Saturday, September 14, 2013

Let Them Read What They Want

At the end of last year, I wrote a post about independent reading and how excited I was that it worked in my classroom last year! Several people asked me, “How? How did you make it work?” and so I decided to take some time after this second week of school to tell you how I’m making it work in my classroom.

Just for some background: I teach 11th and 12th grade, and in Virginia, there is a state standardized test in 11th grade. So for teachers who say, “Oh, I don’t have time for independent reading because we have a state test,” please reconsider. We can always make time to infect our students with the reading bug.
I also teach at a low income school. Many of my kids come from single parent households. Many are African American. A few are pregnant or already have babies of their own. I’m saying this so you don’t think my kids are the perfect angels, the easy kids to reach. They are not; they’re tough, most days.

That brings me to my first point.

1.       You, as the teacher, MUST buy into the value of independent reading for it to work. You must fully and passionately believe that, as B.F. Skinner said, “We shouldn't teach great books but great love of reading.” Yes, there are numerous arguments for reading the “classics,” and yes, they are of some value. But if your students "SparkNote" their way through Great Expectations and The Scarlet Letter (like I did, because they were terribly boring), and then they never read another book again…are we really doing our jobs, as English teachers? I argue that no, we are not. WE must believe that reading is more than trudging through classics and the books we THINK we should teach.

I'll be honest: I despise most of the classics that I am supposed to love. They sucked away my love for reading for many years. But then, I read The Book Whisperer by Donnalyn Miller (thanks to my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Reynolds). From August of 2010, when I started student teaching with Mrs. Reynolds, to August 2011, when I got hired at the high school where I’m currently teaching, I read over 50 books! I rediscovered a love for reading, and I decided I never wanted to be the English teacher to inadvertently killed reading for my students.

You have to know your students. For instance, most of us who are Language Arts teachers took all the AP English classes and majored in English in college, and sometimes we forget that our students are not like us. I teach some great kids, but my kids are not honors or AP. They are the kids who will probably be fixing your car someday or wiring your house for electricity because they are more interested in trade school, and that is completely fine! But very few of them are going to be English majors.

This past summer, my little (well, younger) brother and I went fishing, and he asked me why teachers teach “the classics.” You see, he’s an extremely smart kid. He took advanced classes in high school and graduated with a good GPA and has enough common sense and street smarts for ten people. But unlike his nerdy, bookworm sister (me), school is just not his passion. 

So, I thought about his question and finally said, “Uh…I guess some teachers feel like they have to. It’s just expected. They think it’s good for kids to be exposed to certain books and to be educated so they can pick up on references and stuff…” And even as I was saying it, I realized what a ridiculous answer it was.

“That doesn’t seem like a good reason at all,” he quipped
And he’s right. It’s a terrible reason. It’s not good enough for me. I want better for my kids

