Day 60 Thoughts and Reflections
DRA2 testing has begun. One of the pre-reading activities is to have each student identify a favorite book and tell about it. At the beginning of the year, many of my students could not list one but this time, they all have one. Many of the books are the books that I read but what is even cooler is that some of the books they say are ones I haven't read. At library time, I will often get "Hey, where are the books like Shark Lady?" Or "Are there any more Norbert books?" So, my students are extending their learning beyond what I have read to them.
I know part of this is that they are growing up. I know part of this is that they are reading books at home with their families (my only homework is that they read at least 20 minutes a day) but I do believe that part of it as that they have had sustained exposure to a variety of great books. Every single day.
Reading a picture book a day is a habit. I do it now without thinking. At first, I would forget but my students wouldn't let me. I also love that many of my colleagues are giving me books to read, "This one is great, try it..."
Slowly, a culture of reading is developing. A few days ago, a little boy (a struggling reader) burst into tears at the end of the day. I asked him what was wrong and he said he didn't want to leave. He wanted to keep learning how to read. That excites me.
I will say that because of the time involved (not so much the actual reading of the book but the discussions that are generated from the book), I have had to dump some stuff. I've eliminated lots of reading worksheets and have stopped spending time teaching to the test. I worried that my students would not make benchmarks. But guess what? They did. They all grew...real, authentic growth. The kind of growth that won't go away...
Has anyone else had any similar experiences? I would love to hear about them. Feel free to comment below.
I know part of this is that they are growing up. I know part of this is that they are reading books at home with their families (my only homework is that they read at least 20 minutes a day) but I do believe that part of it as that they have had sustained exposure to a variety of great books. Every single day.
Reading a picture book a day is a habit. I do it now without thinking. At first, I would forget but my students wouldn't let me. I also love that many of my colleagues are giving me books to read, "This one is great, try it..."
Slowly, a culture of reading is developing. A few days ago, a little boy (a struggling reader) burst into tears at the end of the day. I asked him what was wrong and he said he didn't want to leave. He wanted to keep learning how to read. That excites me.
I will say that because of the time involved (not so much the actual reading of the book but the discussions that are generated from the book), I have had to dump some stuff. I've eliminated lots of reading worksheets and have stopped spending time teaching to the test. I worried that my students would not make benchmarks. But guess what? They did. They all grew...real, authentic growth. The kind of growth that won't go away...
Has anyone else had any similar experiences? I would love to hear about them. Feel free to comment below.
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