Being able to read is truly magical. Teaching students to read is part of some serious witchcraft. I don't teach littles and I couldn't imagine being the teacher trying to teach someone to read. Kudos to all of you Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade teachers teaching those babies to read! I am in awe of all of you and your patience and diligence to teach those little minds how to chunk words, sound them out, and figure them out. I have a 4 year old at home and have been trying to teach him to read. I readily admit that I am not strong enough for the job, however I know his teacher is going to be able to teach him how to read better than I can.
Though I admit I'm not strong enough, or let's be honest patient enough sometimes, to teach my own son to read himself, I have taught him quite a few strategies to help him learn how to love reading. This got me thinking about strategies I employee in my own classroom with my students when they are having difficulties liking reading. Here are some of my tips on how to make lifelong readers from those reluctant readers in your classrooms.
1. Get books in their hands! I know this sounds like a no brainer but you would be shocked by how many students aren't ever encouraged to read. When they get to a classroom there are student who have never even picked up a book before. Shocking isn't it? How do you combat this? Constantly give them books to read. I have 5 bookcases in my classroom for my classroom library. Do I regret buying so many books only to have them disappear over the year at times? No! My students are reading and that's what matters most.
2. Read with them! One of the many things I do in my own house is I show my sons that I love to read. I've been re-reading (yes, I re-read books constantly) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl because I want to use it in my classroom this year. My 4 year old saw me reading it and asked what it was about, why I was reading it, did it have pictures, could he see it, and mommy that sounds like a good book can we read it together? My answer? Yes! Just because he's 4 doesn't mean that we can't read chapter books. In fact, we recently finished a Magic Tree House book together and this is our next read. Just because it's not his "level" doesn't mean that he and I can't read it together. Read difficult texts with your students. They LOVE to listen to you read! Trust me, it's magic.
3. Find them a book they'll love! I tell my students how much I love to read ALL. THE. TIME. So when it comes time to choose books at the library or when they're looking for a book to read in my classroom library I always offer to give suggestions. Most of the time I've read the books, sometimes I haven't, but I guarantee to all of my students that I will find at least one book during the school year that they will love when they read it. This past year I had a tough case of a very reluctant reader in my reading group, until we read the novel The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies. He loved the brother/sister dynamic and could relate to it because he has a younger sister who annoys him a lot. All it took was one book and I had him hooked!
4. Set up book suggestions! I have bins on top of one of my bookcases that has books I recommend. I have 3 bins: girl centered books, boy centered books, and a mix of fantasy, whimsy, and mystery in the third. My students help me trade out books when they've found a book that they love by putting them in the bins as well. These are books that I would recommend to any reader. For instance, in my girl bin you might find Clementine by Sara Pennypacker, Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell, The Baby-sitters Club graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier, and The Tale of Desperaux by Katie DiCamillo. In my boy bin you might find Big Nate by Lincoln Pierce, Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko, and Secret Hero Society: Study Hall of Justice by Derek Fridolfs and Dustin Nguyen. In my mixed bin you might find The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl, and Stuart Little by E.B. White. I change them out depending on what we're learning and what fits with what my students like. They love the suggestions because they know I've hand picked them and they don't have to come and ask me for a book that I would recommend if I'm busy, they already have 30 or so at their fingertips!
5. Set aside a strict reading a book only time in your classroom! This is a quiet time to read for EVERYONE. Including you teacher! I tend to do this when my students come back from prep and lunch because those are the biggest time periods where they have gotten wound up. Once they have been quietly (and I mean silently) reading for a good 5-10 minutes without me having to remind them to stop talking and read, then I move them on to our next activity. This helps them to calm down before instruction and helps give me a few minutes to gather a few things and then join them in reading.
These are just a few things that I do in my classroom that I've seen work. My students engage more in reading, and I keep up to date with their progress when I read with them. What do you do to help your students love to read more? Do you have any tips to add? Let me know in the comments section because I am always wanting to learn new things!
Though I admit I'm not strong enough, or let's be honest patient enough sometimes, to teach my own son to read himself, I have taught him quite a few strategies to help him learn how to love reading. This got me thinking about strategies I employee in my own classroom with my students when they are having difficulties liking reading. Here are some of my tips on how to make lifelong readers from those reluctant readers in your classrooms.
1. Get books in their hands! I know this sounds like a no brainer but you would be shocked by how many students aren't ever encouraged to read. When they get to a classroom there are student who have never even picked up a book before. Shocking isn't it? How do you combat this? Constantly give them books to read. I have 5 bookcases in my classroom for my classroom library. Do I regret buying so many books only to have them disappear over the year at times? No! My students are reading and that's what matters most.
2. Read with them! One of the many things I do in my own house is I show my sons that I love to read. I've been re-reading (yes, I re-read books constantly) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl because I want to use it in my classroom this year. My 4 year old saw me reading it and asked what it was about, why I was reading it, did it have pictures, could he see it, and mommy that sounds like a good book can we read it together? My answer? Yes! Just because he's 4 doesn't mean that we can't read chapter books. In fact, we recently finished a Magic Tree House book together and this is our next read. Just because it's not his "level" doesn't mean that he and I can't read it together. Read difficult texts with your students. They LOVE to listen to you read! Trust me, it's magic.
3. Find them a book they'll love! I tell my students how much I love to read ALL. THE. TIME. So when it comes time to choose books at the library or when they're looking for a book to read in my classroom library I always offer to give suggestions. Most of the time I've read the books, sometimes I haven't, but I guarantee to all of my students that I will find at least one book during the school year that they will love when they read it. This past year I had a tough case of a very reluctant reader in my reading group, until we read the novel The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies. He loved the brother/sister dynamic and could relate to it because he has a younger sister who annoys him a lot. All it took was one book and I had him hooked!
4. Set up book suggestions! I have bins on top of one of my bookcases that has books I recommend. I have 3 bins: girl centered books, boy centered books, and a mix of fantasy, whimsy, and mystery in the third. My students help me trade out books when they've found a book that they love by putting them in the bins as well. These are books that I would recommend to any reader. For instance, in my girl bin you might find Clementine by Sara Pennypacker, Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell, The Baby-sitters Club graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier, and The Tale of Desperaux by Katie DiCamillo. In my boy bin you might find Big Nate by Lincoln Pierce, Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko, and Secret Hero Society: Study Hall of Justice by Derek Fridolfs and Dustin Nguyen. In my mixed bin you might find The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl, and Stuart Little by E.B. White. I change them out depending on what we're learning and what fits with what my students like. They love the suggestions because they know I've hand picked them and they don't have to come and ask me for a book that I would recommend if I'm busy, they already have 30 or so at their fingertips!
5. Set aside a strict reading a book only time in your classroom! This is a quiet time to read for EVERYONE. Including you teacher! I tend to do this when my students come back from prep and lunch because those are the biggest time periods where they have gotten wound up. Once they have been quietly (and I mean silently) reading for a good 5-10 minutes without me having to remind them to stop talking and read, then I move them on to our next activity. This helps them to calm down before instruction and helps give me a few minutes to gather a few things and then join them in reading.
These are just a few things that I do in my classroom that I've seen work. My students engage more in reading, and I keep up to date with their progress when I read with them. What do you do to help your students love to read more? Do you have any tips to add? Let me know in the comments section because I am always wanting to learn new things!
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