Celebrate This Week - Endings

I’m joining up with Ruth Ayres for her weekly link-up, Celebrate This Week. Check out all of the posts linked up at her blog HERE. Thanks for starting this, Ruth!

Today ends a week I look forward to and dread all at the same time.

I love summer. I love freedom, sleeping in, reading all day, spending time with my boys, and time to recharge. As much as I abhor swimming suits, I love going to the pool. I enjoy swimming laps, reading poolside, and seeing former students. Summer gives me time to vacation with family, travel to conferences, and read and write with abandon.

I also love teaching. I love my students – getting to know their personalities, watching them get excited over a book, and helping them find small successes in reading, writing, and life. And as much as I know we need a break – and we really do – I dread the end of the year.

By May I always feel like we’ve formed a family – for good and for bad. We know each other well. We support each other and push each other to succeed. By this time of year we also are like a family of ten that has been trapped in a small log cabin for such a long, long winter. We’re ready to move, to grow outside of that cabin, to fly. It is time to move on, yet part of me is never ready to let go.

Friday was a day of endings. Last reading classes. Last time to teach these big fifth graders I’ve come to love. Last time to talk with them about books and life – at least in the classroom. In my first class of the day, I knew I was in trouble. When I brought us to a close at the end and told them I loved them and was honored to teach them for this year, one girl began to sob. The chain reaction began. No matter how much I tried to say that we live in a small town, that I’d see them at the pool this weekend, that my son is in their class and I’d always be around, the tears flowed. A line formed and I hugged, and hugged, and hugged. They left, and I was a mess. Class two entered and did better. But when they left, and after another line of hugs, I found letters they had left me. Beautiful letters. Letters that ended with sentences like, “So, I love you (not in an awkward way.)” That might be the perfect fifth grade sentence. My own tears returned. My class came in. I informed them there would be no more tears. I’m still with them until Tuesday. And we celebrated.

After school – and after a retirement party for some amazing teachers – I headed to the pool. It was exactly what I needed. While sitting in a chair poolside for two hours I talked to former students who are in sixth grade all the way through seniors in high school. They eased my sadness and reminded me that I’m truly blessed to live in a town where goodbye is not forever.

So, today I celebrate my students. I celebrate their reading this year. I love this activity below. We do a lot of talking about how this is not a competition, except against yourself. I want them to become readers. Some came to me that way; many became readers over our year. I don’t really care what their "number" is, and truly, they don’t either. I care that they know who they are – what they like, what they don’t, and can describe that. I care that they talk to their friends about books. I care that they make plans for what they're reading next. I care that they want to read over this long summer. These faces are what make my job worth it, and I will miss them more than I can say. Enjoy our video. 

How Do You Know They Are Reading?

Yesterday I read Teri Lesesne’s blog on student engagement (HERE) shortly before heading to the local pool. I was intrigued by the article she links in the beginning – a teacher explaining why they used reading logs one year and why they gave them up after that. Teri goes on to discuss the question many teachers ask – without reading logs, how will they hold the students accountable? How will they make sure they read? The answer, I believe, is that you can’t.

Students can “fake” read with reading logs or without. To me, the logs just encourage that. A strong reader will read with or without the logs. Typically they will resent having to fill them out – or their parents will. The student who does not enjoy reading is not going to magically become a reader because they need to fill out a grid detailing what they read the previous night. More work? No thanks.

The question that begs to be asked, then, is how will you know they read if you don’t use reading logs. Conferences. By conferring with my students I know if they are reading or if they aren’t. Do some kids still try and fake it? You bet. Can you catch them? Absolutely. But really, it isn’t about “catching” them – or, it shouldn’t be. What conditions can be put in place to make kids want to read? That’s the question I’m interested in. Because I can confer, book talk, and fill the room with books all I want, but until the students decided they want to join our reading community, it won’t work.

Engagement. I’m fascinated by it. Each year I watch kids and wonder –what made them decide to do the work? Why do some kids “check-in” in my class, but not in another? I was pondering this idea when my student, Josh, came up to see me at the pool. Actually, to be more accurate, I was reading when I heard, “Mrs. S, watch this!” shouted to me from the diving boards.

