Newsletter: September 10

This is the new hammock in our classroom garden. When the weather cools down
the kids will be able to climb out the window and read here from time to time.
The hammock was a gift from last year's class. Fortunately, someone had an old
one they didn't use anymore!

Hello Everyone,

I thought instead of sharing what's been going on in the classroom this week I might take this opportunity to talk a little bit about reading in regards to what happens at school as well as what happens at home. I'd also like to offer some suggestions to you from the perspective of a fellow parent as well as a teacher who has lots of knowledge and experiences around literacy and literacy learning. To make this easier to write, I'm going to put it in a question-and-answer format. I hope it helps. Soon I'll be asking for your input based on your own experiences as a parent. Be on the lookout for that invitation soon.

What is your goal for my child as a reader?
I want your kids to grow into readers who are not only strong and confident but also moved by a great story. I want them to love reading while understanding that we all love to read for various reasons. Some people read biographies and historical fiction to help them learn about others and the past while other readers just want an easy "beach" read that helps them escape the stresses of everyday life. Our kids are no different. Some will research the Titanic to great lengths while others will read Captain Underpants. Throughout their lives their interests will change as will their reasons for reading. Knowing this, the best thing we can do right now is to help encourage them to keep finding the texts they love the most.

What if they want to read the same thing over and over and over?
This isn't at all uncommon. They do the same thing with movies. Wait...so do we, sometimes. My daughter, who is now in seventh grade, has read the entire Harry Potter series (or listened to it on her CD player) six or seven times. That's a lot of Harry Potter! But she also has other reading interests. Over time she's moved further away from Harry Potter and now the vast majority of her reading is about horses and stories with pets. She's a different reader now than when she was in fifth grade and she'll continue to change over time. It's okay that she goes back to read Harry Potter because that's what inspired her to be a reader. If your child keeps going back to the same books maybe you could suggest they alternate - read their favorite, try a new one, read their favorite, try a new one. But above all make sure nothing you ever say or do makes reading a chore. Delight in the books they love and help them find new titles they might like just as much. Librarians and teachers are a great resource to help you with this. I'll certainly be doing it here in the classroom over the next two years.


Is reading more than sounding out the words on a page?
Definitely! Too often, when trying to help our kids with their reading, we tend to focus on them getting all the words right. That's not what reading is. Rather, reading is the work of making sense of the words on the page. Figuring them out is a part of this but certainly not the most important part. Instead, we should stop mid-story and talk about what's happening in the story, wonder aloud about the character's actions and motivations, make predictions as to what might happen later, make a connection between the story and our own lives, etc. This is the heavy work of reading. It is what helps us to make sense of our reading. If you can model this for your child and support him or her into doing the same as you read together you'll be doing SO much to help them as a reader.



But what about when s/he comes to a word they don't know? Do I say "sound it out"?
No, please don't say "sound it out." The English language is very complex and many of our letters make a whole handful of different sounds depending on the particular word it is in. Think about this: the letter "a" sounds different in the words cat, are, about, care, and caught. The problem with sounding it out is that unless you already know the word you are not likely to know which sound you need. So instead of suggesting this strategy you might ask your child to: (1) think about what would make sense, (2) read ahead then come back and think about what would make sense, (3) back up and try the sentence again (thinking about what would make sense!), (4) break the word into smaller parts (such as dis-gus-ting), (5) look for smaller words inside a larger one, or (6) look for picture clues. If these don't seem to help just tell them the word and let them keep reading to make sense of the story. They'll learn more and more sight words over time - the more they read the more words they'll see the more words they'll know. It's okay to help them solve an unknown word here and there but, again, don't make reading a chore. It's okay to give them the words so long as they don't become passive readers who always look for help rather than work on their own to figure things out. You can avoid this by making sure they aren't reading books with too many hard words in it. They should rarely encounter more than four or five words they don't know on a page of text.



