The Book Whisperer

It is almost time for the holiday break and my class is antsy. Getting out only four days before Christmas, my students are in a frenzied state of holiday excitement which cannot be contained by a squadron of teachers- especially this tired one! They could not settle in to read today- a first!

Determined to engage in some sort of literacy event, I steered my chatty sixth graders into a conversation about the book exchange that will take place as part of our Winter Holiday party this Friday. Each child has been asked to bring in a gently-used book that they would like to trade with a classmate. The hardest part it seems is deciding which book to bring in for the swap. One girl told me that she wanted to share Heidi with the girls that had not read it, but she did not want to give up her beloved copy! Another student asked, "If I bring in three books, will I get three books from the swap?" (No.) I have some students that do not have many books at home, so I encouraged them to look through the stack of books that I have winnowed out of the class library (due to lack of space) and select one to share.

The book swap discussion led us to talk about the books we have enjoyed lately that we could recommend. Anyone who reads this blog knows that I think students should run the reading show, and when recommending what books to read, CNN agrees, check out their recent article, “Kids are the Experts in Reviewing Children’s Books”. Everyone began shouting out titles (I told you they were rowdy!). One student circulated a piece of notebook paper to record the list, and we continued to talk. Three pages of suggestions and several in-depth discussions later (including a debate about whether or not boys are less open-minded about the books they choose than girls), we were fired up about reading again.

You might have predicted that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and The Golden Compass would make this year's hot read list, but investigate some of these new, old, and classic books- here is a baker’s dozen of the top picks from Room 1217.

Peak by Roland Smith

The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney (This one is out of print, but used copies are available.)

Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Uglies (the whole series) by Scott Westerfeld

Midnighters (the whole series) by Scott Westerfeld (Hey Scott, can we get a fourth book here? You left Jessica, and all of us, hanging...)

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

The Last Dog on Earth by Daniel Ehrenhaft

The Lightning Thief (the whole series) by Rick Riordan

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpugo

Tangerine by Edward Bloor

I am reminded again and again that my students want to talk about the books they are reading, share their love of books, and make recommendations to other readers. Their comments, spontaneously and freely given, do more to promote reading in my classroom than any book report could ever do.

**If you would like to swap out your own books, there are many websites which provide book swap services such as Book Mooch and PaperBackSwap.

Posted by Donalyn Miller at 9:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Amazon has released its e-reader, the Kindle, the NEA has released its report, “To Read or Not to Read”, and the Internet is flooded with debate about what creates 21st century readers and the role that technology will play in redefining literacy. Former IRA president, Timothy Shanahan, makes a case for school reform when he claims that reading has become a “duty” for students rather than a joy. Daniel Henniger, of Opinion Journal, comments on the possible impact of Kindle, asking, “Does Reading Matter?", and countless bloggers and teachers have jumped into the fray to describe their own reading experiences and suggest methods to improve reading instruction and inspire children to read more.

While questioning whether Internet reading even counts as reading (talk to the NEA), I scrolled through countless articles this week, looking for answers. As usual, the voices that often tell me what motivates students to read are absent from the debate. Adults seem to ask all of the questions and look for all of the answers in a closed system that seems to have no place for the opinions of children about what makes them readers. We know what is best for children, and they can get on board because reading is good for them.

When I was a youngster, I always did what adults told me to do because “they knew what was best.” Right…

Innumerable postings proclaim that we should give our students “more choice” about what they should read. I agree that giving students the opportunity to choose their own reading material is a powerful motivator, but let’s talk about how that choice is really played out in reading classrooms.

You can read anything you want as long as it is:

at your Lexile level

there is an AR test for it

on the school reading list

not something you have read before

at least 200 pages long

a book, not a graphic novel or magazine,

and

of literary value (determined by the teacher, of course)

What do you mean you don’t like it? You chose that book; now you have to finish it.

Oh, and here’s a Ziploc bag for you to keep your “self-selected” book in because we all know you cannot take care of it.

Readers provided with this “controlled choice” frequently take the only real choice they have left. They choose not to read!

Students should be taught how to be the agents of their own literary lives, and they need validation for the reading choices they do make. Hidden under the excuses of “not enough time” and “I cannot find anything to read I like”, my students tell me that years of mindless worksheet drills and whole class novels make them hate reading.

We could probably cut down on the outrageous amount of TV watching Americans do these days if we required comprehension checks at the end of every program.

I do not need to read research on best practices in reading instruction (although I do) to understand the reading crisis. All I need to remember is my Psych 101 course. The teacher-driven way reading is often taught is classic operant conditioning, zapping students with a shock every time they pick up a book. After twelve or more years of such punishment, why would anyone ever pick up a book again?

Posted by Donalyn Miller at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)