I wish I’d learned earlier in my career how to show students that reading is fun, (0:05) instead of simply trying to convince them that reading is fun by making them read the books I (0:11) chose or the district chose for them. So many missed opportunities, so many students I wish (0:17) that I could go back and have a redo with. Hi there, I’m Carolyn Wall, your host of the (0:27) Middle School Cafe podcast, a podcast specifically for secondary ELA teachers (0:33) looking to close the achievement gap.
I’m a 20-year veteran teacher who still loves being (0:38) in the classroom. Tune in each week as I reflect on my own teaching experience to bring you lesson (0:43) plans, strategies, and stories that will help you develop your students as readers and writers. (0:50) So grab your notepad, a cup of coffee, and join me each week as we dive into all things ELA.
(0:56) Here we go. You are listening to episode number two of the Middle School Cafe podcast, (1:06) a podcast specifically for secondary ELA teachers. In today’s episode, we will be discussing how to (1:13) create a culture of reading in your classroom, where reading is something students look forward (1:17) to.
If you’ve been an ELA teacher for any length of time, you know that reading is something that (1:23) some students love and others hate. I have spent way too much time in my career trying to convince (1:29) students that reading is fun and entertaining only for them to groan every time we read in class. (1:36) Can you relate? Do you have those students? I wish I’d learned earlier in my career how to (1:43) show students that reading is fun, instead of simply trying to convince them that reading (1:49) is fun by making them read the books I chose or the district chose for them.
So many missed (1:55) opportunities. So many students I wish that I could go back and have a redo with. When I first (2:01) began with Reader’s Workshop, I was lucky enough to work in a building that valued reading.
(2:07) Every teacher and staff member shared their reading life with students. Many teachers had (2:12) signs outside their doors stating what they were currently reading or had a list of books that (2:17) they’d hope to read next. Even our principal and other non-classroom professionals shared their (2:23) books with students.
What I loved about this is that it showed students that reading wasn’t just (2:28) something we do in English class. It’s something that all people do. I also loved that students saw (2:36) the variety of books that teachers loved.
My typical go-to is fantasy, but other teachers (2:42) shared how they loved realistic fiction, mystery, and even scary horror stories. Even though students (2:48) didn’t physically see the teachers reading, they saw a glimpse of an adult’s reading life (2:53) outside of the English class. They saw the value adults put on reading when they weren’t forced (2:59) to do it.
That they chose to spend their time reading when they could have been doing something (3:03) else. So what if you don’t work in a building that places this much value in reading? Well, I get it. (3:11) That was the only building I’ve ever worked in that placed that much value on reading and really (3:15) created a whole school culture of reading.
I’m grateful for that experience because it taught me (3:22) how to create a culture of reading in my own class. Today, I’ll share a few things that I do to (3:27) foster a classroom that values reading. First is the classroom library.
Even if you have a great (3:35) school library, I would encourage you to have a well-stocked classroom library. When students have (3:41) immediate access to books, when they can reach out and touch them, look at them, pick them up, (3:48) read them in real time, they will read more. I can remember early in my career getting a bunch (3:54) of books from a retired teacher and I was so excited because I only had a handful of books (3:59) in my own library.
I took great care to separate the books into the genres and make my classroom (4:04) library visually appealing. The problem was is that no one wanted to read the books that I’d added. (4:11) They were old and outdated and really just took up space on the shelf.
At the end of the year, (4:17) I had several students go through the books and pull the ones they thought we should get rid of. (4:22) When I went through their stack, it really was books that I had read when I was in school. (4:27) The books were definitely outdated and they had to go.
I learned from that experience that it’s (4:33) better to have a small quality library than a large library. If you’re just starting out, don’t (4:40) go out and spend hundreds of dollars on the classroom library, but begin with your first (4:44) year by building a quality library of books that students want to read. Ask your students for (4:49) suggestions.
Take a look at what they’re checking out when they go to the library. (4:54) If you’re not sure how to go about stocking your library shelves without breaking the bank, (4:59) I’ll link to a blog post in the show notes that will give you some ideas on where you can go (5:03) and who you could possibly get some assistance from. Another thing that I do that you’ll hear (5:09) many times from me is choice reading.
Allowing students to choose the books they read is so (5:14) critical to getting buy-in from students that reading is fun. The first unit of the year is (5:19) always a free choice unit. Students can choose any book in the library to read.
Some of my more (5:27) reluctant readers choose to read a book that they’ve already read or a graphic novel because (5:32) it’s perceived to be easier, and that’s okay with me. Some choose to pick a nonfiction book about (5:38) space or cars or other things they’re interested in because it has lots of pictures. That’s okay (5:44) with me too.
My only quote-unquote rule is that they choose a book they’re interested in that they (5:51) want to read. If I have a student that struggles to pick out a book, I will bookshop with them. (5:57) I will ask them about their hobbies, what they’ve read before, and then I might take them to the (6:02) bookshelf to collect a few books, have them sit down, and look through them.
Sometimes it’s easier (6:08) for students to pick from a few choices rather than the entire library. I never pick the book (6:14) for them. It’s always their choice, but sometimes they need help narrowing down the choices.
(6:20) If they’re still struggling after looking through the books, I might have a library aid suggest a (6:25) few books or see if there’s a book they want to read that’s the same as their friend. Some students (6:31) will continue to resist even when provided options, but don’t be tempted to pick the book for the (6:36) student. Tell them to pick one or two books to try.
If they don’t like the book, they can return it and (6:42) pick a new one. Just knowing that they can return a book if they don’t like it is sometimes enough (6:47) to relieve the pressure of picking a book. Book talks are another great way to show students the (6:53) value in reading.
I’m sure many of you already do this in your class. A book talk is just a short (6:58) introduction to a book. Usually you have the book in your hand or pass the book around as you (7:03) talk a little bit about it, like a mini commercial to get students interested in the book.
(7:08) It’s a great way to help students build their to-be-read list for future library visits. (7:13) One thing I took away from me from that school that I talked about earlier is that students (7:18) shouldn’t just hear about books from me. You’re probably thinking, right, they could hear about (7:23) books from their parents or siblings or friends or other people, but have you ever invited other (7:29) adults from your school into your classroom to share a book they love? Getting students to see (7:34) that reading is not a chore to be done in English class, but something that lots of people do for fun (7:39) can begin to change your students’ mindset about reading.
Try asking your principal, school (7:45) secretary, or lunchroom worker to come in and share about a book they love and watch how your students (7:51) begin to see reading in a different light. One year, I had a group of boys that thought reading was (7:56) useless. After all, they were going to grow up and be star basketball players, which, hey, I’m here to (8:03) support that too.
I never discourage students who want to be star athletes. I mean, who am I to say (8:08) if they are going to be in the NBA or not, but they still need to learn how to read. The boys tried to (8:14) convince me that they didn’t need reading.
It wasn’t going to be important for their future (8:18) careers as basketball players. They just needed to learn how to play basketball and then spend all (8:23) their free time practicing. So I asked the one person I was sure that they would listen to, to (8:29) come in and do a book talk.
When the PE teacher, their basketball coach, came in to give a book talk, (8:37) those boys’ jaws dropped to the floor. I don’t think they ever thought about their PE teacher (8:44) choosing to read when he could be playing a sport. That PE teacher slash coach did an amazing job of (8:51) inspiring those boys that reading is fun.
He spent 15 minutes with us, which was more time than I’d (8:58) asked him for, talking about books that he reads to his young son. And then he shared a few books by (9:04) Mike Lupica that he loved. If you’re not familiar with Mike Lupica, he writes books that have a (9:09) sports theme or are centered around a particular sport.
Those boys were hooked. For the next few (9:15) months between my classroom library and the school library, we could not keep Mike Lupica books on (9:20) the shelf. His impact on my class was huge and I was so grateful.