Josh came over to my chair after his crazy flip off of the high dive and quickly told me he finished Last Olympian. He had borrowed the last two in that series from my son. We quickly fell into a discussion over what made that book a great conclusion for the series and what parts surprised you. I told him that I had to flip back into previous volumes to check on a certain character I had ignored. He told me how impressed he was with Luke’s actions at the end. We had a quick discussion regarding the next series and what his reading plans were for the rest of the summer. (Heroes of Olympus and Maze Runner)

I quickly asked if I could snap a photo of him for my blog, he assented and asked what the topic was. I said I felt like I needed to talk about reading logs and why I didn’t feel they were necessary. He gave me a look and I asked his opinion on them, should I have used one this year? His response, “No way, I hate those things.” Amen, Josh.

This is the face of a reader – a reader I happen to adore. How do I know he’s a reader? I talk to him. I read the same books he reads. We converse –not as teacher-student, but as peers. Josh can teach me just as I can teach him. I don’t think a reading log would ever have given me the insights I have into his reading habits, and I don’t think it would have caused him to become an engaged student. Quite the opposite, I’m afraid. Thanks for the reminder. 

Edited to add...
After writing the above post on Wednesday night as I put Liam to bed, Josh's mom texted me. They were dropping the books he borrowed on the porch. After Liam finally went to sleep, I went down to find the books. Tucked in with the books were some warm chocolate chip cookies and this note. 

Thank you, Josh. 

And, in the spirit of this post, I will note that no reading log created any of this. Relationships did. 

How Much Did We Read?

For the last three years I have asked my students to pick a goal as to the number of books they can read for the school year. I usually suggest they at least start at forty – a number that stuck in my head after reading Donalyn Miller’s The Book Whisperer. Why forty? For many of the same reasons Donalyn suggests it to her students. They do not think they can do it, and I want to show them that they can.

On our last day of reading class last week we took a final look at our reading lists and they created a small poster for how many books they actually read this year. As we created them we reflected back on the year. Every child read a ton. Every child read more than they had last year. And, most importantly, every single one felt like they had grown as a reader.

I should note, I’m pretty laid back about the amount of books they read. If they do not reach forty, I’m fine with that. One child was in the twenties. Every book he read was over five hundred pages. We celebrate that. We also do not compare between kids. The child who read twenty-two books is a reader to be celebrated, just as the child who read over one hundred is.

When considering what they’ve read, I also look at genres. While we do track genres of the books they’ve read – and I suggest they try at least one book from all of them – I really just want them to read. If someone is crazy about fantasy and mainly reads that genre, fine with me. The same might be said for graphic novels. I have one student who read over two hundred books. The majority of those are graphic novels. If you were to come into my classroom I could show you his growth this year – it is incredible. I thank God for graphic novels; they have been the best thing to happen to my classroom library.

I’d say much the same about picture books. Some students counted a few of their favorites on their list as books they read. I’m fine with that as well. Those are the kids over a hundred books. They devoured books this year and wanted to record everything they read. One of them counted up how many picture books I had because she was curious and told me she’ll come back next year and count them up again – to see how many I add to my collection. She loves the format of picture books.

Check out the faces below. These are kids who are proud of themselves. Kids who know they are readers. When given access to books, a teacher who reads, time to read in class, and the expectation that they will read all year long – great things can happen.

AR, Lexile, and Reading Programs

I was telling a friend last weekend that I enjoyed having a blog for many reasons but one was that I had somewhere to go and write my thoughts when inspired. Last weekend it was the Twitter conversations of two colleagues I admire, Donalyn Miller and Paul Hankins that served as a catalyst for a blog post (HERE). This morning it is the wise musings of Teri Lesesne that make me want to take to the keyboard and type. (Teri's post is HERE.)

Teri writes this morning about the insanity that is AR and Lexile. Specifically she focuses in on these programs and makes some observations about them. One of which deals with the increase in teachers who do not read. Is that a result of programs such as these?