What does reading instruction look like in the classroom? Are there textbooks and tests?
In the classroom we read lots of great books together. Above all, I want reading to be a really fun part of the day where we share laughter, surprise, mystery, and even tears. There are so many wonderful books out there! When I read aloud I build in lots of opportunities for the kids to stop along the way and talk about the story and their own thinking around what is happening. Other times we read texts together - everyone with their own copy in their hands. We discover strategies to help us solve unknown words, read in a more confident and engaging voice, and better understand the story.

Each reading workshop begins with a 15-20 minute "mini-lesson" then the kids go off to read independently for about 20 minutes. Over time this will extend because the best thing they can do to grow as readers is to spend time actually reading - not listening to me or anyone else talk about reading. Sure, we give support along the way but still we make sure the act of reading is a protected part of each and every day. After independent reading time the kids partner up to talk about their reading that day. Their partners learn how to listen carefully and ask questions that push the speaker to share the story in a way that is clear and full of all the important details. Knowing partners will ask them to do this each day also helps the kids read with greater focus and intention.


How do you assess reading in the classroom?
I conference with each of the kids at least once every two weeks. During conferences I check to see if they're reading something that is a comfortable read for them (not too hard). I also see if they've been in the practice of finishing books (making good choices that promotes interest and is not too hard). I listen to them talk about what's been happening in their story to see if they're making sense of the text and whether or not they're beginning to make inferences and predictions about the story (or moving quickly through it only noticing the primary action). I listen to them read to see how they're progressing in regards to their fluency (phrasing, reading rate, etc) and to see what sort of strategies they can use when encountering unknown words. Above all, we sit and talk reader-to-read about books and reading and their plans for their reading. All of this information allows me to not only know each of the kids really well as a reader but to decide what I need to teach them individually, in small groups, and as a large group. That's why we have no textbooks. I would never allow a textbook writer to tell me what these kids need for each of our 180 days together this year. Those decisions need to be made based on what I learn about them day-to-day and week-to-week.

I also assess their reading using more formal measures. Recently I listened to all the kids read the same story to me, one-by-one. I noted what they were doing well and what they could work on. Other times I sit and observe their reading habits from afar (are they engaged, distracted, restless, skipping through the pages quickly) and take notes. There are lots of ways to better know the readers in the class - and none involve a paper-and-pencil test.


My second grader isn't finding reading to be as easy as their older sibling. When should I begin to be worried?
Short answer: don't be worried. Kids learn to read at their own rate. For some, kindergarten is a magical time. For others it won't happen until second or third grade, if not a bit later. If there's ever a concern I'll contact you and we'll sit down to discuss it. Unless that happens, be patient because it will come. I promise!


What can I do at home to support my child as a reader?
This is my favorite question. You can read with your child each and every night. In my house we read to our kids every night from 7:30 - 8:00 until our oldest daughter reached seventh grade. I say that because sometimes I'll have kids in second grade who tell me they are too old to be read to. Not true! Reading aloud to your child is incredibly important because you model reading fluency. You also make texts available to them they wouldn't be ready to read on their  own. You also help them think through increasingly complex stories. You also help them develop a love of reading. And...you have the wonderful opportunity to bond with your child each and every night through the context of a wonderful story you share. I can't possibly say enough about reading to the kids.

You can also alternate read with them. You read a page, they read a page.

You can listen to them read each night and stop them along the way to talk about what's happening in the story. Don't make it sound like a quiz. Make it conversational and fun.

You can take them to the library and the bookstore from time to time to pick out new books.

You can each get your own copy of the same book, read it separately, and talk about it along the way - just like a book club.

You can extend their bed time an extra fifteen or thirty minutes and tell them "I'm letting you stay up a little later if you'd like more time to read before you go to sleep." We did this with our kids and it was a great incentive to read (they were staying up later) but it was framed in a way that didn't seem like we were paying them off for reading. Rather, we were telling them we knew they'd want more time to read so they could lie in their beds and keep reading a little longer before lights out. This meant each night we read to them for thirty minutes and then they read another thirty minutes in their beds. That's an hour of reading each night. It's worth the effort, believe me!


That's it. I hope some of this was helpful. Next week I'll send an email asking what sorts of rituals your family has that you feel promotes literacy. I'll share these out (anonymously) in next week's newsletter.

Chris