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TOP TEN WAYS TO TURN YOUR CLASSROOM INTO A HOTBED OF ENTHUSIASTIC READERS by Megan Ginther and Holly Mueller
We are intermediate grade teachers who have learned over the years that there are practices that get kids excited about reading. We tried to rank them but decided they were all equally important. We can’t imagine eliminating any of them, so these are not in any particular order.
1. Know your kids.
Did Katie’s hamster die last night? Is Michael upset because his parents are getting a divorce? If you know your kids, you can connect readers with books. LOVE THAT DOG may help Katie express her feelings about her beloved pet. BIGGER THAN A BREAD BOX may help Michael see his parents as people and forgive them. Books speak to our students. Keep students in mind when you read books.
2. Read aloud EVERY DAY.
We know there is not enough time in the day for all you have to do. But don’t give up reading aloud. It builds a reading community (and vocabulary, fluency, and a sense of story) and provides touchstone texts. Reading aloud creates a bonding experience and time to be together in another world. It provides numerous opportunities to model good writing and teach reading strategies. And it’s fun!
3. Invite authors into your classroom and school.
If you can’t get them to come in person, Skype, Twitter, blog, and e-mail them in! Treat authors like they’re rock stars! Meeting authors gives students a glimpse into a writer’s world and just may inspire them to become writers themselves! We have found children’s authors to be extremely kind, creative, and interesting people! Use social media to connect to authors and educators. It’s inspiring to be part of that positive online community.
4. Be a wide and voracious reader yourself.
We couldn’t put this any better than Katherine Sokolowski and her students did in her own Nerdy Top Ten. We believe this is the number one reason why we are getting better as reading teachers. We are more and more passionate and knowledgeable about children’s books at all levels, genres, and formats. The kids see that and are moved to action by it.
5. Give students choice with frameworks.
Students should be allowed to choose what they read as much as possible. Eliminate or at least limit whole class book studies. We find that read alouds substitute as whole class novels and can provide common mentor texts for all kinds of purposes. Even when choosing books for small group studies, we give them choices. A framework like reading contracts (contracts given every month, focusing on a theme topic or genre that incorporates choice reading and CCSS) gives students direction in their reading. We feel uncomfortable when students are only reading what they want to read and there isn’t any direction. When we job-shared, we chose to go without contracts for one year and found that student reading was difficult to track and connect to other reading. Contracts frame their reading into genres, theme topics, and /or book formats so they are challenged to read widely and deeply as well as voraciously. Keep in mind that the kids are also expected to read independent books that are COMPLETELY their choice along with their chosen required books.
6. Institute Donalyn Miller’s 40 Book Challenge.
This is another idea we’ve incorporated into our classrooms that has made a huge difference. THE BOOK WHISPERER is a must-read when teaching reading. We were skeptical at first because 40 books sounded like a lot of books in our pre-reading-hotbed days. However, it was successful the first year. The 40 Book Challenge is a work in progress. We are continually tweaking it to fit our readers and to reflect what we’re learning. Make the 40 Book Challenge your own, but whatever you do, don’t overlook or underestimate its power to encourage students to read.
7. Build a classroom library and bring books TO students.
Recently, a student was helping one of us pack up books to move to a new classroom. She said, “You have OBBD. Obsessive Book Buying Disorder. But that’s not a bad thing!” Kelly Gallagher tells a story in his book READICIDE about trying to book talk a memoir by Lois Duncan chronicling her daughter’s murder. He knew it was high interest, and he knew a lot of students had seen I Know What You Did Last Summer. The library had three copies; Gallaher had none. The only way he could get kids to check out the books was to bring them into the classroom to the kids. Immediately providing books to students in the classroom is one of the cornerstones for happy readers. We’ve spent years building healthy-sized classroom libraries. When multiple copies or new titles are needed, and you don’t have them in your library, check them out yourself at a library and bring them into the classroom. Do we lose a few? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes.
