Summer Reading Update

Hello Readers!!

Can you believe we're already halfway through the summer?  How is your reading going?  I just checked the Scholastic.com Summer Reading records and was SO PROUD of the minutes I saw logged!

In my house, we've settled in to a comfortable afternoon reading routine.  In fact, we've started calling it the "Reading Plus Program".  We curl up in a cozy spot and read everyday for at least 30 minutes, log our minutes using the Scholastic Summer Reading app for iPhones, iPads and iPods, and then move on to something else.  For instance, on Mondays it's "Monday Math", and we log onto iReady or Reflex some fun math time.  Other days, we might choose to write a story or write a letter to a friend or family member.  Sometimes, we'll practice cursive writing or play a game that makes us think.  (Psst! Did you know that we have reading activities available on iReady this summer?)

If you haven't been reading or logging, it's not too late!  I know there are a lot of summertime distractions that make it hard for us to slow down and take care of our reading routines, but it is important to make reading a priority all year long.  Make today the day you get back to your books.  Not sure what to read?  Ask a friend!

Readers, what great books have you enjoyed this summer?  

Celebrating Reading

It is amazing to me to look back to August and remember the readers that entered our classroom.  We have come so far!  But did you know that when kids don't read over the summer, they are likely to fall behind when they head back to school?  These learning losses are often called the "Summer Slide", and our school has made it a priority to keep our students' skills sharp by encouraging them to read all summer long.

Chets Creek has signed up to participate in the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge, a free online reading program that invites children to log their reading minutes to help set a new world record for summer reading.  the goal this year for schools around the world is to break last year's reading world record of 176,438,473 minutes!

I'm SO excited to share that the theme of this year's program is Reading Under the Stars.  As kids log their reading minutes, they will unlock star constellations and learn interesting facts about them.  Plus, throughout the summer, kids will earn digital rewards and learn about great new books to read.  You'll also find free articles, activity sheets, and book lists for parents on the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge website.  Look for your child's username and password in their planner Tuesday evening.

But that's not all!  In order to celebrate our reading successes this year, I'd like to invite you all to join me at the P.E.P. Rally next weekend, Saturday, May 31st, at the Jaguars' Cabanas/Fan Entertainment Zone at Everbank Field.  Not only will I be there, proudly wearing my purple shirt to support Chets Creek, for the 8 AM "Spirit 5K", but I plan to stay and enjoy the food and fun afterwards.  Please join me for the party and celebrate our amazing year!  If you're not up for running a 5K, consider participating in the free one mile "Reading Is Fun Run" at 9 AM, or just come for the Reading Celebration from 10 AM-2 PM!  Remember to wear your purple! 

I hope to see you all there!

Navigating Historical Fiction: Focusing on Setting First

Readers at Wild Adventures are quickly falling in love with a new genre -- historical fiction!

Often, when students come to fourth grade, they still think books are one of two "genres": fiction or nonfiction.  This year, readers are learning that calling a book "fiction" or "nonfiction" is like saying a dog is an animal or an oak tree is a plant.  There is so much more that we could say!  We can consider "fiction" and "nonfiction" the "kingdoms" of the literary world, and now that we're older, we are getting to know the "species" within each.

Recently, we learned that we read historical fiction much the same way as we would read any other type of narrative text (mystery, realistic fiction, narrative nonfiction, etc.).  We focus deeply on the characters.  However, as we read stories that take place in times (and sometimes places) far away from the world we live in, we also need to pay careful attention to the setting.  Where in the world is this taking place?  When in history is this story set?  Once we've established the where and when in a global sense, we move towards understanding the traits of the setting, just as we would understand the traits of a character.

In our newest read aloud, Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan, the year (1930) and geographic location (Aguascalientes, Mexico) are clearly announced to the reader.  As we read on, we learned Esperanza's family owns and lives on a vineyard and ranch, El Rancho de las Rosas.  But in order to truly understand Esperanza's story, we have to understand what kind of place and time this really was for the people living within it.

"Everyone who lived and worked on El Rancho de las Rosas was gathered at the edge of the field:  Esperanza's family, the house servants in their long white aprons, the vaqueros already sitting on their horses ready to ride out to the cattle, and fifty or sixty campesinos, straw hats in their hands, holding their own knives ready."

This passage revealed to many readers in our room that Esperanza's home was a wealthy home.  It was the kind of place that probably left Esperanza wanting nothing she didn't already have.

