Reading Matters...
4/1/2018
Research and experience continually affirm this important truth: the more students read, the more they succeed. Reading regularly, for pleasure, is positively correlated with most of the metrics for success we know: mature and varied vocabulary; writing skill; content and cultural knowledge; moral compass; perseverance and “grit;” college and career readiness; even success on standardized tests. (See the infographic below.) Reading literature of all kinds has deeper benefits than these for our maturing students: by entering a character’s world they practice facing difficult situations and challenges and can begin to safely work out for themselves who they are and how they would respond. Moral dilemmas and conundrums; tough relationships with friends and family; the highs and lows of adolescence; all these crop up on every page. As our students read daily, respond creatively and thoughtfully, and discuss their reading with each other, they sort out their own feelings and ideas and take those steps closer to independence. While we will spend class time reading for a wide variety of purposes, especially informational text, it’s important that students are taking time each day to read novels: building stamina, fluency, and vocabulary as they read ever more complex literature. This means that students are expected to read novels outside of class for 20-30 minutes daily, at least 5 times a week. This might happen right after school; in the car on the way to practice; at night before going to sleep; or even in the morning during breakfast. These past couple of weeks students have begun to record their outside-the-class reading in our Reading Status of the Class. This accountability helps them make sure that they are making reading a priority in their day. Each week they are also asked to respond to their reading: in conversations with peers; in informal reading letter in Google Classroom; and this week, through their choice of creative response. Creating these responses pushes students to think more deeply about what they’ve read and exposes them to others’ thinking and ideas. Students must think about their own reading processes, uncover confusion, and clarify understanding. Here are a few tidbits from last week’s responses… "Once I read the first half again, I felt as though the story was moving very, very slowly. Eventually I gave up the book, because although the plot was interesting, the characters were not, in my opinion, and they acted stereotypical.” "This book surprised me greatly by how the author played with the words with such an abstract and creative style. Most books I don’t have to think much on what the author means in their phrasing, but with Mafi’s book I had to take multiple looks to truly understand her voice.” "Of course reading it was a little sad because when I read a book or series the main character is the center of the story, so it is hard to process what is going to happen next now that they're gone” "I wish the author had written the book with more likable characters. You can tell that the author didn't really like the characters either. If I don't start actually enjoying this book soon, I think I'll quit.” "It was one of those books that you can never put down and you just need to devour it as fast as you can.” “...I like these quotes because I think they really show what Meredith is feeling. And after these messages from her grandmother, I can really see Meredith start to, I guess I could say, mature. I personally really enjoy this book and would recommend it." As you can see, our students are discerning and demanding readers! What are you reading these days!?
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Sarah Mariner
Ms. Mariner earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science from Colorado State University, and was awarded a teaching certificate through the University of Alaska, Southeast. Her varied background includes being an environmental education field instructor in Massachusetts, Colorado, and Baja, Mexico. She also served two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Archives
April 2021
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