As I'm sure many other educators feel, preparing to go back to work at school can be quite stressful. Between preparing your classroom (or in my case, the library), attending workshops and staff meetings/grade level meetings, sorting and mailing open house letters and room assignments, creating meaningful and engaging lesson plans, and kicking summer withdrawals, educators are tired, yet hopeful. As I arrive early at school this morning so I can prepare the announcements for our morning broadcast, I start getting very excited about the upcoming year. Kids start strolling in with smiles and bookbags hung loosely on their backs. You can feel the anticipation in the air.
So......How could I keep that excitement going all year; teach library and information skills interwoven with language arts, math, science and social studies; AND get students excited about reading? Well, I finally decided to spend some time reading those professional books that we all have bought but never get a chance to read. I started reading The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller. I had tried to read this book once before and it didn't resonate with me for some reason. But in my effort to play a more supportive role for classroom teachers and increase reading and comprehension, I decided to give this book another try. It finally clicked! Every strategy Donalyn tried made sense. Every past school memory of hers reminded me of my own school memories. Her reasons for becoming an advocate for more independent reading astounded me. Plus, it just made sense. Increase excitement for reading by connecting with ALL readers: developing readers, dormant readers, and underground readers. With rigorous schedules in the classroom, many students do not get the opportunity to independently read, thus they may not develop that passion for reading.
Being a media coordinator (elementary school librarian), I have a fixed schedule that allows me to see every K-5 class weekly for 45 minutes. Based on this book, my goals are: have students discover/develop/nurture their reading habits; have students become lifelong, passionate readers; and become confident in their skills as a reader. But I have such a short amount of time to accomplish this task. So I started small. I started with my 4th grade class. I had planned to spend 25-30 minutes going over library rules and book care. We briefly discussed library rules and then I stopped talking. After asking the students if they wanted to go over library book care (for the 5th consecutive year), they bemoaned having to go through that ordeal again. So we began to talk. I expressed my desires for them as students. I wanted them to experience the ultimate joy of not wanting to put a book down as well as mourning a book because it has ended but yet we, as readers are not ready for the end. I set a reading goal and told them they could read anything they wanted to achieve that goal. We talked about what kinds of books/subjects interested them. And best of all, I was here for them to help recommend, find and select books that would ignite their imagination. After this brief discussion, I handed them a bookmark and they promptly got up and went to find those magic books. I directed one student, who wanted a scary story, to novels by Mary Downing Hahn (ghost books). She checked out 2 of those books. Another student wanted Harry Potter. Another wanted mystery books, so I recommended the Carole Marsh mysteries and the student checked out 3 of them. He was so excited that he had a hard time speaking during checkout because he was also trying to breathe at the same time. I was so engrossed with checking out students that I finally looked up because it had gotten so quiet, and ALL of the students were actively reading their books. I couldn't believe it. I had never had that happen before. I quickly pulled out my phone and snapped a picture. They read for 15 uninterrupted minutes. I had to pry them out of their books just so they could line up to leave at the end of class.
Yes, I plan to continue this practice. I am curious to see where it leads the students. Donalyn Miller has already tried this strategy and achieved amazing results with her students. I am already encouraged by what I have seen today. Students never cease to amaze me. I was once a student also. I must never forget what it felt like. Thanks Donalyn!