Later, as we read descriptions of the fiesta that occurred each year after the harvest, and Esperanza's thoughts about her future Quinceañeras, many readers said they could tell it was a traditional home, consistent and predictable from year to year.  We know that carrying these understandings with us as we walk with the characters through their story is important because it helps us have empathy and a deeper understanding of the characters behaviors, actions, choices, and traits.

Readers, revisit this passage from the first chapter.  Think carefully about the details Pam Muñoz Ryan included.  What words would you use to describe the setting of our story after you've reread this passage closely?

"He swept his hand toward the grapevines, signaling Esperanza.  When she walked toward the arbors and glanced back at her parents, they both smiled and nodded, encouraging her forward.  When she reached the vines, she separated the leaves and carefully grasped a thick stem.  She put the knife to it, and with a quick swipe, the heavy cluster of grapes dropped into her waiting hand.  Esperanza walked back to Papa and handed him the fruit.  Papa kissed it and held it up for all to see.  

'¡La cosecha!' said Papa.  "Harvest!"

'¡Ole! ¡Ole!'  A cheer echoed around them.

The campesinos, the field-workers, spread out over the land and began the task of reaping the fields.  Esperanza stood between Mama and Papa, with her arms linked to theirs, and admired the activity of the workers.

 'Papi, this is my favorite time of year,' she said, watching the brightly colored shirts of the workers slowly moving among the arbors.  Wagons rattled back and forth from the fields to the big barns where the grapes would be stored until they went to the winery."

I can't wait to see your thinking in the comments below!

 

Reading True Stories

Just when you thought you had nonfiction reading all figured out, in walks the black sheep of the nonfiction family -- NARRATIVE nonfiction!

Savvy readers know that narrative nonfiction is just a nonfiction text (a text designed to teach its reader) in disguise as an entertaining story.  But those same savvy readers know that a story is a story is a story, no matter whether it's true or false.  And how do we think about the stories we read?  We think about the characters!  This means we temporarily set aside all that we've learned about reading nonfiction -- boxing in main ideas of sections, listing (with bullets) the details that support those ideas, turning headings into questions, and using text features to deepen our learning -- and return to our sticky note type thoughts.

Readers should ask themselves: 

• What kind of person is this character?  What are their traits?
• What does this character want or need?
• What are their obstacles, dangers or struggles?

After we finish the text, we can use the "Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then" one-sentence summary frame to help us focus on what this true story taught.

When we read Bamboo Valley: A Story of Chinese Bamboo Forest, we realized quickly that we needed to expand our definition of a main character to include animals, or perhaps even plants.  In this story, readers found the main character, a young panda, used his persistent, peaceful nature to overcome many obstacles to surviving alone in the forests of China.  They summarized this book like this:

The panda wanted to find a new home with water, live bamboo, and shelter, but everywhere he looked there was already another animal living there or no food, so he kept looking and walking for many miles, then he finally found a new valley with live bamboo & water.

But just thinking about what you read isn't always enough.  Just as we would ask ourselves, "Why is this important?" after we finish an informational text, we must think deeply to find the unifying ideas within a narrative nonfiction.  One strategy for digging deeper into a true story is to think about the character's choices, challenges and lessons.

Today, our readers recognized that, on a December 1st, very long ago, Mrs. Parks made a pivotal choice, or a choice that changed the course of her story, when she said "no" to not only the bus driver, but also the police officer, when she was asked to give up her seat.  Readers quickly saw that the immediate consequence of her arrest was only one of many effects of this choice.  (We learned that the word "consequence" doesn't always mean "punishment"!)  As a result of her personal choice, the women of her community organized a bus boycott, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. brought national attention to her situation, and people all over the nation sent their support to those boycotting the buses.  Ultimately, her simple choice to say "no" led to change on a national level.  To us, this meant we could make a small choice -- whether it's picking up trash on the beach or playground, or inviting someone to join us at the lunch table or on the recess field -- and know that our small choice could somehow lead to a big change, bigger than we might ever imagined possible!

Readers, we thought about so much more today.  What were some of your "take away" thoughts after reading Rosa, by Nikki Giovanni?  What do you recall about her challenges?  What helped her through these challenges?  How could we carry a little piece of this story and what it's taught us into our lives today?  Take a moment to share with the world and our Chets Creek community what lessons we could take from this remarkable story.  

