"The pleasure of all reading is doubled when one lives with another who shares the same books."
I have never been a reader and never really thought I would be a reader. I was never a great reader in school. I received A's and B's and participated in class. I was good at pretending to know what I needed to know. In high school, I found two teachers who really cared about me and I learned to care for reading and writing, but I still really struggled with it myself. In college I was good with the papers because I was interested in the topics. Now as a teacher, I feel like I am so behind. I should know the content of the books they are reading. I should have read the books they were reading. I feel SO behind. I don't want to be a fake teacher and I have really been working on that this year. I want to share that world with my students.
I would love to start my day by visiting www.wonderopolis.org. I think that is a great way to pull the students into the school day and get them excited to learn.
I am hoping that students will want to post the titles they have read above the library this year. I think it will get them excited to read the books that their classmates are reading. With teaching two different classes, it would allow them to see what they are reading as well.
When it comes to talking about a library, I like that it is "our" library instead of "my" library. I want the students to make the rules of library and how to use the books. Anything that can make students take ownership is so worth doing. After all, it's not mine, it's theirs.
I am planning on doing a whole genre study at the beginning of the school year and letting my students reorganize our classroom library, the way that they see fit. Our school is all about AR, but our principal is willing to see other ways of reading. I look forward to see the difference in the selection process.
I am so excited for our graffiti wall this year. Kids constantly movie quote in my classroom. I am hoping to change that culture in my room to "book quotes."
I hope you have enjoyed my thoughts. I am absolutely ready to jump into teaching at the beginning of August because of Donalyn Miller. I have devoured both of her books in the last month and listened to her at the All-Write conference. I have a different view on reading and a different view of teaching reading. I want to consider myself a reader and I am working on that professionally and personally.
Great suggestions, and I like the 'graffitti wall' as a way to create a reading culture across all the individual classes that you will be teaching. (I have two separate classes of third graders so am thinking about some of the same struggles about how to make them a community within and between the two classes.)
ReplyDeleteAlso, just a tip, but you should definitely add your blog links to your Google+ profile. After you left me a comment, I visited your G+ page but only found your blog by going back through the #cyberPD links. You want to make it easy for people to find you! :)
I added by blog to my G+ account. Thank you for the tip!
DeleteLove it when elementary teachers learn from Donalyn and use reading/writing workshop! Sooo wish my sons' teachers would read her books. Having a teacher who loves to read makes a real difference. I teach preservice teachers, many of whom hate to read, and AR always comes up many times at the beginning of the semester when students are sharing about why they hate reading. So glad your principal supports other thinking and methods. One of the best ways I find out about new books to read and keep up with what's good is the It's Monday! What Are You Reading? meme hosted at Unleashing Readers. The #imwayr community is really lovely and supportive, though it should probably come with a warning label: this community may have a disastrous impact on your credit card bill! If my classroom is working the way it should be, my students will be reading far more than I can actually keep up with, so don't feel bad about being "behind". My students do a lot of booktalking too and they can get recommendations from each other.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the kind words! I will look into the #imwayr. I am looking forward to giving recommendations and getting recommendations this year!
DeleteKristen,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the conversation! Love the new blog!
Donalyn's books make the perfect back to school read. They combine research, enthusiasm, and smart ideas for helping us to get started and make reading more concrete in our communities. You've touched on two points here that caught my attention. First, to be "lead readers" we have to be reading ourselves. It's important that we're reading so we can know the books to recommend and be ready to talk about the books students are reading. Additionally, the importance of preparing students for breaks by building reading plans is one to remember.
Your idea for students to share books they've read with peers near your library should bring connectedness to your computer. I always stop by the "what we're reading" section in bookstores where employees share books they are reading or recommend to others. I'd like this even more if it were recommendations from my friends. I'm just thinking about how many times someone tweets a recommendation on Twitter and it is placed on my Shelfari shelf so I can read it.
Like you, this conversation has me looking forward to August.
Cathy
I have never done Shelfari but I am wanting to start my own. I also thought about introducing it to my kiddos. I don't know if using that would be easy or if they should just keep a google doc. Any thoughts?
DeleteKristen,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, welcome to the blogging community! Everyone has a voice and a story to tell, and I'm glad you are here to tell yours! (And thanks to Leigh Anne for celebrating your blog too!)
In addition, I'm {blushing} seeing my little blog on your blog roll! Honored!
So, I'm glad you joined in our little #cyberPD conversations. I so agree with you and you said it right: "I want to share that world with my students." Enjoy your journey of being the lead reader!
I love how you have captured a few great ideas of supporting choice and literacy in your classroom. I know I can feel overwhelmed with ALL the great ideas shared, but it sure sounds like you have been doing a lot of thinking and planning for the school year ahead.
Hope you are able to join us tonight as we chat with Donalyn about READING IN THE WILD at 7 pm CST on Twitter. (Are you on Twitter yet?) I'll be looking for you!
Michelle
@litlearningzone/Literacy Learning Zone