Balanced Literacy: Independent Reading

1. August 5, 2008 Balanced Literacy: Independent Reading

2. Opening Activity Browse through the book collection available to you. Pick one and start reading�I will stop you after 10 minutes.

3. Opening Activity Browse through the book collection again. Pick three books and answer the following questions: What can you predict about the book? What genre of book do you think this is? Historical fiction, biography, science fiction, fantasy, etc.? Why do you think so? Is this a book you think you would like to read? Why or why not?

4. Opening Activity Pick one of these books and read silently for 15 minutes. As you read, think about the following: Have you found any evidence to support or contradict your predictions? What new predictions can you make? Take note of interesting vocabulary words�these could be words that are new to you, words that you like because of how they sound, etc. Anything else you�d like to share. When I signal that time is up, be prepared to share your answers with a partner.

5. Independent Reading How did reading a text with specific goals in mind change your reading experience? Independent reading is part of the curriculum of a balanced literacy program.

6. Life long readers who read for a variety of reasonsLife long readers who read for a variety of reasons

7. Independent Reading vs. Silent Reading

8. �Just Right� Books Books that are at the student�s instructional level There may be some unknown words, but these can generally be figured out through context clues Neither too easy nor too hard!

9. Facilitating Independent Reading Ideally, the independent reading block is 60 minutes long. Realistically, try for 20 minutes. Structure: Book talk (optional) Mini-lesson Status of the class (optional) Individual reading, conferring, and written response Group share and evaluation

10. Time Frame for a 60 Minute Block

11. Books to Use in a Book Talk New books by authors whom the students love Another book by an author whose book you�ve read aloud �Best-selling� titles that are popular with the age group Books on issues or topics that interest the students Books that introduce a new author, genre, or illustrator

12. Book Talk

13. Book Talk What did I talk about in my book talk? What else could you talk about? Title and author Cover, illustrations Read an excerpt Connect the book to students� lives Pose questions Give a brief synopsis Relate the book to other books students have read Tell about the plot or a character Share your own response to the book

14. Your Role vs. Students� Role You: Expose students to a variety of books Convey your own excitement Provide a short, engaging preview of the book�think movie trailer Students: Listen for books they�d like to read Learn about their own tastes and interests Learn how to give a book talk

15. Plan a Book Talk Take some time to plan your own book talk. You may use the book you just spent time reading, another book from my collection, or one that you have read previously. When you have finished, practice your talk with a partner. Evaluate each other�was the talk interesting? Did it reveal an appropriate amount of information? What could be done differently next time?

16. Mini-Lessons Purpose: Provide explicit teaching on reading strategies and skills, elements of literature, and management issues These are tailored to suit the needs of your students Structure: Introduce a concept Give one or more clear examples Ask students to come up with other examples Remind students of what they learned and how this applies to their reading

17. Example Mini-Lesson: Setting

18. Remember: Mini-Lessons� are BRIEF can be summarized in one or two sentences involve student participation guide student reading make connections between reading and writing encourage conversation and sharing in class

19. Deciding What to Teach Look for patterns in your conference records Observe students while they share Look at students� written responses for evidence of understanding Look at reading behaviors during guided reading lessons and literature circles Find out students� interests and goals Look at curriculum guides, state standards

20. Your Turn Using a topic from the lists provided, plan your own mini-lesson. Keep in mind: Introduce the concept with clear, concrete examples Provide opportunity for student interaction Ask students to apply the learning to new examples Reinforce the lesson in conferences, sharing, and future mini-lessons When you�re done, get into a group of three. Present your mini-lesson and provide feedback on others�.

21. Status of the Class Check in with students to see what they�re reading They can do this orally or through their own record-keeping

22. Reading Independently: Your Roles vs. Students� Roles You: Assist students in the selection of appropriate books Monitor and analyze students� records of reading Students: Select an appropriate book for independent reading Read silently without talking to other students Write responses in a notebook as directed by you Keep written records of their reading

23. Conferences Allow you to give individualized attention to your students Allow you to develop personal relationships with your students Let you know how your students are doing, if there are any topics you need to address, how well your students are absorbing the mini-lessons, etc.

24. Ideas for Conferences Listen to the student read aloud Discuss something from the story Ask the student if there�s something he/she didn�t understand Revisit the mini-lesson Discuss the content of the book Discuss the writer�s craft Review the student�s list of books read/reading interests Set goals Discuss letters written in the reader�s notebook

25. Important Things to Remember Body language Be a good listener Let the student talk as much or more than you do Keep records

26. Group Share Encourages students to share from their reading Ties their reading back to the mini-lesson for reinforcement Holds students accountable Lets you know if you need to reteach a concept Some options: Talk about their reactions to their reading Read excerpts from their book Share writing they may have done about their reading Revisit places they�ve marked in their books that relate to the mini-lesson

27. Group Share Can be partner, small group, or whole class sharing Examples: �Today, you learned about how to record the genre of the book you are reading on your reading list. Starting with ______, I�d like you to share the title of your book and what kind of genre it is so that we can figure out how many different kinds of books we are reading. If you had trouble labeling your book, tell us about it and we�ll figure out together what genre it might be.� �Today we listed ways in which an author makes characters believable. I asked you to write down two ways your author made a character believable in the story you are reading. Share the notes you made in a group of three.�

28. Your Turn Using the mini-lesson you created, think of a way you could reinforce this concept during group share. Pick two other mini-lesson ideas from the list and think of ways you could incorporate group share to reinforce the concept. Share your ideas with a partner.