Nonfiction Reading

Even little baby readers know that reading nonfiction is different than reading fiction.  I'll never forget the day that my own daughter came home with her first nonfiction book in a bag and announced, "Mommy, I can start anywhere I want to when I read tonight, because this book is NONFICTION!"

Now that we are more sophisticated readers, we know that this is only partly true.  Good nonfiction readers do begin their nonfiction reading differently than their fiction reading, but it's not really about just picking a starting point.  Reading nonfiction means thinking about the text before, during, and after our reading.

PREview, PREdict, PREpare

We've learned that nonfiction readers spend time before they ever begin reading the main text previewing the text.  They focus on the text feature, which includes photographs, captions, diagrams, charts, maps, headings, footnotes, text boxes, and more.  We use these text features to get an idea about the topic of the text and predict what main ideas we'll learn about.

Taking it a step further, we've learned that sometimes readers can rephrase subheadings into questions, giving us a guiding purpose for our reading as we move throughout the article or book.  As we read, we'll carry these questions in our mind, looking for the answers.

Stop and Think

Reading nonfiction means stopping and thinking many times throughout the text.  As we come to the end of a section, we should stop to ask ourselves, "What did I just learn?"  We can take this time to jot a quick main idea in the margins or box the main idea phrase in the text.  The best readers might also underline the key words in supporting details, helping them hang onto their learning as they read.  

Good readers will also ask, "How did this section fit with other sections I've read?"  This second step helps us to recognize how the author has organized the text.  Is the author writing to describe?  Are they comparing and contrasting more than one idea or topic?  Am I reading about a cause and its effect?  Is that cause a problem?  If so, did they also write about the solution?  Does this text teach about a series of events that happen(ed) in a particular order, or sequence?  Understanding how a text is structured gives us a glimpse into the author's purpose and helps a reader to understand the most important ideas of the text.

Think Back, Write Long & Talk

Good nonfiction readers do not just read texts and walk away.  The best readers know that they're really reading nonfiction to become experts.  The goal is to truly learn from our nonfiction reading.  Learning means the knowledge you gain from a text becomes YOURS forever and always.  In order to achieve this level or understanding and forever knowing, good readers will think back on all that they've read, asking questions like: What is the author's big idea?  What do I think the author really wanted to teach me?  What does that mean?  Why is this important?  

Two strategies for helping readers reach these deeper understandings are writing and talking.  By putting what we've learned into our own words, orally or on a page, we're truly making it our own.  

Readers, what are some strategies you've enjoyed learning and practicing for nonfiction reading?  What is something you've learned about how reading nonfiction is different than reading fiction?  How can these nonfiction reading strategies help you in your fiction reading?

Growing Theories About Books

As readers get deeper into their books, they should notice their books starting to look a little....fringy.  Sticky notes will be exploding out of their books like firecrackers, just as their minds should be pop, pop, popping up thoughts.  Good readers know they should stop and jot their thinking as they get to know the characters in their stories and follow them through their triumphs, challenges, and adventures.

When we reach the point at which our books look wild with our sticky note thoughts, which usually occurs around a third or halfway through a book, it's time for the next step.



We begin by writing the page number on all of our sticky notes.  Then, we pull all of our jots out of our book and lay them out on the table or floor like pieces of a puzzle.  With our notes spread out, we take time to reread them all, grouping them into categories as we do.

Once all of our stickies have been grouped, we start to think.

How are these categories related?
Do I see any patterns?
Now that I think about all these thoughts together, am I having any new thoughts about them?

This is called growing a theory.  

This reader just finished reading A Bear Named Trouble, by Marion Dane Bauer.   After sorting his sticky noted thoughts, he identified a big idea for his theory.  He realized that this story, about the young son of a zookeeper and a wild bear who killed the boy's favorite goose in the zoo, was really about the main character, Jonathan, learning to forgive.  He selected a few sticky notes that helped him create this theory, gathered them on a page of his reading notebook, and wrote his theory at the top in a box. His next step, since he has just finished this book, is to write briefly to explain his theory.

