Routman's Chapter 7 – Make Assessment Instruction’s Working Partner

Dawn Mitchell's Blog Post 3 – Debbie Miller’s Section II of No More Independent Reading Without Support and Regie Routman's Chapter 7 – Make Assessment Instruction’s Working Partner

During the month of October our literacy professional development focuses on formative assessment, specifically the benefits of using Running Records and Miscue Analysis to determine not only what reading level a student is on, but more importantly who the student is as a reader, and how the student reads.  This provides us with an opportunity to use this information as a formative assessment tool and also as an instructional tool.

In October’s blendspace you will find a variety of resources including examples of informal reading inventories, videos of students reading to use for miscue analysis, excerpts of articles, and relevant activities to help you to apply authentic reading assessments with your students.

This month I read Section II of Debbie Miller’s No More Independent Reading Without Support and every part in this section spoke to the importance of providing support through instruction and through formative assessment for our students’ independent reading.  In the table provided on page 16, Miller says to grow as independent readers students not only need classroom time to read and choice of what they read, but they also need explicit instruction about what, why, and how readers read.  They need to read a large number of books and a variety of texts, and they need teacher monitoring, assessment, and support, as well as opportunities to engage with others to talk about what they’ve read.

Later in this same section, Miller specifically outlines specific actions such as individual schema-based learning, conceptual learning, and transactional learning as effective support structures for supporting student growth.  Miller also listed successful teacher intervention behaviors including teacher responding to student questions, teacher-led discussions, and teacher monitoring and modeling of comprehension strategies as effective as well.  It was no surprise to me that the authors found that, “It is the specific actions that teachers take to support students during silent reading periods that produce significant growth in students’ comprehension.” 

In my own experience as a reading teacher I have seen first-hand how in a reading workshop where the independent reading time is supported with a mini-lesson that provides students a goal or invitation for them to try out a new reading strategy the students have a purpose and a direction for their reading and it is targeted toward their growth.  I’ve also seen when the students during their try it out time during independent reading are supported with formative assessment strategies such as miscue-analysis and conferencing that provide differentiated support work to build a relationship with the student and help them to form their identity as a reader and a writer within a wider collective classroom community of readers and writers.

 I’ve also seen how these formative assessment strategies are also instructional in nature.  The students when they are reading to you and to their peers and/or are discussing what they’ve read benefit tremendously from the experience and we as teachers are able to use that meaningful experience to gauge student understanding and can build on that with the next mini-lesson.

Our reading assessments do not have to be limited by what is criterion or norm referenced or standardized.  In fact, the teacher’s assessments are the ones that provide our students with the most support.  In chapter 7 of Routman’s Reading Essentials, she says “As much as possible, we teachers need to do our own ongoing assessments with our students using materials that students are already reading or are likely to read.  Our own assessments are the ones that really drive instruction.  Someone else’s materials and notes rarely give the full documentation we obtain through first-hand observations of students we know well.” (page 99).

She gives a series of questions in this chapter that I have found helpful to guide my reading assessments: 

                *Is this a valid and useful assessment?

                *How am I using this assessment?

                *What goals am I setting?

                *Who else do I need to inform?

I also really love her Framework for an informal reading conference that she outlines on page 104.  She follows this natural routine in her work with students.

                *Bring me a book that you can read pretty well.

                *Why did you choose this book?

                *What is the reading level of this book for you?

                *Tell me what the book is about so far?

                *Read this part of the book for me.

                *Tell me what you remember about what you just read?

                *Let’s discuss your strengths and what you need to work on. (Sets Strengths and Goals)

                *How long do you think it will take you to complete this book?

Routman says, “Sitting right next to a student, observing him read, probing her thinking, is the best way I know to evaluate all aspects of a child’s reading and move the student forward.  While there are many informal reading inventories available as well as all kinds of formal tests, the most accurate information is obtained by carefully observing the child by your side, in the act of reading.” 

I want to make more opportunities in my work with students to have them engaged as readers and writers and to value the time spent listening, watching, supporting, and coaching them to be read longer, to read stronger, and to foster a love for what they read and what they learn from it. 

Sincerely,

Dawn

Jeff Young’s Blog Post: Miller Section 2 September

In Section 2, Miller discusses why independent reading matters and the best practices that support it.  If independent reading (time students spend reading self-selected texts) is done correctly, students WILL become better readers.  Miller cites seven “best practices” that are critical for effective independent reading.

The first best practice Miller discusses is giving students “just right” independent reading time based on the proficiency of the reader.  Just the right time may be approximately twenty to forty minutes of daily reading.  The second best practice Miller emphasizes is the importance of allowing students to be able to choose what they read.  Miller states that children who read self-selected texts are more motivated readers and retain more of what they read.  The third best practice teachers must implement is providing explicit instruction on how to choose the right books and how to read genre-specific texts.  The fourth practice Miller discusses is the idea of increasing the number and variety of complex texts students read.  Complex texts that Miller states “offer new language, new knowledge, and new modes of thought.”  The fifth practice Miller writes is the need for students to have easy access to lots of books.  Miller states the importance of not only having a well-stocked school library, but a classroom library full of books that vary in genre and level.  The sixth practice involves the support students need from teachers during independent reading time.  Miller outlines three intervention behaviors teachers need to exhibit during IR.  These include: “teacher responding to student questions, teacher-led discussions, and teacher monitoring and modeling comprehension strategies.” Teachers can accomplish this through whole group instruction leading into IR time followed by conferences directed by the teacher.  Individual conferences provide students with a level of accountability that is needed to boost growth.  Lastly, Miller cites that students need opportunities to share what they read.  Miller states that text discussions can “enhance critical thinking, metacognition, and the ability to structure arguments.”

Miller stresses the importance of the teacher being actively involved with students during independent reading through modeling, guiding, and fostering active discussions. 

Jeff Young’s Blog Post: Miller Section 1 August

At the beginning of my teaching career (before the scripted reading program was implemented) I was able to give my students 30 to 45 minutes each day to read.  I saw much growth in my students as readers during those early years.  Students were eager and confident readers as observed through conferencing with students twice a week.  A few years later our school adopted a scripted reading program that very time consuming.  I no longer had time to give my students as long of an independent reading time as before. 

Finding time for independent reading is a theme in Section 1 in of Debbie Miller’s book entitled No More Independent Reading Without Support.  Debbie Miller writes about her observations in teachers’ classrooms in Baltimore.  She makes notes of activities that she feels teachers may be able to take out in order to create room for independent reading.  Some of those activities included the ever famous “calendar time”, school morning announcements, transitions, and endless worksheets to name a few.  Miller’s observations made me reflect on my own teaching experience and some activities that I could have taken out to create more time for independent reading. 

The other theme in the chapter was about the importance of creating structure and guidance within the independent reading block.  Debbie writes, “For students to do more than race through lots of books, they need a teacher to show them what behaviors they need to practice as the read, and the teacher needs opportunities to monitor and give feedback on how students are using those behaviors.” I agree completely with Miller on this point.  When I conferenced with my students, I was able to know them as readers and how best to guide them to become better readers.