As we plan for effective literacy instruction in all subject areas, standards suggest we provide a variety of complex texts while considering the learning needs of the reader and the tasks required to promote growth.
In an article published on LightSail’s website, I share some introductory thinking about designing learning experiences to develop the brain′s ability to read BOTH digital and print!
I have been fortunate enough to visit hundreds of schools and have found so many that welcome you at the door with art, books, and the joy of literacy. Take a journey with me into an awesome example of an Elementary School that has cultivated a rich culture of literacy!
As I enter the building, the first thing to greet me is a child-sized bookcase filled with colorful picture books positioned next to a comfortable chair that just invites me to sit down and have a read! Above this pleasant nook hang pictures of children and teachers reading. Framed in the center on a small shelf is “The Principal’s Book Recommendation of the Week! On the floor next to the chair is a welcome sign with an arrow labeled, “This way to the library!”
As I walk into the office, I see more books on a coffee table for those waiting to meet with the principal to read. The principal’s office is another book wonderland with puppets, stuffed characters, and posters promoting reading. The principal invited me to take a quick tour of the school.
As we ventured down the hallway to the primary classrooms, murals depicting adventures from well-known children’s literature provided a colorful backdrop to examples of student work: art, writing, and mathematics. In a glance, I had a very good idea of what learning had been taking place recently.
Classroom space was clearly designed for movement, reading, and learning. I quickly scanned the bookshelves and bins, noting there were hundreds of books representing both fiction and informational texts at a child’s level, ready and waiting to be opened and savored.
We finished the tour in the staff lounge to sit and talk. Three teachers were having lunch and discussing the books they were reading aloud to their classes. On one wall, there was a messy and well-used shelf with professional books and journals including The Reading Teacher and Instructor, as well as DVD sets for professional learning. On the back of the door hung a white board with information about a teacher book club starting the following week, along with a sign-up list. I was not surprised when I started a deeper conversation with that principal to learn that I was sharing ideas with a literacy lover!
The goal of daily independent reading of student self-selected text is to foster wise readers who are self-motivated, self-directed, engaged readers that are critical thinkers, problem solvers, and meaning makers who LOVE to read and choose to read!!!!!
“Children need at least thirty minutes a day to read books they can read, preferably, of their choosing.” (Lucy Calkins, 2001)
Independent Reading is the culminating event of the gradual release of responsibility in a literacy classroom. After the teacher explicitly teaches and models skills and strategies for the class, she provides lots of opportunity for students to practice these skills and strategies while reading and discussing instructional level texts with their peers. Students apply this learning while reading texts of their own choosing during their independent reading time. Independent Reading provides time for students to practice and for teachers to talk to students about their reading development.
Reading has the power to move us to action, to take us to amazing places, to walk in the shoes of others, to learn what has happened in the past, the present and the future. Reading is powerful. Classrooms that value Independent Reading provide opportunities for students to truly engage in texts they want to read for prolonged periods of time and can create a positive, lifelong habit.
Anything we do well requires practice. The more we practice, the more skillful we become. When teachers honor this important time, students realize that reading has great value. Independent reading allows students to make choices, read what they like and develop stamina.
They READ. They read a lot, every day, books they choose and want to read, as well as texts provided by teachers and parents. They also practice the skills and strategies explicitly taught, modeled, and practiced in their classroom and talk to their teacher and peers about the texts they read.
“I often wonder why people ask for research to support independent reading. Does anybody go to the basketball coach and ask her to provide research to support why players are running plays and practicing shots? Does anyone ask the band director why his musicians are playing their instruments during band class?” (Donalyn Miller, 2015)
We know our partners in the process and provide supports and scaffolds to foster their love of reading by:
The International Reading Association’s Position Paper: Leisure Reading: A Joint Statement of the International Reading Association, the Canada Children’s Book Centre, and The National Council of Teachers of English. Available in PDF.
Miller, D. and Moss, B. (2013). No more independent reading without support. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Moss, B., & Young, T. (2010). Creating lifelong readers through independent reading. Newark, DE: International Reading Association
This article is #10 in the twelve-part series, “Getting My Classroom Ready for Balanced Literacy Instruction: Classroom Culture and Environment.”
