Reading at Home

I have a whole bunch of thinking rambling around in my head as I get ready to fully implement the expectation that my students will read at home for 20-30 minutes each night.

First, I'm going to need my students to work hard to develop an at-home reading habit. I want to provide them with a variety of choices for the way they will track and report their reading so that they will own the whole process, from the selection of their books/texts to the development of the habit, to the tracking and reporting. So far, the menu of options include

• daily writing on paper (Typically this has been a M-Th assignment that is handed in on F, but why not let the students decide what the cycle will be? Maybe they do most of their reading on the weekend, so it makes sense to do it Th-Su and hand it in M? Or they have sports and lessons so they can best complete the work on M, W, Th, Su, or some other combination.)
• responding digitally on a Google form (The form I developed has their name, title/author of their book, a genre drop-down menu, and a place to write a reflection. The student would submit their thinking four times a week. This choice would also allow for weekend reading.)
• weekly letter (This could be handwritten or typed and would summarize and synthesize a week's worth of reading. Students could determine on what day of the week they would agree to hand in their letter.)
• blogging (Hmm...I guess if I'm going to offer this as an option, I just made my mind up about KidBlog!)

Now I'm really thinking as I type. We've got a five day week next week. I could introduce each of these options (maybe not in that exact order) on M, T, W, and Th, let them practice in class, and then practice again at home. Then they could work up their plan and submit it to me on the Tuesday after Labor Day. With each child/family developing the timing of the plan and the reporting method that works best for them, I will never again be taking a whole stack of papers home on a Friday night to haunt me until Sunday night. I'll be able to spread my tracking and responding out over the week. Hmm...I'm liking this more and more!

So. I think I just wrote my reading lesson plans for next week. Does it make sense to spend a whole week working on developing a plan for and cultivating the habit of home reading? I think in the big scheme of things, a week is a small price. 

The second thing I'm going to need for this to work is buy-in from parents that at-home reading is not fluff, not optional, and not designed by me to torture their family. Remember that chart that shows how a child's reading achievement can be correlated to the number of minutes a day they read? 

http://www.devstu.org/research-individualized-daily-reading

Here is the same chart with the benefit of 10 extra minutes a day factored in. Check out those gains for the low- to mid-level readers:

http://www.iowaafterschoolalliance.org/documents/cms/docs/10_minutes.pdf

I want my parents to know that I expect their child to read for 20-30 minutes each evening because research has proven that it will grow their child as a reader! I'm hoping that this (possible, intangible) reward will be enough to prompt my students' parents to help their child discover the cues they will use to prompt the routine and habit of at home reading.

For more information about cues, routines and rewards, this is a great book:

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

by Charles Duhigg

Random House, February 28, 2012

I'm only about halfway through the book, listening to the audio version as I drive to and from school. Duhigg's explanation of how cues, routines, and rewards work, and his amazing examples from individuals' lives to huge corporations are understandable, entertaining, and compelling.

The Power of Habit...in the Classroom

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business is one of those books that I can probably read over and over and over again in my lifetime. It was the one book I read during my concussion because when I was allowed to read in 10-15 minute spurts but unable to commit to a story, this was the perfect genre for me. I'm not even sure how I came across the book, but the idea of habits became instantly fascinating to me, especially at a time in my life when I had to give up most of the habits I knew so well.

At the Choice Literacy Writing Retreat last week, Brenda Power talked a lot about our writing habits and I began to reflect specifically on those and how the things I learned in The Power of Habit related to my life as a writer. The time at the retreat gave us all time to refocus on that aspect of our life.

When I got back home, I didn't have much down time before the work on my classroom began and I found myself realizing that after 25+ years of teaching, there are lots of habits built into what I do in getting ready for a new school year. This can be a good thing and it can be limiting. The thing this year is that after reading The Power of Habit, I am aware that I do have habits as a teacher and I imagine I have them during all times of the year. Just as Choice Words by Peter Johnston really pushed me to pay close attention to every word I speak in the classroom with children, I think The Power of Habit is making me very aware of those things I do without even thinking. Some of them make my teaching life very efficient.

Some of them are things I understand about young readers and learners that make my teaching work. My habits around setting up a classroom library are fascinating. The whole family is actually involved in those (although it is my habit, not theirs!). The ways in which I rethink, reorganize, label, replace, weed, etc. is pretty habitual each year. But there are other things I do every year that do not seem quite as purposeful.

 I am planning to monitor myself for those things I am doing to get ready for my year when my brain seems to be in auto-pilot. It is those things that deserve some thought. Am I doing them because I've always done them or because they are the right decision for this group of children right now? When you revisit a book like this at different times, different things stick. Because I revisited the book during the writing retreat, I was really able to look closely at my writing habits. But because it was fresh in my mind when I went into school to work the next day, my habits of teaching started to become clear to me. I think many of my habits of classroom teaching work well. I believe there are things that become habitual in a way that makes me efficient and effective.

But I also think that when my brain goes into auto-pilot, I just need to be aware--it will be my clue this year to make sure it is a habit that makes sense. Just a quick time to ask myself--does this still make sense or is it something I haven't rethought in a while--a habit I need to change? I think sometimes in our classrooms routines become habits as teachers and I am suddenly quite aware of that and looking forward to paying attention to those habits of language and routine in the classrooom.

 After reading Choice Words, I found myself reflecting constantly in the classroom, asking myself the same questions over and over. This year, I've created a little list of questions to keep in mind this year. 

What are my habits as a classroom teacher?
Which of those are good habits? Which are not?
Do I have habits in the ways in which I talk to students?
Do I have habits in the ways I set up the room?
Do I have habits that work?
Do I have habits that give students the wrong messages about learning?
Do I have habits I need to rethink?
Why do I do this? Is it something I've always done?
What would happen if I changed this habit?
What triggers this habit?

As someone who has remained a classroom teacher for 27 years, I know how important it is to stay thoughtful and purposeful. The Power of Habit has helped me to see why this is so important as a teacher. Habits matter and I think they do us lots of good. But if I am not aware of them, they can be the thing that keeps me from moving forward as a teacher and from looking at the group of children in front of me. Being aware of the power of habit in the classroom may help me change and grow in ways that better meets the needs of my students. Being aware will help me see those "things I've always done" in a new way and continue to grow and learn as a teacher.