Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Tacheria Brooks Not This: Is there Enough Time? Section 1
Independent reading time is a very challenging time for me. During this time, I try to conference with many of my struggling readers or work with small groups on skills/concepts that need remediation. As for the students that are reading independently, I try to encourage them to read a variety of genres and not only focus on books that can be used for AR tests. Sometimes I do find myself becoming frustrated with the students that are not challenging themselves and continue to focus on reading quick fictional books and not taking the risk of trying a chapter book. I do believe that students should have the optional to self-selected their own books, but I can't help but to try to "encourage" them to read more informational text. Honestly at the end of the day, my job is to ensure that the students are reading "SOMETHING."
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As teachers, our goal is to introduce our students to multiple genres hoping that they will grow as readers. The fact that you encourage you readers to try other genres doesn't mean you're taking all choice away from them. Instead, you're trying to help them see other options they may enjoy. It's also important that they have an advocate that is encouraging them to challenge themselves. More and more as I read these professional texts, I see the need to explicitly teach students strategies for reading. This goes right along with teaching them how to choose books and branch out from their comfort zones. Mini-lessons on finding a text from a different genre or highlighting texts from one genre will help students see the options they have when it comes to individual choice.
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