2012 CCIRA Keynote: Creating classrooms where readers flourish

Creating Classrooms Where Readers Flourish Donalyn Miller thebookwhisperer@gmail.com @donalynbooks

Trinity Meadows IntermediateSchool— Keller, Texasteachermagazine.org— “TheBook Whisperer” blogScholastic’s Principal to PrincipalE-NewsletterThe Book Whisperer: Awakeningthe Inner Reader in Every Child

www.slideshare.net/donalynm

“NAEP Reading ResultsDeemed Disappointing” —Education Week, March 24, 2010

“Panel Finds Few LearningGains From Testing Movement” –Education Week, May 26, 2011

“There is a general decline in reading amongteenage and adult Americans.” —NEA Report, To Read or Not to Read, 2007

One in four American adultsread no books in 2006. Thosewho did read averaged seven books. –Associated Press Poll, 2007

“The single factor most strongly associated with reading achievement—more than socioeconomic status or any instructional approach—is independent reading.” — Stephen Krashen, The Power of Reading

What Research Reveals• comprehension • wide reading• writing • wide reading• vocabulary • wide reading• spelling • wide reading• fluency • wide reading• background • wide reading knowledge

“Reading books is the only out-of-school activity for 16-year-olds thatis linked to getting a managerial or professional job in later life.” — University of Oxford, 2011

“Regular reading not only boosts the likelihood of an individuals academicand economic success -- facts that are not especially surprising -- but it alsoseems to awaken a persons social and civic sense.” — “To Read or Not to Read,” NEA, 2007

Core IdeaCarve out more reading time for students.

“ If you have never said, ‘Excuseme’ to a parking meter or bashedyour shins on a fireplug, you are probably wasting too much valuable reading time.” ~ Sherri Chasin Calvo

“The average higher-achieving students read approximately threetimes as much a week as their lower-achieving classmates, not including out of school reading.”—Richard Allington, What Works for Struggling Readers

Set asidetime to read in class.

Eliminate bell ringers and fast finisher activities.

Recapture wasted instructional and wait time.

Core IdeaSurround children with reading role models.

“You can’t teach what youdon’t know, any more thanyou can come back from where you ain’t been.” –Will Rogers

56% of unenthusiastic readers did nothave a teacher who shared a love of reading, while 64% of enthusiastic readers did have such a teacher. -- Nathanson, Pruslow and Levitt (2008)

Evaluate your readingexperiences.

Commit toreading more.

Bring yourreading life into the classroom.

Participate in personal readingcommunities.

Core IdeaIncrease access and exposure to books.

. Books in the home are as important as parents’educational level in determining level of education children will attain.–Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, June 2010

Students from 17 high-poverty schools,who received 12 free books to read for three consecutive summers, hadsignificantly higher reading scores and experienced less of a summer slide. –Allington , 2010

Create classroom libraries.

Increase visits and access to the school library.

Introduce authorsand books through read alouds.

Provide frequent opportunities for students to preview, select, and share books.

Promote reading across the school day.

Core IdeaValidate students’ reading choices.

“Learners who lose the ability to make decisions are disempowered.” —Brian Cambourne, Toward an educationallyrelevant theory of literacy learning: Twenty years of inquiry

40 Book RequirementPoetry (anthologies): 4 Informational: 4Traditional Literature: 3 Biographies,Realistic Fiction: 5 Autobiographies,Historical Fiction: 4 Memoirs: 2Fantasy: 4 Graphic Novels: 1Science Fiction: 2 Chapter Book Free Choice: 11

“I have long been convinced thatthe central and most important goal of reading instruction is to foster a love of reading.”–Linda Gambrell, “Creating Classroom Cultures that Foster Reading Motivation”

Core IdeaReconsider whole class novel units.

“…students are not reading more or betteras a result of the whole-class novel. Instead, students are reading less and are less motivated, less engaged, and less likely to read in the future.” —Douglas Fisher and Gay Ivey, "Farewell to Farewell to Arms: De- Emphasizing the Whole Class Novel"

Whole Class Novel BenefitsProvides a common text for instructionalpurposes and reference.Assures that students read at least a few books.Exposes students to works with cultural,historical, or literary significance.Builds community.

Whole Class Novel Concerns No single text can meet the reading levels or interests of the wide range of readers in a classroom. Novel units take too long. Students cannot read enough to develop strong literacy skills. Extensions and fun activities reduce authentic reading, writing, and thinking.

How can we reap the benefits of teaching a whole class novel, and minimize the concerns?

If your culture or curriculumrequires reading a whole class novel…

Shorten the amount of time you spend reading the book.

Strip units of activities like projects and vocabulary work.

Alternate whole class novel units with independent reading units.

Use read alouds and shared reading, particularly with difficult text.

Provide students time to read in class and receive support from you.

If you are not required to teach specific books…

Use common texts like short stories,articles, and the first chapters of books for modeling and teaching.

Ask students toapply what theyhave learned totheir independent books.

Design instruction around genres, themes, literary elements, or comprehension strategies.

Create guiding questions or independentpractice that can be used with any book.

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2012 CCIRA Keynote: Creating classrooms where readers flourish

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