Karen is one of my more able middle school readers, however she is often unengaged in reading a book during the Monitored Reading (independent reading time) in our language arts period. One day in the hall before class, she asks
“Book Bag Browsing” … a classroom library exploration activity
Bookbag Browsing
Individual survey on strategies to choose a book
choosing a book personal survey I begin by asking my language arts class to journal about, “What do you do during SSR?” (our in-class Self-Selected Reading time) Many of the brief written responses are expected — they read, talk quietly
Survey a class on book choice strategies
choosing a book class survey 1 “I want monitored reading to work, but it feels like I can’t conference with many students… too many of them are not settling during our self-selected reading time; in fact it seems like they
Learning how students choose a book
HOW TO CHOOSE A BOOK Whispering, rustling. My “teacher ears” perk up. While conferencing about a self-selected reading book with one student, my eyes scan the rest of the class for the source. Initially all seems well and I refocus