This reader is currently reading Troublemaker, by Andrew Clements.  She found that many of her sticky notes were either about Clay or Mitch, two brothers and the main characters of this story.  There were a few surprising moments that stood out in particular to her, such as the fact that Clay, the younger brother, was eager to tell Mitch about getting in trouble in school, but when he did, Mitch was angry at Clay instead of proud.  She was also surprised when Mitch took Clay to the mall and wound up giving him a makeover -- cutting his hair, buying new clothes, making him tuck in his shirt, and more.  She noticed that the boys seemed to be having trouble getting along through these surprising turns, too.  All of this thinking led her to the theory she wrote at the top of her page:

This book is really about Mitch and Clay trying to get along together and help [themselves] through life.

As she reads on, she will carry this theory in her mind, testing her thinking to see if she's on the right track.

Readers, how is your reading going?  What are some great thoughts you're having about your books right now?  What theories are you growing about your characters? 

Important Tools for Readers: Reading Logs & Sticky Notes

We don't often think about reading as a pastime that requires tools.  All you need is a book and some time, right?  Not true.  Good readers know there are tools to the trade.  This year, readers are already using two very important tools: reading logs and sticky notes.

Reading Logs

In fourth grade, reading logs mean more than just "proving" that we read.  Reading logs are records of our lives as readers, just as scrapbooks are our records of our lives.  When we go on vacation, we take pictures.  When we have birthdays, we take pictures.  When we go to weddings, graduations, special dinners, field trips, sleepovers, first days of school, or even just the park, we take pictures.  As readers, we log.  We log the books we've read so that later on we'll look back and remember those books we've loved.  But there's more.

As young readers working to grow and improve, we need a tool to help us track our growth and identify patterns.  Our daily reading logs are these tools.  We will keep these logs on hand as we move through the year, referring back to them to learn about ourselves, identify areas of improvement, and set goals.  

For instance, how do you know if you're reading long enough, fast enough, or even just enough?  Reading "enough" is really not about minutes, but books and pages and minutes all rolled into one!  You see, readers should read approximately 3/4 page per minute when they're in a book that's a good fit for them.  But we don't need stopwatches to figure out whether readers are within that range or not.  By studying logs and comparing the pages read to minutes read, we can infer a readers estimated speed!  Now, we know from time to time our pages to minutes will vary because of distractions, interruptions, difficulty of the text, and many other reasons.  By logging regularly, we can look at the big picture, not just one variable.

With this simple understanding in mind, we can infer a safe estimate of how long it would take a reader to complete their book.  For instance, students reading from the Magic Tree House series should be able to complete one complete chapter book within approximately an hour of reading.  Our class read aloud, Stone Fox, might take a reader up to approximately 2 hours of independent reading time to read it, cover to cover.  A much longer book, such as Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, would take a reader up to anywhere from four to eight hours of independent reading time to complete.  With rare exception, regardless of a reader's independent reading level, all readers should be reading enough to finish one chapter book or more per week, start to finish.  When this isn't occurring, reading logs are an invaluable tool to determining where to begin in the process of helping a reader improve.

Sticky Notes

Reading is thinking.  Good readers know that making our thinking visible allows for us to retrace our thoughts, like following a trail of pebbles through the forest.  

As we read, when we hear thoughts buzzing in our mind, we stop and jot them down as quickly as we can.  Then, we stick this thought directly to the page we were reading, and continue on.  After a while in our reading, we might come to a point at which we can tell our thinking is changing, or growing.  We begin to think back on the thoughts we had earlier in the book, and combine them with more recent ideas, wonderings, predictions.  By revisiting our sticky notes, we can take a few moments to write to grow our thinking in our reading notebook.  (That's where the really good stuff happens!)

Because these "jots" are so important, good readers know they need to keep sticky notes handy.  Be sure to grab a few extra from class each day and fix them inside the cover of your books before heading home.  You could also make sure you have a few pads of sticky notes in a safe place at home, just in case of a reading emergency.  You don't ever want to be unprepared! 

So readers, as you're reading at home, be sure to be ACCURATE in your logs.  Just as we do in class, when you prepare to read, get your tools ready.  Pull out your log and your sticky notes FIRST.  Jot down the starting time and page number right before you begin reading.  Then, don't read with one eye on the clock, but dive headfirst in to the story, stopping to jot your thinking as you read.  When you're ready to come up for air, glance back at the clock and record your ending time and page number.  Don't stress out about counting pages and minutes, just READ.  

Reading Partnerships: Talking that Grows Readers

Photo Credit: Valentina_A via Compfight cc

Sometimes, the best part of a really good book comes AFTER you have finished the book.

