Reading Matters

So you have your small groups, and now your ready to get reading rolling, but your noticing you have students that are not totally engaged or motivated to read. I have the perfect resources that will give you ideas on how to ramp up your reading instruction and get students actively involved.

Donalyn Miller is one of my favorite authors she has two great books I think every teacher should read:

The Book Whisperer and Reading in the Wild

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In Miller's books, she shares ideas on how to increase the volume that kids read and how to track their reading.  She shows you  how she to set up her  Reading workshop so it can be productive and inviting to students.  She provides ideas on how to introduce books to students, how to monitor student reading, how students can monitor their own reading as well as how to encourage the unenthusiastic reader to want to read. She talks of student choices and  inspires you to help students develop lifelong reading habits.


Another author that I truly enjoy reading is Jennifer Serravallo's,

In her book she provides information on how to develop strategic readers using mini lessons organized in this manner: Strategy, Teaching Tips, and Prompts. You can use the table of contents to go directly to the section/goal that you have set for your readers and, through several structured lessons, you model for students what they need to do to become strategic readers. It has lessons arranged by reading levels that make it a great tool to use for targeted or focused small group teaching.


Another book that I read every year is Reading with Meaning, depicted below.

Debbie Miller not only provides lessons and ideas on how to make the most out of Reading Workshop, she also provides Read Aloud titles to address the core reading skills that I feel readers should be able to use with any book they read: Determining importance, Inferring, Asking Questions, Synthesizing Information, and Visualizing, 

Last, but not least, Steven L. Layne's Igniting a Passion for Reading, which provides help to teachers in regards to motivating those hesitant readers or those that cringe at the mention of the word reading.  

Layne provides insight for teachers on how to tap into students interest, set goals, do book talks, and create an inviting reading environment within the classroom that will make students want to see what's in your class library.

These are just a few of the many books that I read year after year, to keep their ideas at the forefront of my planning and preparation for each school year. I am a lifelong reader of any and everything. So, up next, books that I gave book talks on to motivate my reluctant readers, and boy readers. Stay tuned!