So, here’s what I do: on the first day of school, my students take a Reading Interest Survey. This gives me an idea of what kind of reader they are. This survey, which I created after looking at dozens of reading surveys online and in books, also asks them about movies and television shows, so that even if they have never read a book in their life, I know what they’re interested in. Last year, I had my students complete a Book Recommendation Sheet, and I have these in a binder on my bookshelf, organized by genre. One of the questions on the sheet asks the students to complete the following: “If you like…you’ll love…” That way, kids can find books that their peers actually read and enjoyed.
                Then, I bring in books from home (I’m working super hard to build my classroom library on a budget, but for now, I’m just bringing in my personal books and loaning them out). So, on the second day of school, I did a “book tasting” by setting six books around the classroom: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, and Deadline by Chris Crutcher. I chose these books because they are high interested young adult literature.
The kids divided into six groups and spent 2-3 minutes with each book, reading the summary, looking at the front cover, reading the author bio, skimming the first few pages, and so forth. At the end, they voted for their top three books, and I read the first chapter of those three books aloud to each class. After I was done reading, they filled out a little Reading Reflection sheet for only TWO books. I told them they could just “chill and listen” for one book, and they liked having that freedom. They also enjoyed having a fluent, expressive reader read the book aloud. Some said it reminded them of their childhood, and so we laughed and shared some stories about being read to as children. We enter into a conversation not teacher to student but reader to reader. What a great way to build a relationship with your kids!             
                The next step to building a successful independent reading program is giving your kids access to books. We have a fabulous school library and a wonderful group of librarians who let me bring my kids in to look at books during the second week of school. During this visit, the kids fill out a Book Preview Sheet. Again, like the other assignments, it’s very minimal. The reason I have them fill this out is to teach them HOW to pick out a book and how to decide if the book is a good fit for them; it’s not just busy work. After the kids are done with their sheets, I ask them to go check out a book or two and begin reading. If they can’t pay the $1.00 it takes to buy a library card, I buy one for them or check out a book on my account. I also tell them if I have a certain book at home and that I’ll bring it in for them if the library doesn’t have it. Like I said earlier, I’m working hard to build my classroom library, and next semester, I plan to have a check out system, but for now, I just kind of write kids down and tell them to just make sure my classroom books get back to me.
                The next step after giving them access to books? Prioritize reading! I start every class, every day with 20-30 minutes of silent reading. And what do I do during those 20-30 minutes? I read. I’ve warned my kids that sometimes we may read for more than 30 minutes if I’m really into my book, and they just rolled their eyes, but I’m being serious. Sometimes I’ll do a quick walk around the classroom and nudge people who have drifted off, but I don’t shame or scold them. Occasionally, I’ll give a small participation grade for reading, but I try to just expect them to read because it’s the right thing to do during that time.
                The students track their progress on a reading log I got from a coworker, Matt. I love it because it is SIMPLE and doesn’t feel like a lot of work, and it’s a great way for a student to estimate how long it will take them to read a book. Once a week, they have to write about their books in their journals, and sometimes I teach characterization, plot, and other literary concepts (and state standards, honestly) through their independent reading books. I also plan to have them do book commercials and book trailers so they can share their best books with their classmates (and hopefully I can put these on my school blog and we can share them with the world). Last year, I did massive projects, and it was such a waste of time. I’m sorry I ever did them; I just felt like I had to.

                So, to summarize
1)     Buy into independent reading and its value.
2)      Know your kids and get to know their interests.
3)      Allow them to “taste” books.
4)      Help them find books that are appropriate and interesting.
5)      Read aloud to your students frequently.
6)      Give students access to books.
7)      Make time to read every day!
8)      Encourage students to create  and share authenticate projects.
9)      Teach literary concepts, such as characterization, through independent reading.
10)   Lead by example. Model reading for them, and they will often follow.
               


Resources: 
The Book Whisperer by Donnalyn Miller  (by the way, I recommend you follow her on Twitter) 

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Summer's Over

And just like that, summer is over, and it almost feels as if it were never here. Vacation Bible School in June is a foggy, distant memory. The 10 days in Texas with mom and sister is a blurry dream. Volleyball started on August 5th, but I feel like I've been practicing these girls for months and months and months.

People always used to tell me that the older I got, the faster time flew. I never believed them until recently. Like, for example...I'm almost 25 years old. This is a monumental age in my life for two reasons:

1) My mom had me when she was 25, so for as long as I can remember 25 is "the age to start having kids." And obviously, Randy and I are not at that place yet. Most of the time, that doesn't bother me. Sometimes, though, I have mini-panic attacks where I think, "OMG OMG OMG, I'm 25 and we're not having kids yet. I'm going to be an old mom." Which isn't even true and is completely illogical. But sometimes I think that.

And secretly, I'm kind of grateful my little sister and her husband are having a baby first...I'll have a sweet, squishy niece or nephew to practice on come January :) 

2) I am going to cut my hair. I forget how it started...I think Randy kind of dared me not to cut my hair until I was 25, or maybe I decided to be stubborn and not cut it until I was 25. Either way, the weekend of my 25th birthday, I am free to cut it.

I'll be sure to post pictures, because I'm thinking about doing something very drastic and fun.

Because how else will I celebrate turning 25 later this month? Grading more papers? Having my girls run an extra suicide?

Summer flew by, and 25 years flew by, and I've never been more grateful that my life is exactly the way it is.