Today, we read the last chapters in Stone Fox.  It's amazing how John Reynolds Gardiner was able to capture our hearts so intensely in only 83 pages!  As I closed the cover of the book and gently laid it on the table beside my rocking chair, I know we all were wishing for a little more -- just a few more pages, one more chapter.  Some readers even asked if there was a sequel to the unforgettable conclusion of Little Willy and his beloved dog, Searchlight.  

When I finish a great book, I often have that same emptiness inside.  We just aren't ready for it to be over yet!  Good readers, readers who share this craving for more, often fill that emptiness by talking about their books with friends, family, or fellow readers.  In this way, not only can we hang on to the story and our relationships with these characters for just a little longer, but we can also share our love with someone else.  Sometimes this sharing inspires someone else to read and love this book right along with of us.  And sometimes, these conversations strengthen our own love for this book by deepening our understanding of it.  As we go back through the story -- retelling pieces to others, remembering the details of our mind movies, revisiting the places we'd traveled and reliving the experiences we shared with favorite characters -- we're really working on our thinking about our reading.  

For all these reasons (and more!), we need reading partnerships.  Earlier this week, we launched our reading partnerships with an interview.  Readers were prepared with their reading notebooks, pencils, and a bank of starter questions as they tiptoed to the far corners of the room for their first of many meetings to come.  We spent time listening to each other talk about our favorite genres and books, declaring our goals as readers, and paying special attention to what we have in common with each other.  Along the way this year, partners will use a variety of tools to continue learning about each other and tracking our progress.  (Our first tool, reading logs, are particularly important, but we'll talk more about logging next time.)

Tonight, I stood barefoot in my kitchen, cooking dinner and thinking back on little Willy, Grandfather, Searchlight and Stone Fox.  Finally, when the emptiness in my gut grew to be too much to ignore any longer, I turned to Mr. Nash and said, "Did you ever read Stone Fox?"  With tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat for the third time today, I told him all about what happened at the finish line.  And as our dinner bubbled and simmered on the stove, I watched his eyes grow wider and his heart skip a beat, and I knew he was hooked, too.  

Tonight, readers, tell someone about a great book you've read recently.  Tell them the best parts, your favorite parts, the saddest part, or a part you'll never forget.  And when you do, tell it to them in a way that makes them love it right beside you.  Because sometimes, readers, that's the best part!

Stone Fox, by John Reynolds Gardiner

To kick off our year of chapter book read alouds, we shared the first half of a short but great book, Stone Fox, by John Reynolds Gardiner.  In this story of a ten-year-old boy, Willy, who is struggling to help his grandfather recover from a depression that's left him in bed, unable to speak or take care of himself or their potato farm.

As good readers, we're working to read "wide awake".  This doesn't mean propping open sleepy eyelids, but rather reading with a vivid mind movie constantly playing in our imagination.  Good readers visualize the setting and characters, from the ground to the sky.  Good readers can imagine tiny gestures and details the author didn't fill in for us.  Good readers can close their eyes and imagine standing on the very dirt road Willy ran on to get to Doc Smith's house -- grass, dirt clumps and all.

But sometimes, our mind movies grow blurry.  We get lost or confused, or we read on and find that our mind movie was inaccurate in some way, and now we need to re-imagine the scene, character, or event.  What do we do then?

Good readers know they need to stop.  Say, "Huh?", and dig deeper to bring their mind movie back into focus.  We've learned we can do this in a variety of ways:

• Reread quickly to refresh and remember what we've read before.
• Reread slowly to clarify and help us understand better what we've already read.
• Read on looking for clues to help answer our questions and fill in the blanks of our mind movie.
• Refer to other parts of the book for answers -- the back cover, earlier chapters, etc.  

Together in class this week, we shared a few "blurry moments".  Some of these moments revolved around the setting of the story, Wyoming.  In the book, Gardiner never clearly states the time period, which also has made it difficult for us to accurately imagine the setting.  

Readers, when a book doesn't tell you all the information you need to know, good readers know they can go outside the book to find out more.  

This weekend, I did a little research.  First, I started with what we already know about when and where the story takes place:

What if this was Willy & Grandfather's farm?

• in Wyoming
• on a potato farm
• dirt roads
• horses and wagons & dog sleds used for transportation
• horses and plows used for harvesting potatoes
• $500 was A LOT of money
• general stores (not grocery stores)
• dog sled race in Jackson, Wyoming every year 
• Wyoming is a state (tax collector said he represented "state of Wyoming")
• Grandfather hadn't paid his taxes in 10 years.  