Similar to book talks is First (9:28) Chapter Fridays, which is another great way to expose your students to the many different books (9:32) that are out there. Some students don’t know what books to pick out because they don’t know what’s (9:37) available. A First Chapter Day is a great way to expose your students to a variety of genres, (9:43) a variety of topics, and a variety of writing styles.
I say First Chapter Day because the day (9:49) of the week really doesn’t matter. I do my First Chapters on Thursday because that works better for (9:54) our schedule, but the idea is the same. Similar to a book talk, you are sharing books with students, (9:59) but with a First Chapter Day, you are literally reading the first chapter to your students.
(10:05) I know that there are many resources and worksheets out there for students to complete (10:09) during a First Chapter read, but I want my students to simply experience the book. (10:14) Students do lots of work in my class, so I don’t feel bad that this one task per week doesn’t come (10:20) with an assignment. The only thing that I ask students to do is fill out a list in their notebook (10:24) with the title and then they rate it between one and five if it’s a book they think they might want (10:29) to read.
I do this so that when we go to the library, students who don’t know what to check out (10:34) have a place to start. During First Chapter Thursday, if I can find a video of the first (10:39) chapter of the book being read by the author, I like to share that. I think it’s great to expose (10:44) students to different authors, and what better way to do that than to hear the author read their own (10:49) book? I’ll also share the book trailer if I can find it, which is another great way to draw in (10:55) your students.
Students these days are so visual, and a book trailer is intended to show off the (11:00) book. I try to make this time light and fun, something that students look forward to. My next (11:06) piece of advice, and probably the hardest and most controversial thing I do to build a culture of (11:11) reading, is to provide time for reading every day.
I know that this one can be hard, as there are (11:17) many standards that we have to get through and there never seems to be enough time to get through (11:22) all of it. There’s many administrators out there who think that reading in class is a waste of time, (11:28) but this is so important. Just like with anything else, if we value it, we will make time for it.
(11:36) For so many of our students, reading in class is the only opportunity to read. That’s a hard (11:42) pill to swallow when you think about the fact that if we don’t give students opportunities to read, (11:48) they won’t have time to do it. Life is so crazy for some of our students due to life (11:53) circumstances.
They don’t even have time to complete homework, let alone read for enjoyment. (11:58) Time is something I have to provide for my students if I want them to see the value in reading. (12:03) In my class, by the end of the first grading period, my students are typically reading between (12:08) 20 and 30 minutes each day.
You might think that I’m giving up too much instruction time, but as I (12:13) mentioned in the first episode, when students are reading in class, I’m conferencing with them, (12:18) providing individual support to students, or holding a small group to reteach a skill. (12:22) I don’t see this as wasted time or downtime. It’s very structured and all students are actively (12:28) engaged in the task of reading.
Building a culture of reading in your class will help foster a love (12:33) of reading with your students. It lets your students see and feel that reading is important (12:38) and can be fun. It’s not going to happen overnight or by implementing one idea one time, but by (12:44) implementing one of the ideas over several weeks or months, you will begin to see your students’ (12:49) attitude about reading shift from a chore we do in class to something they want to do.
If you were (12:56) to ask me which of these ideas to try first, of course I’m going to say choice reading. But after (13:01) that, or if you’re in a school that requires you to only teach whole class novels, I would say (13:06) invite another staff member into your class to share about a book they love. Anytime students (13:12) can see that reading is not just for English class, it’s a win-win for all of us.
I hope that (13:18) you found at least one idea in today’s episode useful and something that you can try in your own (13:23) class. If you’d like to ask questions or continue the discussion, I’d love to have you over in my (13:28) free Facebook group for secondary ELA teachers. I’ll put a link in the show notes for you.
I’ll (13:35) also link to a collaborative blog post all about creating a culture of reading in your classroom. (13:40) I’d love to know what you do to help build a culture of reading in your own class. Thank you (13:45) for listening to today’s episode.
In episode number three, we will be talking about how to (13:49) get started with Reader’s Workshop with your students. Until next time, have a great week!