Here’s the thing – if you are reading this blog I am likely preaching to the choir. Either you are related to me (Hi Mom! Hi Chris!) or you are an educator (or writer) who is reading someone’s blog on your own time. You are likely the opposite of teachers who don’t read. Your "to read" stack probably looks something like mine, overtaking your room, becoming a death trap to anyone who walks by and jostles the precariously placed books. So do I need to write this for you? No. But I do need to put this out there, so please bear with me.

When I first began teaching in my district almost fourteen years ago we had AR. I remember my first class used it to take a quiz on books they read. I didn’t require it but the librarian did for state award books. I clearly remember teaching a whole class novel unit on Richard Peck’s A Long Way From Chicago. This book takes place in the county I teach but never names the town (Cerro Gordo). We hung a map in the room of our county, marked the spots Joey and Mary Alice traveled to. We read it together, discussing the time period. I read the last part to them. When Joey’s train passes Grandma Dowdel’s house on his way to the Army Air Corps, the whole house is lit up and Grandma is standing and waving at the train. Knowing she can’t see Joey, but that he can see her. I sobbed reading it to my students, a moment I will never forget.

Later as one student, my cousin who was in my class, sat down to take the test – I sat with him. I wanted to see what types of questions this book would ask. Morgan and I talked as he took it. We were puzzled as he read the questions to me. What we found beautiful and important about the book was not touched on. Some vocabulary (bustle, for example) was given more weight than theme, relationships, inferences. I remember leaving the computer confused. That test did not show me that my students truly understood the book, but my conversations with them did. What was the point in it?

Over the years I grew smarter. While I never required the AR tests I began to discourage them even from taking any. For the state award books, I would conference with them and send a note to the librarian saying that they had read them. I encouraged my students to read widely and I would conference as often as possible.

Reading conferences – absolutely critical to the success of readers in my classroom. Conferring with my students allows me to find out how they are connecting with a book as they read them. Is it out of their reach? Are they having a hard time getting into it? A ten-question test at the end is too late to help a poor match between book and child. Also, conferences help me to get to know my students better. And I never stress if I haven’t read the book, the student is in the lead in the conference anyway. They just need to teach me as I flip through their book. I will admit here that my biggest problem with conferring is that I take too long. Once we start talking time slips away and I don’t get to as many kids as I’d like. This is something I’m working on.

I have no personal experience with Lexile other than they print a child’s Lexile score on our state tests. No idea how they get that score at all. Honestly, I wasn’t even aware that it was there until another parent asked me about it. Just glanced right past it when I looked over my own child’s scores. The problems I have with Lexile are much the same as AR. I think it narrows the options for a child’s independent reading and can hamper any joy a child might find in reading for pleasure. I know I read below my Lexile every single day. Who cares?

Beyond the fact that these programs squash a love of reading, send kids to a narrow selection of books they can read from, and make it that reading is a chore, I have another issue. A bigger issue – or two, as a matter of fact. One, these programs cost money. Lots of money. Is this really the best use of funds? How about we spend some money on books in the classrooms? Or the libraries for that matter. Crazy talk.

As for teachers and reading, I cannot imagine trying to teach reading yet not reading myself. How do you connect children to books if you do not read? I inhabit a world of books. Because I read I know what it is like to struggle to get into a story. Because I read I know how your heart breaks when you read a book. Because I’ve read The Knife of Never Letting Go or See You at Harry’s or Hattie Big Sky, I know to hug a kid when they come up to me and whisper, “Manchee” or “Charlie” or “Mattie.” I connect to my students through books.

So what is my reading program? Books, kids, and a teacher who reads. Pretty simple, but effective. No need for expensive programs. No need for comprehension tests that only test a surface level of comprehension. No need for a leveled book. Just read.

And a side note – the same holds true for writing. See Penny Kittle’s beautiful words HERE.  

How Do You Get Them To Read?

In some teacher meetings yesterday the elementary teachers were asked about our independent reading program. How were we getting the students to read so much when it was akin to pulling teeth at the older grades? I’ve given this a lot of thought last night and today. I don’t think we have any magic answer – and I know after visiting many classrooms in our building that we all approach independent reading differently. However, I know what works in my classroom so that’s what I am choosing to focus on today.