After researching the history of Wyoming, potato farming, and dog sled racing, I found some facts that might help us.

• Wyoming became a state in July of 1890.
• First official dog sled race outside of Alaska was American Dog Derby in 1917 in Ashton, Idaho.
• American Dog Derby was very popular in the 1920s, when the prize money reached amount of $1,000.  (Note: That was equivalent to about $13,000 today.)
•  Jackson, Wyoming hosted its first dog sled race as a part of its first Winter Sports Carnival in 1932.  The race was 30 miles long. 
• The second year of the Carnival race, the first place prize was $300.  
• In the 1900s and 1910s, steam engines began to be used for pulling plows on Wyoming farms.
• In the 1930s, trucks became more commonplace on Wyoming farms, and 23% of farms in Wyoming had at least one tractor.  

What if Jackson, Wyoming looked like this to Willy in the winter?

Check out this map of the United States to understand more about the geography of Wyoming.

Readers, when you think about all these facts, what are you thinking about WHEN this story took place?  When you study the map above, what are you thinking about WHERE this story took place?  How would this story be different if it took place TODAY?  How would Stone Fox be different if it took place in Florida?

Reading Bingo!!!

Who doesn't enjoy a good game of Bingo every once in a while?  

Photo Credit: Darwin Bell via Compfight cc 

The only problem with Bingo is that it's a game of luck.  And just as you can have days when your luck is really good, you can also have days when your luck is really BAD.  So, winning is out of your hands.  

But that's not the case with Reading Bingo!  Your success is completely in your hands!  You are in charge of your life as a reader, so it's all up to you!

As you've seen already, Reading Bingo is a little different from traditional Bingo, and many of you have questions about the "rules of the game".  I'll do my best in this post to help clear up any confusion, but if you still have questions after reading this, please feel free to leave a comment.  I'll reply to your comment here so that others can see the answer, too.  (Usually when one person has a question, someone else is wondering the same thing and just hasn't asked yet!)

Is Reading Bingo required?

Yes.  Reading at least six books per nine weeks is required for fourth graders.  However, it is up to the reader if they want to try to achieve a Bingo by reading five books in a straight line or not.  (Remember, the sixth book can be anywhere else on the card.)  In order to receive the prize, you have to "read a Bingo" (complete a whole row, column, or diagonal).  

Why do we have to read six books each nine weeks?

Each year, readers throughout Chets Creek are challenged to meet a reading volume goal.  Because readers naturally read different types and difficulty of books as they grow and change, the goal changes based on their grade level.  We call this reading incentive program at Chets Creek "Readers to Leaders".  The fourth grade goal is to read 25 chapter books each year.  In order to make the goal easier to manage and pace, we've divided that into six books per quarter.  (We count all the miscellaneous magazines, articles, short stories, picture books, and more that we read in class all year as the 25th chapter book.)  Meeting this quarterly goal is how readers earn their Readers to Leaders award.  

How do I receive credit for reading a book?

After a reader completes a book, they should refer to the back side of their blue Reading Bingo instruction page.  The back side lists MANY different choices for responding to a book.  Choices range from sitting down one-on-one with me in class to have a conversation about the book, to writing a short summary,  illustrating a new book jacket, acting out a scene from the book, recommending the book to their class with an informal book talk, or even to a variety of digital projects.  Really, the possibilities are endless!  Readers can select the "You're the Boss!" option and present any idea they're interested in pursuing to Mrs. Nash.  If it's doable, we'll try it!

Do I have to respond to every book I read?

Readers must respond to any book they read in order to get credit on their Bingo cards for reading the book.  Six books is the minimum requirement.  Some readers are challenging themselves to reach a "Double Bingo" or even a Blackout!  Other readers just want to meet the Bingo goal and then read for the love of reading without responding after their sixth book.  These are all acceptable goals and choices.  

Will this be graded?

Since independent reading is such a large part of our work in reading workshop, yes.  Reading Bingo is graded.  Students receive a grade based on the percent of the six book goal they complete.  This is a small portion of their ELA grade.

When is Bingo due?