8. TALK about books as well as write about them.
Be as “real life” as possible. When was the last time you made a diorama when you finished a book? At Dublin Literacy Conference, Donalyn Miller said, “I’m not a language arts and crafts teacher.” What DID you do the last time you finished a book? You probably wrote or talked about it! There is lots of material to cover with CCSS, but we can do it authentically. Do we sometimes ask questions on a worksheet or do projects? Yes, but there are many ways we assess. Kids want to talk to each other and to YOU about what they’re reading! Give them free writing and talking rein when possible. We get more authentic responses to books when we give kids less parameters. Do they need to practice writing from prompts? Yes, but they also need to practice writing about what THEY want to say.
9. Offer book clubs.
Kids don’t need rewards for reading like points, prizes, and parties. However, they love book clubs. We’ve run Mock Newbery and Caldecott clubs, parent/student book clubs (one even took place at the Cincinnati Zoo after reading THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN), and pledged to “Choose Kind” after reading WONDER. Parents have eagerly snapped up multiple copies of our read alouds to read and discuss with us and commented on classroom blog conversation starters. Students have told us they were proud they got their parents to read. How many of you belong to book clubs? Kids love them, too!
10. Let kids read silently every day.
OH, this can be so hard! We have so much to do! However, studies show that there is no greater way to increase stamina, fluency, vocabulary, writing skills, background knowledge, a sense of story, lifelong reading, and pure enjoyment. Besides, how are you going to know your students’ reading habits, struggles, preferences, and successes if you don’t see them read??
Did we cover them all? We doubt it. We’d love to hear about any other practices that you think create classrooms of enthusiastic readers!
Megan Ginther is a 5th grade teacher in Ohio who is a proud book lover. When not reading, listening to a book, or reading to her preschooler, she’s thinking about which book to pick next. You can check out her blog, titled “Adventures in Learning” at http://www.meganginther.blogspot.com or on Twitter at megangreads.
Holly Mueller is a gifted intervention specialist who teaches accelerated 5th/6th grade ELA in Ohio. She loves to read, teach, write, learn, hang out with friends and family, walk her dog, and travel. She blogs at www.hollymueller.blogspot.com and tweets at muellerholly.
What an inspiring post. I have not only pinned this post for a further read, but I have printed it out. This is what I want so much for my classroom.
If the goal is developing authentic readers, this is exactly how to do it. I’m not sure why so many have trouble embracing this. Thanks for laying it out so clearly.
Reblogged this on booksandbassets and commented:
These are excellent ways to get kids jazzed about reading. If you haven’t read any of Donalyn Miller’s books, you should look for them. I know Multnomah County Library has them.
Wow! This is a fabulous post – succinct and right on target. I am going to print a copy to share at five of the upcoming literacy workshops I will be teaching.
Perfect list!
Love this post! I taught like this for years and turned out amazing readers! Wish I could convince my current administration…
Loved this list, thanks for sharing!
Love all of this. While every single one of these is HUGELY important, #6 and #10 alone would do wonders for students. Thank you!
This is the best list ever. I will pledge to it this year and every year. Thanks for being so confident and concise in your tried and true beliefs about reading in the classroom.
I do most of this and it pays off big time. We instituted the 40 book challenge across the fifth grade level this year. I had the most students who completed that challenge. I did not have the brightest students, but my class is the only one where the teacher participated in the challenge too. When we voted for our class book at the end of the year, it was like voting for the most popular sports team! My kids were so into it. This list says, if you want kids to read, it has to be your class culture! Thanks for the great list!
Great post! As I am moving schools this summer I am on the lookout for more tips to help cultivate eager readers:)
Thank you for this wonderful post! I would like to know more about your classroom blog conversation starters and your book clubs.
Feel free to e-mail or tweet me, Paula. I’d love to share ideas. My blog also has posts about book clubs. 🙂
Great list ladies! I can’t even comment on which # is my favorite…they are ALL my favorite! This would absolutely be a great list to share with teachers about BEST literacy practice! One of my favorite things from the whole year was starting an after school book club…the students LOVED it! Thanks for sharing your expertise!