Our classroom libraries are the heart of our literacy classroom. We need to select a wide variety of texts and organize them so that students can use strategies to select appropriate texts for their book bins. These texts are the tools for reading up to thirty minutes every day. Students choose a variety of texts for their book bins based on their interests and to practice their learning. Self-selection is an important part of shifting the ownership of literacy learning from the teacher to the student.
Selecting one’s own books and reading them in school is not a luxury. It is the wellspring of student literacy and literary appreciation. (Stairs & Burgos, 2010)
A text is a good fit or “just right” if:
The common terms used in most classrooms are “just right” or “good fit” books. What makes a book just right or a good fit for independent reading? For years, we ensured that students were reading texts at their independent level, texts they could read and comprehend easily and on their own, during independent reading time. New research, along with the rigor of the common core, advises broadening that thinking. Students need to know their reading range: their independent or comfortable level, their instructional level that requires a little bit of grappling and application of strategic thinking, and their challenge level. Students need to consider more than the level of the text when deciding their personal reading range. They need to reflect on what makes the text hard. Are they interested in the book enough to be motivated to read a little slower and more carefully in order to understand all of the content? At what point do they feel frustrated and want to give up when they read? These are all questions to discuss with students when teachers confer.
The good old “5 finger” or Goldilocks rule works for emergent and early readers whose text is short, but it is not robust enough for students reading chapter books and novels. It also doesn’t provide enough criteria for informational text selection.
The Daily 5 offers a great strategy for many readers called “I PICK.” Students learn to consider their purpose for reading, their knowledge of the topic, the level of comprehension and understanding they have for the book, and their knowledge of the vocabulary they encounter while reviewing the book.
For high-end readers, BOOKMATCH offers comprehensive consideration of text length, complexity, organization, prior and background knowledge needs, genre and text structure. It is important that students know their reading level range and have a strategy and process to think through their selections. Whatever strategy you choose to use in your classroom, be sure to explicitly teach and model its use and post the strategy in your classroom library area.
Find out more about the Daily 5: buy the book!
Boushey & Moser (2014) The Daily Five. 2nd Edition. Stenhouse
Wedwick, L., & Wutz, J.A (2008). Bookmatch: How to scaffold student book selection for independent reading. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Wedwick, L., & Wutz, J.A. (2006). Thinking outside the book box: Using Bookmatch to develop independent book selection. Voices from the Middle, 14 (1), 20–29.
Video Clip: The Two Sisters Discuss Good Fit Books
Video Clip: How to Choose a Good Fit Book
This article is #6 in the twelve-part series, “Getting My Classroom Ready for Balanced Literacy Instruction: Classroom Culture and Environment.”
A word wall is a collection of words which are displayed in large visible letters on a wall, bulletin board, or other display surface in a classroom. The word wall is designed to be an interactive tool for students and contains an array of words that can be used during writing and reading. (Reading Rockets)
The walls of the literacy classroom can have an important influence on student learning (Wolfersberger, et al, 2004). Although Word Walls are typical features in a primary classroom, they can be visible and concrete learning supports that can expand students’ vocabulary and provide ongoing concrete examples of new concepts and ideas learned at all levels (Brabham & Villaume, 2001).
Regardless of the grade level or class, word walls are most effective when they are interactive and connected to ongoing learning.
Interactive Word Walls that require students to go beyond just a visual connection to actually using the words on the wall incorporates student choice and has shown to increase student motivation to learn new concepts and vocabulary. Elementary teachers make word walls interactive by attaching Velcro to the back of words, providing multiple copies of words in a paper pocket or attaching rings to the words (see photo) so that students can take the words to their desk as a resource during writing activities.
A study of middle school use of interactive word walls reported that 80% of students shared that they used the word walls for studying, remembering, writing, and completing assignments and felt they were beneficial to their understanding. Students shared new words with the class and discussed why they chose specific words while providing a short mini lesson to help peers learn the word before adding it to the wall. Students were asked to use the word in discussions and writing in content classes and to add new words and concepts that they found interesting or helpful to the word wall.
Consider what purpose a word wall can serve in your classroom. Be sure to place the word wall where it is accessible to students and can be seen!
This article is #3 in the twelve-part series, “Getting My Classroom Ready for Balanced Literacy Instruction: Classroom Culture and Environment.”