During independent reading time last year, I noticed that several of my
students weren’t really reading. They were what I affectionately refer to as
“pretenders” or students who only pretend to be reading. In order to make my
students more accountable as readers, I decided to have them write about their
reading.
First, we had to build our reading stamina. Students had to
remain in their seats and remain quiet the entire time. I used a timer to keep
track of the minutes. At first, my
students could only read for 5 minutes without talking or getting up out of
their seats. But by the end of the year, my second graders could read for 30
minutes! During reading time, I would
consult with students or ask them to do the “Five Finger Rule” to make sure
they were reading ‘just right’ books.
After reading, I would pick student sticks and ask several
students to share their writing. I put their sticks back into the container
because I didn’t want them to think that once they shared, they didn’t need to
participate anymore. The problem is that other students weren’t getting their
chance to share. In order to ensure everyone has a turn this year, I will put
their sticks upside down in the container once they have shared. Hopefully those smart little second graders
won’t notice and I will still be able to hold their ‘feet to the fire’ so to
speak. Another way to keep them
accountable is to let them share their writing with a friend instead.
I love the writing aspect of this activity! At the end of
the year, my students could successfully summarize their reading using linking
words (first, then, next, etc.)! It also
allowed you to see who was struggling and/or who was pretending.
Since doing this activity, I have had the chance to reflect
on what worked and what didn’t. If you want try this in your class, make sure
you give your students the opportunity to go the bathroom and get a drink
before beginning. This is a no brainer,
but it takes time to do these things. So I suggest doing this activity first
thing in the morning or right after recess when these things should already
have been taken care of.
Another problem I discovered was students continually
getting out of their seats to find another book. I found that most of these
students were just bored (because they were pretenders) and just wanted get out
of their seats. This year if I can find the room, I am going to have book
boxes. I did this when I only had 19 students, but now that I have 26 students
it’s a little more difficult to find the room. On the teacherwife.blogspot, she
doubled students to one box. She and I
have used the cardboard magazine holders from IKEA to make the book boxes. They
are only $1.99 for a set of five! Hopefully you can find a store near you.
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| Magazine holders from IKEA |
On Monday, students will chose three books from our classroom
library (plus two library books) to read throughout the week and keep them in
their book boxes. Since I have my
students read first thing in the morning, they will need to grab their book boxes
and then find their seats before beginning. Hopefully this will eliminate this
problem for good.
If you would like to try this in your class, I have included
a free copy of the
Read and Respond
journal at my TPT store. You can pick up a free copy
here. If you have find something else
that works for you please share!
