Reading over thanksgiving break
While teaching comprehension skills, fluency, word work, and reader response is important, what I really want is for my students to choose to read outside of school.
In his recent video, teacher and literacy leader Colby Sharp explains how he helps students plan for their vacation reading. He views breaks during the school year as opportunities to set students up for reading independently during their longest break: summer. Check out his video here.
My Plans for Supporting Students with Thankgiving Vacation Reading
Attend a book tasting at our school library!
A few weeks ago, our Library Media Specialist, Maria, sent out an email inviting teachers to come to the library for a book tasting. I enthusiastically accepted! If you have never facilitated book tastings, they are fantastic ways to build excitement around reading and book selection! Basically you set the room up to resemble a cafe complete with table cloths, table numbers, place settings and battery operated candles. Each table displays a “course” of books! Students preview the books on each table and record titles on their “To be read” (TBR) list in their reading notebook. After moving from table to table, they select their top choices to check out of the library. Sometimes more than one person wants the same book, in that case we do the old “pick a number between one and ten trick” or some other fair way to decide who gets to read the book first.
Library set for a book tasting
Listen to podcasts that recommend books
“Book Club for Kids” with Kitty Felde and “Kid Lit Love” by Stephanie Affinito are two of my favorites. Students can listen to podcasts on their Chromebooks and record titles on their TBR.
Include audio options: podcasts and audiobooks
My fifth graders and I are gearing up to start our class podcast (a unit I created and love teaching- more to follow). A huge part of that process is immersion. We have been listening to the compelling series, Six Minutes by Gen- Z Radio all year and are now exploring other types of podcasts such as The Show about Science and Greeking Out by National Geographic. I will encourage students to include podcasts to their list of texts to “read” over the break.
I will also encourage them to listen to audiobooks (especially if they have a car ride planned) and invite their families to listen with them. We’ll take a look at SORA and see what is available to borrow.
Facilitate student planning
My students and I will engage in whole class and small group discussions where we plan what and when we will read this break. As Colby suggests, we’ll discuss our goals and possible challenges we anticipate. Students will meet with their reading partners (for added buy-in and accountability) and record their plans on a Google Doc (see my plan below).
My vacation reading plan for next week
Celebrate
When we return from break, we’ll share and celebrate (I am thinking of a little post-vacation treat.. Something like a writing celebration perhaps). And we’ll recommend, or “book talk”, books we really enjoyed.
As Colby states in his video: “The goal of all learning is independence.” Becoming an avid reader has made a profound impact on my life. My deepest desire is to share that gift with students. Our first school break is a great opportunity to start!
