I like to think of reading as a sport. It requires endurance, staying power, tirelessness, perseverance, grit, and great mental strength. I have learned over the years that good readers have good reading stamina. They are able to recognize books that are too easy, just right, or too difficult. They are able to pick a power reading spot and remain in that spot for a chunk of time. Good readers know what to do when they get distracted and how to jump into their text again. They stop and think what was the last thing they remembered happening in the book. They go back and reread in order to move forward. Good readers think while reading. They make connections, laugh, cry, wonder, question, infer, predict, and note words and phrases that are new or interesting to them.
During the past week, the students and I have been conditioning to be good readers. First , we practiced choosing "Just Right" books by using the five finger rule and the "IPICK" strategy (I-I choose a book, P-purpose: Why do I want to read it?, I-interest: Does it interest me?, C-comprehend: Do I understand it?, and K-know, Do I know most of the words?). Many times students put back books even after reading a chapter. That is OK. The more you practice, the better you get at recognizing good text for you. Then, we practiced finding a perfect power reading spot away from our friends and neighbors. We thought about the physical position we like to be in while reading. Some like sitting at desks, some like being sprawled out, some like being curled up against a wall. I know I prefer to read lying down on a couch. The point is that good readers know their bodies. They create a safe and calming atmosphere for themselves that will allow for minimal distraction. Our third mini-lesson this week was on what do you do when your mind wanders off. Sometimes our thoughts go spinning away from the text. It is natural and normal. Any athlete can tell you, that sometimes your head is just not in the game. The trick is to have a strategy so that you as a reader can get back in the game. The students and I used Jennifer Serravallo's (another reading guru) strategy for this. First, stop and recognize, "Hey, my head is not in the text. " Then, think about what you last remember and go back to that point or a little before it. Last, reread! Don't worry, reading is not a race! Our last mini-lesson this week was on thinking while reading. I introduced thinkmarks to students. Think marks are marks that students make on post its (stickies) to show their thinking as they read. For instance, they might write down LOL on a sticky and attach it to a page in their book if something is funny. They could write down a ? and a question they have about what is going on or about a character, etc. Like any sport, good athletes don't just go through the motions, they always have their head in the game. Think marking helps students keep their head in the game. It conditions them to be good life long readers. Below are some pics of the students working on their reading stamina. Sorry if I missed your child, but don't worry, more photos will always be popping up. I also have included a pic of the think mark book mark I use with the children. Feel free to reference this and any of our reading conditioning strategies. Comments are closed.
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Welcome to Room 314!
Have fun following our fabulous 4th grade journey! Important Dates
August 22nd- First Day!
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September 2018
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