29. We Want Our Students to� Read voluntarily and often Read a wide variety of materials Have confidence in themselves as readers Present themselves as readers to others Read to become informed on a wide range of topics Read to improve their lives Read to have satisfying and rewarding vicarious experiences Read to expand their world Collect books and refer to favorites Recommend books to others Talk with others about what they have read Know authors and illustrators, genres, and styles Develops preferences and constantly expand on them Reflect on their reading Make connections between and among the things they read Think critically about what they read

30. How to Implement Students need training and accountability First 20 Days: Start with basic concepts, gradually increasing in complexity. Remember: lessons need to meet the needs of your students�they may already be familiar with some of these topics and need extra emphasis on others!

31. The Reader�s Notebook The reader�s notebook: Encourages readers to respond as they read, recording their feelings, emotions, memories, connections, etc. Allows you to keep track of how students are interpreting their texts and target weaknesses Is NOT a book report�students are not writing to prove that they have read a particular text

32. Contents of the Reader�s Notebook The Reading List The Reading Interests List Books to Read List Letters Guided Reading/Lit Circles

33. Reading List Documents books students have read during the year Useful for you, the students, and their parents Students record: title author genre date completed E (easy), JR (just right), C (challenge) Students do NOT record the number of pages

34. Reading Interests List and Books to Read List Reading Interests List Favorite topics Favorite genres Favorite authors Books to Read List Title Author Check off when finished

35. The Letters Some potential topics: Summarize plot Discuss author�s purpose Develop and explain an opinion Make connections or show empathy with the characters Comment on author�s use of language Compare different books

36. Your Role Read letters carefully, do not correct errors Respond directly to the letter, acknowledging their thinking or feelings, agree or disagree with them, or share similar feelings Answer questions Ask questions Share your own experiences and preferences Make recommendations Inform student if you can�t understand or read what they have written Show that you value their thinking You can do all of this without having read the book that your student is reading!

37. Facilitating Ideally, students should write one letter per week, about a page in length Develop a schedule of letter due dates Stay on top of your responses�they can pile up! Students complete letters in class, not as homework Ask students to proofread letters before turning them in

38. Assessing Responses Scale of 1 through 4, 4 being best: Voice Clarity of expression Evidence of understanding Use of conventions Awareness of self as a reader/writer Although you will respond to each letter, you may not wish to grade each one individually

39. Example Student Letter Dear Miss Gospe, I am reading The BFG by Roald Dahl. This is the second book by him that I have read. I think his books are very funny. I like how he makes up words. In The BFG, the giant who Sophie knows is very friendly. �BFG� stands for �Big Friendly Giant.� I wonder if all of the giants in this book are friendly. I remember in the Harry Potter books, most of the giants are not very friendly. I think that I would like to have adventures with a giant like the BFG. Last time, you asked me about whether or not the characters from My Teacher is an Alien reminded me of anybody I know. Well, I think that my brother Alan is a lot like Peter. He really likes reading science fiction books and is pretty quiet. I think that I would like to be more like Susan because she is very brave. From, Sandy

40. Example Response Dear Sandy, Thank you very much for your letter. I also really like books by Roald Dahl�not only is he very funny, but I think he also really captures the way that children think and feel. In looking over your Reading List, it looks like the other Roald Dahl book you read was Matilda. How does The BFG compare? I�d like you to tell me about some similarities and differences that you have found. You made a great connection between the giants in Harry Potter and the BFG. I hope that you�ll continue to think about this as you read more of the book. You seem to read a lot of fantasy and science fiction books. Are these your favorite genres? When I was your age, I really loved fantasy books. I really liked the Dealing with Dragons series. Now, though, I find myself reading more historical fiction. I�m eager to hear about what happens next in your book! Love, Miss Gospe

41. Your Turn Let�s go back to the example letter� Grade it in each of the rubric categories (Voice, Clarity of expression, Evidence of understanding, Use of conventions, Awareness of self as a reader/writer) With a partner, discuss how you graded the letter Dear Miss Gospe, I am reading The BFG by Roald Dahl. This is the second book by him that I have read. I think his books are very funny. I like how he makes up words. In The BFG, the giant who Sophie knows is very friendly. �BFG� stands for �Big Friendly Giant.� I wonder if all of the giants in this book are friendly. I remember in the Harry Potter books, most of the giants are not very friendly. I think that I would like to have adventures with a giant like the BFG. Last time, you asked me about whether or not the characters from My Teacher is an Alien reminded me of anybody I know. Well, I think that my brother Alan is a lot like Peter. He really likes reading science fiction books and is pretty quiet. I think that I would like to be more like Susan because she is very brave. From, Sandy

42. Tomorrow Shared reading Modeled reading Guided reading Word study