Episode 8: Independent Reading: A Conversation with Christina Winter
Main Questions about Independent Reading:
Is there a place for independent reading in the classroom? If so, what does it look like?
Independent Reading Is:
Intentional, purposeful reading
Tailored to each specific student and their needs
Looks different on each reader based upon their level
Within a student’s range of skills
Sitting with a decodable!
Dinner with a little dessert (see below)
Independent Reading Is NOT:
The age-old direction of “Drop Everything and Read”
Reading alongside students and modeling reading for them at your desk
Showing your students how much YOU love reading by reading a book yourself
Sustained and silent
Strictly timed
A substitution for what we are doing in our small group time
Things to Keep in Mind:
Tim Shannahan says that “If you really want your kids to love reading, teach them to read.”
We must do more than just surround them with books
When children decode, they learn to love reading.
If we want our students to be independent readers in the classroom, we must model for them our expectations and be intentional, purposeful, and explicit.
We should share feedback on what we see when they’re reading to aid them in being mindful of their own reading.
Set expectations for independent reading time - how many books will you read? What will it look like?
Use positive reinforcement as they’re reading to establish confidence and encourage them to keep going when the reading gets hard.
Students will love “sitting” here in this sweet spot because they feel confident
How to Increase Student Engagement:
Students can read to stuffed animals
Students can use magnifying glasses
Have students point to words with fun pointers
Students choose and wear special reading glasses
Independent Reading - Dinner and Dessert Mentality
Think of dividing up independent reading time as lots of dinners and then a little dessert
We want to spend the bulk of our meals eating dinner - healthy vegetables, fruit, meat - good foods. Then, we want to indulge a little with some dessert at the end.
The Dinner: Students should spend the bulk of independent reading time here. They should read:
Decodable books at their level
Decodable sentences from their book bin
Word pyramids
Any text that’s at their level
The Dessert: Students spend a little time here at the end of independent reading. They can:
Look at books they’re interested in
Browse the classroom library
Pick up a nonfiction book with lots of interesting pictures
Look through a book that was read in class
Filter through magazines, student recipe books, or other text structures
Build their love of reading.
Check out Christina Winter:
