Hello! I've been gone for a bit due to job applications, interviews, and this
amazing book:
Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller. I read her first book,
The Book Whisperer, two years ago in a college literacy education course and I was hooked! I latched on to everything that Miller was doing within her classroom and the success she has found with implementing the 40 Book Challenge in her classes. In this first Professional Book Talk posting, I will be talking about what I've learned over the past week from
The Book Whisperer! Check back later this week to read what I learned from reading
Reading in the Wild.
The Top 5 Things The Book Whisperer Taught Me
1. The power of a teacher as a model - We cannot expect students to do something that we will not do ourselves.
All too often students are told that reading is important and that they are going to participate in DEAR or Independent Reading programs, but while they are reading, their teacher is sending e-mails, grading papers, or completing other housekeeping activities. Students receive the subtle message that reading isn't valued by their teacher, it's busy work to keep them quiet, or it's a requirement that they are forced to complete.
Being a role model for our students is not simply about completing the act of reading, but by showing students that readers are passionate and enthusiastic. Real readers reflect on what they've read and encourage others to read the same, or similar, titles. Miller states, "My credibility with students and the reason they trust me when I recommend books to them stems from the fact that I read every day of my life and that I talk about reading constantly. I am not mandating an activity for them that I do not engage in myself. I do not promote reading to my students because it is good for them or because it is required for school success. I advocate reading because it is enjoyable and enriching. When my students think about me in the future, I want them to remember me as a reader with a book in my hand and a recommendation on my lips." This is exactly the teacher that I strive to be: a guide on the side, not a sage on the stage.
Miller also challenges teachers to become that model in the classroom through utilizing her "Reading Improvement Plan." Miller encourages self-reflection with her students constantly and this plan creates another avenue for classroom dialogue. The steps for the plan include:
- Commit to a certain amount of reading per day
- Choose books to read that are personally interesting to you
- Read more books for children [and young adolescents]
- Take recommendations from your students
- Investigate recommendations from industry sources
- Create your own reader's notebook
- Reflect on what you are reading
The steps seem simple enough and they can provide all teachers with a deeper insight into their own reading habits.
2. The power of choice - If we want our students to be active readers, we must allow them to choose the books they want to read.
We make choices every day. We choose what cereal to eat in the morning, what clothes to wear to work or school, and what music we want to listen to on the way there. Our students are making these choices (and the many others that we face) every day. However, once they enter the classroom, most students are under the impression that their choices are not validated or even allowed. This classroom environment does not empower students or encourage them to complete coursework to the best of their ability. What happens when we do allow our students choices? Most of the time they ask for a list of possible choices (still in the mindset that the teacher is always right) or they become confused or afraid of choosing the "wrong" option.
Miller flips the script on this classroom custom by allowing "structured choice" within her class. Students embark on the 40 Book Challenge (see #5) at the beginning of the year and must complete certain genre requirements; however, how they complete it is up to them. "I believe that students should be empowered to make as many book choices as possible, including the books we read together. The idea of students clamoring to read favorite books feeds into my goal for getting them excited about reading. By valuing their opinions, eve about the books we share as a class, I let them know that their preferences are as important as mine." Isn't that what we're all looking to achieve, helping students know what they enjoy and how to purposefully and respectfully voice their opinion? Allowing students choice in their academic lives prepares them more for the choices they will have in their adult lives than simply requiring them to complete a mandated project/book by a specific time.
3. The power of time - The only way that we can ensure our students are reading daily is to provide instructional time for them to read within school.
"It is said that we make time for what we value, and if we value reading, we must make time for it." This passage was particularly influential for me because it challenges the traditional classroom setting. I believe that at the end of the day, most English Language Arts teachers want their students to walk out of their classroom being better readers and writers. However, most of the classrooms that I've been in seem to value projects, worksheets, and other housekeeping tasks instead of the actual acts of reading and writing.
There are volumes of research that have declared the best way for a student to grow as a reader and writer is to constantly be reading a range of texts. Yet, so many people would rather teach ELA the way it has always been done instead of adapting and allowing students an opportunity to dive into the texts that they love while they are at school. Instead, Miller challenges her students to "steal reading moments" whenever they find them. All students are required to bring a book with them wherever they go. If they find themselves waiting after a test, in line to see an administrator, at the car wash, or between sports practices, students are encouraged to read. Within her own class, Miller has find that utilizing these "stolen reading moments" adds up to an additional 20 - 30 minutes of reading per day! All of that time was gained without replacing instructional time for reading!
