Teaching The Tiny Humans How To Love Reading

Oh, hello.👋

Ashley P. here, 💁coming at you live from my cozy couch where I intend to remain for the rest of the evening. This week I have been pondering and reflecting on my own teaching practices when it comes to fostering a love of reading in the tiny humans.

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Hands up if you were the kid who would be
awake way past lights out, underneath the covers with a good book and a flashlight.

Hands up if you were the kid who would screech "REAAAAD!" at the top of her lungs when her
parents fell asleep reading that night's chosen bedtime story.

Hands up if you were the kid who would always (and I mean ALWAYS) volunteer to read in front of the class.

Hey! Me too! Me too!

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Now, hands up if you were the kid who would rather be outside or playing video games than reading. 

Hands up if you were the kid who would jolt awake by the feeling of your head drop as you were falling asleep during silent reading at school. 

Hands up if you were the kid who would desperately try not to make eye contact with the teacher so you didn't have to read in front of the class.

Now of course these examples are extremes and there will be some kiddos in the middle but the hope is that we can help all our students slide as close as possible to the "I LOVE TO READ" side of the reading continuum. Keep reading to find out the strategies I use to engage the tiny humans.

My Classroom Library

There is no shortage of books in my classroom–partly due to the generosity of my former mentor teacher and other teachers in my school, but mostly due to my own complete and utter love of reading. My students have access to picture books, information texts, graphic novels, chapter books, wordless books, and magazines. You name it, we've got it. This list excludes their library books and their levelled Home Reading books that they are welcome to exchange at any time throughout the week.

Silent Reading

Not only do my students have access to all these adventures during any free time throughout the day, they have a 30 minute uninterrupted opportunity to read every day of the school week. I have created multiple inviting areas in the classroom for my students to hunker down with a good book during silent reading which I think is a key part of fostering reading engagement. My students look forward to silent reading because it is a time for them to unwind, get lost in a good book, and snuggle up with a pillow or teddy anywhere in the classroom. During this time I MODEL what it looks like to be actively reading at my desk with my own book which is an important aspect of my silent reading routine. 

My students will elect to sit in the comfy chairs (left) during silent reading where the have access to stuffies in the crate below the black table and information texts in the book shelf behind it. Others choose to lay under the twinkly lights and read from the books sorted by fiction and non-fiction in the sea grass baskets.

Home Reading is located in the white tubs (right) and the white magazine files beneath them are filled with trade books organized by content area. I pull these magazine files out depending on the unit we are studying. For instance, my Canada folder is out for the kids to choose from because we are learning about our country in Social Studies.

  

Students can find books in the baskets (left) organized by jokes, riddles, easy readers, and graphic novels.

The "couch" (left) beside my desk is a reading hot spot in the classroom as it boasts a reading lamp, pillows, and calming water feature. 

Some tiny humans will find my teacher chair (right) during silent reading to be the best spot for them while others will sprawl out on the carpet. 

The reading bench is also a popular area complete with a large window, pillows, a teddy, and chapter books for my more serious readers. 

Some of my active students will ask to read on the bike (right) in the hall so that they can burn off some energy while digging into a good book. 

Secret Reader

I owe part of my reading engagement success to something that I call "Secret Reader." I randomly select a student each day who I watch during silent reading to check that they are actively reading. I do not announce to the class who the secret reader is until after the 30 minute period. If the reader was successful I announce their name to the class, give them a "Super Reader" card with their name on it to go home, and their table group gets a sticker. If that reader was not actively engaged in reading I do not single them out, instead I just let the class know that the secret reader wasn't on task that day. Later in the day I will check in with that student to see what was going on with them and see if they need any help finding a good book for the next day. My kids LOVE this part of silent reading and if I forget to announce the secret reader they are sure to remind me. Yes, this is an example of extrinsic motivation but if I can get a group of 7 year olds to actively read for 30 minutes a day, I'm a happy teacher. 😌

Read Alouds

As previously mentioned, modelling how to read is an important aspect of fostering a love of reading. The tiny humans and I are currently studying Canada so to help them connect with what they are learning, I have been reading books selected by Adrienne Gear that are true stories across the provinces. These books are long so we take our time to pause, connect, reflect, and discuss. 

Additionally, during snack each day I read aloud from a novel. We are currently reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling. I am a huge Harry Potter fan and it was one of the series that got me hooked on reading as a child so I am hoping it will have the same affect on my students. I love the detailed descriptions J.K. Rowling provides of her characters and will ask my students to pull out their doodle books to sketch the character based on the book's depiction. I'll then show them a picture of how the illustrator envisioned the characters. The kids really enjoy comparing their imagination's image to that of the illustrator. When it's time to put their snacks away I always say "To be continued..." to which I receive many outcries of "Aww! Cliffhanger!" (or for some who don't quite have the terminology down "Aww! Hangcliffer!"). The pleas to hear more bring such joy to my literary heart. 💗

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Guided Reading

I have thoroughly discussed my Guided Reading practices over the past few weeks but would like to mention them again here because they definitely contributed to the reading culture in my class and school. All Grade 2 classes at my school have agreed to participate in Guided Reading together so that we can better level our students. The students and teachers meet 3 times a week for 40 minutes and go through several stations: teacher time, reading follow-up, word work, reading comprehension, iPads, and literacy games. The involvement of all Grade 2 classes and of parent volunteers has made a large impact in the school and has sparked interest in our colleagues. 

Expert Advice

While I feel quite content with my literacy practices in my classroom, I contacted a distant cousin of mine, Anna Auld, who has been a teacher-librarian for many years at Holy Cross Elementary to see if she had any advice to help me foster a reading culture at my school. Here's what Anna had to say:

This library is kid centred.  Firstly, I always refer to the Library as "our" Library; it is a space for them to learn and create and grow.  Secondly, I have student's art work, projects, and assignments displayed constantly throughout the Library and in the hallway leading into the Library.  It is a very welcoming and happy environment.  I have stuffed animals, pillows and loungers that make students and staff feel comfy cozy and welcomed. At any point in the day, you can see kids holding a "reading buddy" aka a Berenstain Bear stuffed teddy bear while laying down with a pillow, reading a book.  Also, I keep brain challenging games in the library for students when they need a brain break or if they just want to play with a friend.  I also have a Library Club made up of Grade 4-7 students working to keep the Library organized- what happens with this is that the students feel an "ownership" to the space.  The Library Club, that some years have been upwards to 70 students, also organizes fun school wide reading days for example, PJ Buddy Reading Day, Character Dress Up Day, Family Literacy Day, to name a few. 

I hope I will one day be able to foster a school-wide culture just as Anna has done in her school. Creating a library club and a space that students can identify as their own are takeaways that I would like to implement when I finally become a teacher-librarian myself. 

What do you do in your school  to foster a reading culture? Is there anything that you think I need to tweak? I am always open to suggestions!

Bye for now,

Miss P. 💕