To begin I have a disclaimer. I teach eleven-year-old kids. Not thirteen-year-olds. Not sixteen-year-olds. What I do works with this group. That being said, I have a feeling it will work with older groups as well, but I am speaking specifically about my group today.

I think there is a magic combination that leads to a high volume of reading in my classroom. And when I say high volume, I mean that the average amount of books read so far this year is 38 books. Some have read more, some have read less. Some have focused more on graphic novels; some read these huge fantasy tomes. But I think that is huge. The total books read so far this year by my sixty-eight fifth graders? 2,590. So, let’s get down to it. Why are they reading so much?

One, I am a reader, and a voracious one at that. Last year I read 507 books – one was a book for adults; probably 20 were for professional development. That leaves about 486 books that I read so that I would have titles to share with my students. So far this year I’ve read 60. Need to step up my game. I consider reading part of my job. I need to be able to recommend a new fantasy book to Jaxon because he flies through a title in the Eragon series once a week. I need to be able to think of a good novel that would be a bridge from graphic novels to novels for Matt, but one that won’t leave him feeling defeated. I need to be able to think of a title for Halee when she asks for another book “just like See You at Harry’s.” If I don’t know these books and know other books I can call to memory quickly, I cannot help my students continue to grow.

Two, I need to show what I value. If I value choice and independent reading, I have to find time for that in class. Donalyn Miller suggests at least 1/3 of the class time should be devoted to independent reading. She breaks up reading class time into her rule of 1/3s: 1/3 direct instruction & guided practice, 1/3 independent practice, 1/3 independent reading. Every reading class you can count on at least 15 minutes to read independently. That’s a given. I also have homework reduced so that the majority of nights the only assignment is to read for 20 minutes. I don’t do “language arts and crafts” to borrow another one of Donalyn’s phrases. Authentic responses – if I wouldn’t do something like it in my own reading, I don’t assign it. The only outside of class assignment is to write about what you read – once a week. Our focus remains on the volume. We need to read. And I practice what I preach. The kids know what I am reading because I share a new book that I book talk multiple times a week.

Three, the environment is critical. There is the physical environment – tables, couches, etc. I don’t think that is critical, but it is nice. There is the fact that we have a meeting spot, we gather together. There is the feeling of the classroom. It is ours, not mine (one of the reasons I got rid of my desk.) I aim for a feeling that everyone is welcome. I’m thrilled to see them when they come in. And then there is the environment of words. Quotes from authors surround us. Books are on every wall of the classroom. I have almost 3,000 books. That is a huge chunk of my salary. But how will they read if I don’t have a book to hand them? The school library is fabulous – and we use it a ton – but there is something about walking with the kids, browsing our selection.

Four – relationships. I think we have to make an effort to know every kid that walks in our classrooms. This was much easier when I was self-contained but still doable with three classes. I know middle school teachers and high school teachers who have more than 68 kids, but they still do an amazing job knowing who they are. It is by knowing my students that I can pick the magic book for them at the right time. That I can ladder them from one book to another. That I know when to push and when to pull back.

And five – choice. I alluded to it above but had to give it its own paragraph. I get it. I do. I used to teach whole class novels. Now that I don’t, I will never go back. You can do everything in a workshop format that you do with whole class novels and more. You can have discussions on comprehension, genre studies, skill-based lessons. You can work on close reading with a short piece of text. You can book talk.  All of this can be in a mini-lesson. Fifteen minutes at the front of your class. And then what? Time to pull small groups if need be. Time to conference. Time to let them read. What are they reading? Whatever they want. There is no way a whole class novel reaches every kid. So they turn to Spark Notes. They ask a friend about it. They stay quiet in class. But choice? They can read. They get graphic novels, fantasy, informational text, whatever they are interested in. Do I let them reread? ABSOLUTELY! I do, why can’t they? Conferencing helps me ensure they actually are reading – not just “saying” they are rereading a book.

All of these elements are important but choice and time to read in class? Critical. It is the only way. The beauty of this? You create readers. It is magical. I love teaching reading. I love talking books. It is the best part of my day every day – day in, day out.

Need more? Check out this video from Penny Kittle. She teaches high school. To me this video speaks volumes.