Yep, this is how we do it! Thanks for a great summary that teachers can use as a guideline for growing lifelong readers in their classrooms. I’ve shared on FB and Twitter and will reference this post when I speak to teacher and librarian groups.
Our teachers were asked us how we could better encourage reading at our school. I suggested a book club, which was immediately dismissed in favor of a drawing for prizes. THANK YOU for this post!!!!
We have a Book Talk Cafe twice a year so the kids can talk about books, eat snacks, and practice dining etiquette. They love it!
Such a great post! I believe so strongly in the reading community that we create in our classrooms. You two have captured some of the essential elements here.
I’d love to see what you do with your reading contracts.
Lori, Megan and I have written a series of articles at Choice Literacy about our literacy contracts. You can also e-mail me if you’d like. We’re happy to share!
I am saving this to reread during the year. Thank you.
Thank you, everyone, for your kind words of support. Keep those kiddos reading!!
WOW!! Love everything about this post!!! Thanks so much!
Love the way you wrote this post. It makes what is important in the classroom so clear. Thank you
Great list! In my own teaching I add a number eleven:
11. Write your own novels & share them with your students.
There’s no greater way to generate excitement for reading as well as authentic conversations about story and writing than by having the products of your own imagination to share!
Yes! Agreed! Working on that. 😉
Great list–I tried to hit all these when I was a classroom teacher of 8th and 10th and had great success, especially with the reading aloud. Parents would say, “My kid asked for a BOOK for Christmas. What did you DO?”
On the other hand, though, I would add, Brace for some knock-down drag-outs with parents and admin. No matter what books you choose to stock in your classroom or read to kids, you will be accused of trying to corrupt them with sex, profanity, and witchcraft. Or racism and violence and religion, depending on your demographic. Teaching kids to read is subversive. Plan accordingly.
My fav. lines: “Do we lose a few? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes.”
Teachers need to let go of the focus on cost (as much as feasible) and ownership over books. Freedom with books in the classroom creates so many more enthusiastic readers!
These are fantastic. 4, 8, and 10 were my bedrocks when I taught 8th-grade English. If I were teaching today, I’d follow all of your tips:>)
Personally, I’m glad you’re writing books, Laura! 🙂
Excellent list you two! I will be sharing this my classroom teachers. We are reading Donalyn’s book as summer pD.
Excellent post. In my teaching days I did most of these. (Never thought about a book club.) Loved the comment about dioramas. Thanks for saying it so well.
This is a GREAT list for teachers and also for parents! Some of these tips could be adapted to do at home. I’m the mother of two amazing readers and I can tell you that everything starts with MODELING reading. I’m also a children’s author and I visit schools in the OKC area and now I’m starting Skype visits around the US. I can tell you that it is my favorite thing to do. Just knowing that I’m inspiring children to write and read is priceless.
Love this list. I keep coming back to it! Where can I find information about great authors to seek for Skype visits?
Liz – check Kate Messner’s website. It’s kind of an old list, though: http://www.katemessner.com/authors-who-skype-with-classes-book-clubs-for-free/ Every year she provides a list for World Read Aloud Day in March. Lately, we’ve Skyped with Natalie Lloyd (A Snicker of Magic), Kate Messner, and Liesl Shurtliff (Rump) – they were wonderful! Barbara O’Connor, Lynda Mullaly Hunt, and Aaron Becker may also be willing to Skype. Be sure to check with nonfiction authors, too. Twitter is a great place in which to get in touch with authors. Many of them will tweet you and your class back, and you can arrange Skype visits with them. It’s such a great way to show students authors and illustrators are real people. They give great talks about their reading, writing, and drawing lives!
Greetings! Thank you for this amazing resource! I love how straightforward and doable this seems and will help me reach some personal teaching goals this year.
I’m wondering if you could send me some examples of a reading contract to abby.sanderson@k12.sd.us – I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you.
Abby – just sent you an e-mail. 🙂