WOW!!! That is all I could say when I read that first paragraph for Goal 2. Did you feel that way too?
Jennifer states, "You could be the most eloquent teacher, the best strategy group facilitator, the most insightful conferrer. But if you send your kids back for independent reading and they don't read, then they won't make the progress you are hoping and working for. To put it another way, 'Without engagement, we've got nothing'" (pg 44).
I immediately thought about teachers who "teach" Read to Self in Daily 5 and complain about their kids just sitting there, looking around, playing with fuzz balls on the rug etc. Hmmmm! Maybe this isn't you, but how many times
I really like the idea that Jennifer says that students are likely more engaged readers if they are interacting with others. Think about yourself. Don't you find that when you read something, but then have the opportunity to talk about it, you walk away with a better understanding OR new ideas to think about and ponder? The first two ideas that came to my mind regarding interacting with others were the following:
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2) Literature Circles
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| 1) Daily Five's "Read to Someone" |
I know many teachers often delay or take out "Read to Someone" in their Daily 5 rotations fearing that students will not be on task. However, are we missing the boat? Shouldn't we be teaching mini lessons to address that issue if indeed it is happening in the classroom? Are we selling students short?
I attended a session at CSI on Literature Circles and revisiting this topic made me also realize the power in discussion of the text...yes a conversation...not merely assigning roles to students and reading off the information you found that matched their role.
So we know the importance of engagement, and we know that interactive with others can be beneficial, but you may have been wondering what other strategies you can use to reach this goal!
Boy was I excited when I saw this goal and so many great strategies that Jennifer discusses, 27 to be exact, to help us foster reading engagement with our students! The hard part was selecting just a few to discuss here. I think they all ROCK but these really stuck out to me!
2.1 A Perfect Reading Spot
This sounds so simple, yet do we really assist students with finding their "best" reading spot to focus and engage with text? I love the anchor chart that Jennifer provides because I know I am guilty of not taking several factors into consideration like the lighting or the type of surface. I typically only think about noise level and which classmates around them who may be distracting. One thing I never really put too much thought into was different spots for different genres. Though Jennifer doesn't really address this, this strategy made me think about how I choose different places to read depending on the purpose or genre. For example, if I am reading a fiction novel for mere enjoyment, I may read in my bed with dim light or in the sun beside the pool. If I am reading non-fiction, I am often sitting more upright at a table, especially if I am intently trying to learn something. I think it is our responsibility to help students find their best reading spot(s) to focus and become engaged with the text!
2.14 Track Progress on a Stamina Chart
I love the use of the stamina chart as long as students feel ownership and value it's importance. When teachers first began Daily 5 at the school where I teach, I can remember the disbelief when their students (even in kindergarten) began building their stamina while reading independently. Having the chart as a visual really seemed to help students (and teachers!) get an idea of their current level of reading engagement as well as to help set goals. I also like how Jennifer cautions teachers about helping students recognize the value of building stamina but without making the task seem like a "chore".
2.17 Visualize to Focus + 2.27 Hear the Story
After reading about these 2 strategies, I felt how closely they related. When students read, you want them to really see and hear what is happening in the story. Jennifer even talks about using all of your senses so that you can see the characters, hear their voices and states, "Creating a picture in your mind that shifts and changes is essential to staying focused" (pg 64). That word ESSENTIAL is really sticking out to me! I am the first one to plead guilty for not spending time to teach students how to visualize and tap into all of their senses. You and I do it naturally but not everyone knows how to do this. We've got to help them begin to see these pictures in their minds.
2.16 Choose Books with Your Identify in Mind
I love this strategy and what's even better is seeing Jennifer actually show how this works. A couple of weeks ago, a quick video clip showed Jenn working with a small group of students...all whom seemed to be having difficulty with reading engagement and finding "just right" books. And the "just right" books didn't merely mean a book at the student's instructional reading level. It also meant a book or genre that the student was interested in, and determining what made that text interesting.
I loved this chapter and all of the goals! Maybe I enjoyed it so much because I need to use these strategies on myself! One that really stuck out to me was 2.2: Vary the Length or Type of Text “Break Reads.” I love the idea of taking a break from the focus of attending to print for a “look book.” What a great way to give these little minds a break, yet keep them on track. 2.15: Choose Like Books for a Best Fit had great websites for finding book recommendations. This makes me think of those students who go to the library and wander around forever. They don’t know what they are really looking for or what interest them. This would give them some direction. I think I’ll try these websites the next time I’m looking for a new book. I told you, this chapter is for me! As for 2.11 Go/Stop Map, I’m picturing students during independent reading/daily five who are just rifling through their book box, picking up one book looking at it for a few seconds, putting it down, getting another, going back to the first. This strategy would give them clear “visual” directions and specifics of what to do with each text, before moving to the next.
ReplyDeleteYes I loved 2.15!! I actually saw a video of Jen helping students pick out books that are at the right reading level, but also what types of books really interest them. In the video the students had difficulty coming up with what they like on their own. However, these students had a book log so she looked on there to ask about those books. She helped them see they sometimes like a certain genre like mysteries or a series with characters they were familiar with. We need to help guide students to help them become aware of their "reading identity". There is a great chapter in the book "The Reading Turn Around" (I think that is the title) that talks about students and adults learning about our own reading identities. This may be key in helping a child learn to love to read!!!
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