4. The power of the environment - Teachers must create a comfortable reading environment within their classrooms in order to support positive reading habits.
We all know that the classroom environment can make or break student behavior for the year, even on the very first day. Why else would we spend hours putting up our bulletin boards and re-arranging the desks two or three times? That first day with our students is crucial in demonstrating what is valued within the confines of our classroom! On that first day, Donalyn Miller wants all of her students to know that she sees them as readers and expects them to participate as such every day. "In those first days, I never preach to my students about their need to read. I never talk to them about the fact that many of them do not like to read, struggle with reading skills, or have not found reading personally meaningful. If I were to acknowledge that these excuses have merit, I would allow them to become reasons for my students not to read. They pick books on the first day, and they read."
In order to value all student interests and reading levels in a high interest activity, Miller has created the "Book Frenzy" for day one in her class. During the frenzy she introduces books that students have enjoyed in the past, books that she can't help but re-read, and award-winning books and authors. While only sharing about two sentences about each book she is able to go through large numbers of high interest titles as students grab for a copy and comment on their book recommendations to friends. She equates the energy and volume of her classroom on that first day to the New York Stock Exchange. Often, in the wave of excitement, reluctant readers check out a book or two and started to read yet again.
Additionally, Miller comments that the layout in her classroom needs to be conducive to a comfortable reading environment. "As I see it, the reading area in a classroom is meant to serve two purposes: to send the message to students that reading is important by setting aside a prominent place for it in the room and to provide students with comfortable conditions in which to read by not confining them to institutionally mandated seating at desks under harsh lighting." Over the years, Miller's reading corner has expanded to encompass the majority of her classroom with bean bag chairs, a donated couch, and lamps throughout the room.
5. The power of creating a challenge - We must challenge students in their reading behavior in order to foster reading growth.
Lastly, Donalyn Miller's most discussed concept is her 40 Book Challenge. Within the course of the school year, Miller expects all of her students to read 40 books of various genres. Surprisingly, the number of books required isn't what concerns most of her students. Instead, they worry about what else they will be required to complete for each book (i.e., worksheets, book reports, character guides, vocabulary tests, etc). All of her students have only read books in school in order to complete these additional activities, never for pleasure. Miller informs her classes that they don't need to worry about their grades as long as they continue to read and complete the books, no additional work necessary for now but the students are still unsure, "They don't have much confidence in me. If I am not going to quiz them on every book and monitor their every reading move, how will I control reading for them? School, for them, is about performing to the teacher's expectations and doing the work that the teacher requires."
Miller is often questioned as to why 40 is the magic book number. Her only response is that, "By setting the requirement as high as I do, I ensure that students must have a book going constantly. Without the need to read a book every day to stay on top of my requirement, students would read as little as they could." In her class, completing the requirement is an expectation and the majority of students reach it. In all of the years that she has implemented the 40 Book Challenge, the lowest number of books that any student has read is 20 within the year. That is cause for celebration! How many people do you know who are reading 20 books in a year? Every student rises to the challenge and learns that they too are readers.
Each year the genre requirement changes depending on student interest, emphasis on a certain genre by the curriculum, or the latest trends. In
The Book Whisperer she listed the following requirements: Poetry anthologies (5), Traditional literature (5), Realistic fiction (5), Historical fiction (2), Fantasy (4), Science fiction (2), Mystery (2), Informational (4), Biography/autobiography/memoir (2), and Chapter-book choice (9). In
Reading in the Wild she listed the following requirements: Realistic fiction (5), Historical fiction (4), Fantasy (3), Science fiction (2), Biography/autobiography/memoir (2), Nonfiction (5), Poetry (4), Traditional literature (3), Graphic novels (1), and Choice (11). Students are allowed to re-read a book and count it once towards their reading requirements. Additionally, students who complete a book with 350+ pages are allowed to count this as 2 completed books for that requirement due to the stamina involved with such story lines.
It's pretty obvious that I've become infatuated with Donalyn Miller's pedagogy simply by reading
The Book Whisperer, and I can't wait to implement her successful practices into my own classroom! What are your take away points from
The Book Whisperer? Are you currently implementing a book challenge or choice reading in your classroom? If so, how has that been going for you? What challenges do you face? What advice would you give teachers who wish to do so?
Don't forget to check back later this week to hear what I took away from Miller's second book,
Reading in the Wild!
