Professional Book Talk: Donalyn Miller Part 2

Hello!  This week has been very exciting.  I got a call for an interview on Monday, interviewed Tuesday, and got offered a Long-Term Guest Teacher position on Wednesday!  I begin orientation and professional development tomorrow and my 7th/8th grade ELA students will arrive next Tuesday.  It's crunch time in planning and I am constantly thinking about how I will mold Donalyn Miller's pedagogy into my time with these students.  I posted part one of this topic last week (find it here) and will continue today by talking about Miller's second book, Reading in the Wild. 

Reading in the Wild is as much of a self-reflection of Miller's pedagogy defined in The Book Whisperer as it is a broad structure for other teacher's to implement similar practices within their own classes.  At the end of The Book Whisperer, Miller was concerned that one year of a drastically different reading curriculum in her classroom may not be enough to help all readers become lifelong readers.  Therefore, she adjusted her teaching practices and shared the changes with her avid readers, resulting in Reading in the Wild.  Let me tell you, this book is just as captivating as her first!  Within the course of a week I had read the book and took copious notes throughout.  I even went as far as to color code my highlighting (I know, big shocker!) to align with the five main principles that Miller's pedagogy is formed around.

"Our classroom nonnegotiables are these:

• Time to read: Students need time to read and write.
• Choice: Students need to make their own choices about reading material and writing topics.
• Response: Students need the opportunity to respond in natural ways to the books they read and the pieces they write.
• Community: Students needs to feel that they are part of a community of readers and writers.
• Structure: The workshop rests on a structure of predictable rituals and procedures that support the students and teacher."

As I begin planning for my first year of teaching, I hope to keep these nonnegotiables at the forefront of my mind.  So, here are my main take-away points that I will immediately start implementing into my planning. 

The Top 2 Things that Reading in the Wild Taught Me

1. Tools to Support Authentic Reading and Writing

Miller admits in her book that when she began to implement the reader's notebooks in her classroom, she didn't have a clear idea of how they were supposed to be used.  All she knew was that they were necessary.  Since then, through trial and error as well as research, she has learned what works best for her students and the necessity of these tools in her classroom.  

"The tools we use must support our work as readers and writers, not define or limit our work.  Every year I ask:

• What do my students and I need to know about our reading and writing this year?
• What learning and thinking do we want to record?
• How can notebooks support our academic and personal literacy goals?"

Reader's and writer's notebooks (also called Interactive Student Notebooks) can be a fantastic learning tool as long as they do not simply become activity books or student scrapbooks.  Examples of reader's notebook pages that Miller uses are provided in the Appendix of Reading in the Wild.

2. The Workshop Model to Support Student Growth

Miller attributes a lot of her classroom structure and curriculum planning to Penny Kittle and Nancy Atwell.  Therefore, using the workshop model every day is extremely important to helping her students become successful readers and writers.  It is often difficult for middle school and high school teachers to implement this model without feeling as though their classroom has become an elementary room.  In order to combat this increasing phenomenon, Miller created her own workshop schedule that would best meet the needs of her students.  

"When hammering out our workshop schedule every year, I consider these questions:

• How much class time do I have?
• Which instructional components am I required to include?
• Which components would I like to include?
• What can I change to carve out time for independent reading?
• Remember the rule of thirds (1/3 independent reading, conferring, and small groups; 1/3 direct instruction and guided practice; 1/3 independent practice)."

So there it is, Miller's Reading in the Wild boiled down to a few key points.  By no means does this post cover the immense amount of information that Donalyn Miller shares in her book.  I highly recommend that every ELA teacher get a copy for their next professional book read!  

Now it's your turn to discuss.  What are the nonnegotiables in your classroom?  What do you consider at the beginning of the year when you're planning out your curriculum?  If you are incorporating aspects of Miller's pedagogy in your classroom, how is it working?  Have you had any difficulties?  How do you overcome parent or administrative skepticism of student choice over reading materials?

Enjoy the start of your year!