Book+Whisperer+3&4

After reading Chapters 3 and 4, what are your initial thoughts, questions, concerns. Specifically, what do you think about "creating a culture of reading throughout the day, not just during reading/language arts class time" ? What are some ways you do this in your classroom and in your school?
 * **Susan** I truly appreciated Miller's insights into "stealing stray moments" to read. I thought I was trying to do that already, but I realize I'm still missing out on several opportunities. My students are pretty good at picking up a book and reading if they are done with the work that has been presented to them to complete, but I want them to turn into the kids who naturally take a book everywhere they go! On page 50 she discusses students asking for more reading time or not realizing how long they've been reading. I see that in our students. They whine if they don't get what they deem to be enough time to read. I think a good part of it is a love for reading, but I also think part of it goes back to something Shelly commented on in our discussion of chpts. 1 & 2. A lot of our students do not go home to peaceful, literature-loving environments at night. School is a safe haven for them to get lost in a book. I'm glad we can provide that, but wish there was a way to get carry that over to their homes. I was also interested in her suggestions of how she sets her Reader's Notebook up. We track some of those lists, but I like the idea of having them all in the notebook and not separated.
 * **June** Susan Wrote: "A lot of our students do not go home to peaceful, literature-loving environments at night. School is a safe haven for them to get lost in a book." This comment really struck me. I guess I never put that together - even more reason for us to give students time at school to read!
 * ﻿Kristen: I agree! It made me think about how Kosciusko County promotes a book each year. Maybe we could do something like this...a district-wide read! I think that we would have to have it be K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. But we would all be promoting reading outside of the classroom?? I don't know...just thinking out loud! []
 * **Doug**: I love the importance placed on independent reading "because reading has more impact on student' achievement than any other activity in school." Miller goes on to say that this should be the first activity teachers write in their lesson plans, not the last.
 * **Pam**: When Miller quoted The Power of Reading, "Stephen Krashen reveals that no single literacy activity has a more positive effect on students' comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, spelling, writing ability, and overall academic achievement than free voluntary reading" it made me want to restructure my whole schedule to include lots more reading time. As Susan said, our students demand more reading time and complain when they don't get it so we are well on our way to building a larger community of readers that truly love reading. This increase in reading time will build their overall academic achievement if we make it cornerstone not an add-on.
 * **Kris**: I'd like to echo what Pam started out with: "Stephen Krashen reveals that no single literacy activity has a more positive effect on students' comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, spelling, writing ability, and overall academic achievement than free voluntary reading." Krashen is also a HUGE name in second language acquisition. So, this has sparked an idea: namely, Silent Sustained Reading in the Spanish classroom (SSSR). My plan is to hit the ground running next year with newspapers, magazines, picture books, chapter books, novels, and classics in Spanish. In each class period devote a sliver of time to free-choice reading in the second language. I have done some rudimentary research on this, and have found no one who has tried it (and lived to tell the tale). So, I think I will start this next year with a very small window of reading per day (5-7 minutes) and see what kind of second language reading stamina will come from it. I will keep them accountable by having a weekly question sheet (languague constructions, word usage, even cultural questions) will be allowed. Thoughts?
 * **Pam**: Where will you find the resources? Could you put a call out to all the teachers and students to help you gather these materials in Spanish? I will add that to my Goodwill/garage sale list.
 * **Kris**: I have collected many books over the years, and there is a Spanish "Weekly Reader" type newspaper that I can subscribe to (enough at least for classroom sets). Being the self-proclaimed King Nerd, I already have enough of these books to get me moving. I really appreciate being on your Goodwill/ garage sale list, too!
 * **June**: Kris I love your idea! Along with Pam, I will be on the look out for Spanish reading materials for you while I am out scavenging for books. Check out the discussion page for chapters 5, 6, and 7 to suggest places to look for inexpensive books to add to classroom libraries. Kristen, I also like your idea about a district wide read. Would that be offered to parents as well, or just teachers? What do you envision?
 * **Kristen**: June, I'm thinking that the book would be offered to parents. Not sure where the funds will come from but maybe we could have a few books for each classroom that kids can take home and bring back (at least at the elementary level??). This would be a "Book of the Year" type of thing.
 * **Abby:** I was so surprised by Miller's log of lost instructional time. "I logged fourteen visits from office personnel to deliver messages, forgotten lunches, and notes that needed to go home; nine phone calls from other staff members; two hallway discussions of student behavior; and one impromptu parent conference. All told, my students and I lost forty minutes of instructional time that week..." I have had discussions in my classroom about stealing minutes throughout the day. I can't believe what a difference it has made in making my class become a community of readers. One of my "developing readers" who doesn't spend much time reading came up to me today and said, "Mrs. Turner, I'm on chapter 25 in the book __Holes__!" I have just really enjoyed putting some of these ideas into practice! Kris, I think I have a couple of low level Spanish books in my classroom library. I'll look for them and give them to Susan if I find them.
 * **Kay**: I worked with struggling readers for 27 years in secondary settings in 5 different school corporations. The most shocking thing happened to me when I started at Akron; a special needs student asked me if I would read with him. I said, "What did you say?" because I couldn't believe my ears. It excites me what it happening at the elementary level in our school system. I have learned so much about reading in the past 3 years. Students have really pushed me to create extra reading time with them as my schedule allows. I've read with students during their lunch, recess, and study hall time. Last year, my schedule allowed me to flex my time two days a week and I met with special need students to read after school. This year with cuts in our programming, I could not flex my time. The students asked me if I was going to read with them again after school. How could I say no when after school time was so rewarding for the students and for me. I meet with 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade special needs students after school from 3:30 - 4:30 three Tuesdays a month. Last year, I was so proud of the 5th grade special need students lexile scores.
 * Shelly: There is so much that I want to change about myself as a teacher of reading- I am teaching reading all the time- not just during reading workshop. I loved the the discussion Miller has with her students about their conceptions of reading and how honest she is about books and reading habits. I think that it is great that students see us as real people- not teacher who sit on pedestals and never do something like abandoning books. It seems inappropriate for teachers to not like every book they read. I have always tried to keep my opinions (the bad ones!) a secret about what I am reading. I do not want to discourage readers from a book because I do not like it. They may have a different opinion or taste for the book. I am seeing that it is okay for me to let students know that I do not enjoy everything that I read. I just need to be tasteful offering my opinion. Also, the whispering about books during reading time was funny for me to read. I know that when I am conferencing or modeiling reading for my students my ears perk up the second I hear conversation. I have really had to make myself listen to make sure that it is literary conversation going on before I chat with students about talking during reading. I have found that students can be better police for nonliterary chatter than I can be. They will often tell each other to be quiet because they are trying to read. A quote that appealed to me as I try to get kids to read what I think that they need to be reading, "Any book that helps a child form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him (p. 69)." Books of all kinds are good for kids. As long as they are reading then I am happy! I am not sure who else was dying to see her list of the forty books but I was! I wanted to see how many of each genre that she required her students to read. I am curious as to thoughts about her list. I like the list being flexible based on student interests and desires. I also liked her way of thinking about students who did not get to the 40 book requirement. The fact of making as issue of only reading 22 books was eye opening for me. The fact is that most students are going to meet the requirement. The ones who do not will surely be benefitted by the ones they do read. By setting the bar high students will achieve what you expect from them. Set it high so achievement is high!