Read and Respond

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.

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!