The title of this section was a bit daunting for me because I am so busy, I have very little time to read just for myself. When I read it is usually for a course I am taking, something for school, something for my Sunday School class, or reading with my 4 children. As my own children are getting older and becoming independent readers, I see how important it is for them to see me reading at home and to talk to them about what I am reading. So, I can see the necessity for this type of "reading talk" in the classroom. Whenever I talk about myself and my family to my students, I can see their ears perk up and they are immediately interested. So talking to them about what I like to read is very important because they listen to that and see someone they look up to modeling that reading is fun and enjoyable. I hope that I will have the same attitude as the author that "it is impossible for me not to read" (p. 24).
Routman suggests sharing the books we are currently reading with our students. This would be very easy for me to bring in books from home and share the books we are reading as a family. It would also help my students to see a picture of my library at home. I love books and would love to share that with my students. I should also talk to my class about why I chose to read that book. Many times I read books by the same author because I like their style of writing or they have the same characters in other stories I like.
Something I already do is go to the public library or the school library in order to find books that I am interested in. I make a point to talk about using the library to help us learn and grow as readers. As a child, I loved the library so much and I still enjoy going and finding new books to read.
Recently I have been thinking about a way to incorporate a book review system in my classroom where children could review books and recommend reading different books to their peers. This could be something as simple as posting it on a bulletin board or a padlet page on ItsLearning for families to be able to access at home. This is an important practice because many of us will choose a book based on the opinion of a friend or loved one and whether or not they would recommend the book.
Yours is a struggle we all face when reading this chapter. How do we share our book life when we don't have time to read? Picking up on the fact that you are reading for church, to your kids, and professionally are all aspects of reading you could share with your students. It's important for them to see that reading doesn't always have to be in a traditional book. I love the idea of sharing a picture of your library with your kids. Seeing what your collection of books looks like will get the message across that you value reading and would love for them to love reading as well. Your idea for a class Padlet that's accessible to parents is great! I know of other teachers doing the same thing in other schools. It's a wonderful way to get kids writing about reading and using suggestions to pick their next book.
ReplyDeleteHi Mollie,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the ways you are sharing what you are reading with your students. Even if it isn't a literary novel, what you are reading for all of the reasons you listed in your post- children, church, online, professional reading, etc are valuable examples to share with your students. Being honest and authentic about the many varied purposes with which we read - some for pleasure and some more functional can only help strengthen and encourage their reading. Thanks, Dawn