On the front of the blue instruction page, you will see a series of dates.  These dates are pacing checks.  With the exception of the final due date, these are not hard and fast deadlines.  Since students are graded on percent completed of the six book goal, grades for Bingo are not entered into the gradebook until the final due date.  (For this quarter, the final due date is October 24th.)  The pacing checks leading up until that point are merely checkpoints intended to help readers stay on pace to meet the final goal.  With that said, readers who fall significantly behind in their reading rarely catch up to meet the final goal, so please do monitor these dates. 

How can I support my reader in this process?

You can support your reader at home in a variety of ways.  

• Provide a good 30 minutes or so in their evenings (Monday through Friday) of uninterrupted, devoted reading time.  
• Whenever life gets hectic (sports schedules, dance classes, special projects, family needs), be sure to encourage reading on Saturdays and Sundays to make up for the lack of time on other days.  Reading can be a great downtime activity for everyone in the family!  
• Make a habit of asking your child how they're doing on book completion.  Some readers have bad habits of frequently abandoning books before completion.  These readers have difficulty reaching the six book goal.
• Help them track the titles of the books they've completed on their blue Bingo sheet and their actual Bingo card.  If I find that they've written a book's title in a square on their bingo card, it's much easier to help them correct their card if they also have them written on their blue pacing guide.
• Encourage your reader to choose good fit books for them.  If your reader usually reads books that over 200 pages in length within a few days, and you find them returning to series books from years gone by so they can read more books faster, remind them that reading books that are TOO easy is not what reading is all about.  (Remember what makes reading the best and the worst?)  At the same time, if they're stuck in a book for days and days, are making very slow progress as they're reading, or appear to be reading the same page forever, perhaps this book is too challenging.  Ask them to read a page out loud and do the "five finger check" to see if it is a good fit for them.  Students should be able to read a whole page of text without missing more than 3 words on the page.  
• If they've been itching to read the next book in a series they love, but that book is 400 pages long and you're worried they won't have time to finish it, be careful not to discourage them!  Rather, remind them to request a conference with me (using our conference sign-up notebook in the classroom) so we can discuss making this work for them as a reader.  
• Encourage your child to read one book at a time.  They should be reading a chapter book that they bring to and from school each day, just like grown-up readers do.  Once they finish reading for the night, be sure they put the book straight into their backpacks so they'll have it all day at school the next day.  

This is a lot of information to soak in, but I'm sure many of you still have questions.  Remember to leave your questions in a comment on this post so other families and students can learn from your wonderings, too.  

Students, what questions do you still have?  How are you doing in your personal game of Reading Bingo?  Are you enjoying it so far?  

Building Our Lives As Readers

Even though I'm a reading teacher, and I absolutely LOVE to read, I know that reading isn't always at its best.  Reading, quite frankly, can even be THE PITS at times!  As readers, it's important that we are aware of this, and identify what makes reading better or worse for us as individuals.  Once we've identified the problems, we can take steps to improve our lives as readers by fixing or avoiding these problems in the future.

In class this week, we found that many of us have similar pet peeves, or irritations, as readers.  For instance, reading can be rotten when...

• noise (brothers and sisters, dogs, classmates, radios, etc) disrupts our reading.
• we are uncomfortable. 
• we are too tired.
• we don't like the book we're reading.
• the book is too hard for us.

But, there are lots of times when we've loved reading!!  We all seemed to agree that reading is the best when...

• we can see the story in our mind (mind movie).
• we feel like the characters are real, perhaps even friends of ours!
• we can talk about the book we're reading with other people.
• we can read without interruptions.
• we can read the words with ease and speed.
• we are interested in the topic/genre/author.

Understanding and noticing the patterns in what makes reading a good or bad experience for us is the first step to improving our lives as readers.  If we know what ruins reading for us, we can take steps to correct or improve those things so reading at its best!

For instance, if we know that we cannot tune out noises easily and distractions make reading unenjoyable, then we can make it a priority to choose a place where we can read away from interruptions.  If we know that being forced to read a specific book puts a bad taste in our mouths, then we should make every effort to choose appropriate books for ourselves so no one else feels the need to choose for us.  If we know that reading books that are challenging frustrate us, then we must be certain that every book is a good fit for us when we read independently.

Good readers are in charge of their own lives as readers.  The first step to being this kind of good reader means being aware of ourselves as readers -- our preferences and our peeves.

Readers, what is something you've learned about yourself as a reader this week?  What do you need for reading to be at its best?  What are you doing to prevent reading from being at its worst?  

Leave a comment answering these questions.  I can't wait to hear from you!