In Love with Reading

So I may just be becoming a Book Whisperer! I can't believe how many of my boys are hooked on reading already, and in fact it was boy who was the first to ask to read to the class this year. I've discovered that the "new" books that I've been carefully placing on the shelf beside my rocking chair are much much more a commodity to my students than all the other books in the bins. Interesting. The students are begging to take them off the shelf. I'm so excited to have a classroom full of eager readers! The second amazing resource I have been reading this summer is "The Book Whisperer".  If you love reading or perhaps have fallen out of love for reading due to the hectic demands of a 
Educator's the pages within will renew your passion for reading. Donalyn Miller provides a variety of strategies to hook your students on reading, and to keep them reading with purpose.  She talks about the importance of knowing your students' interests, leading them to great books, and being transparent in a way that allows students to see your love for the magic that books can bring to a person's life. I want to develop "reading relationships" with my students where talking about books is a vital part of my classroom community. Donalyn states that "Reading is not an add-on to the class. It is the cornerstone. The books we are reading and what we notice and wonder about out books feeds all of the instruction and learning in the class." What a wonderful philosophy. To get started in knowing my students as readers I will be giving them this Reading Survey. The first part of September I will spend sharing my Readers Notebook, introducing the genres in our classroom library, how the library is organized, and how to choose books. If you have read the excellent resource "Guiding Readers and Writers" By Fountas and Pinnell "The Book Whisperer" is a perfect addition to the strategies and structures described in it. After discovering the characteristics of each genre the students will then be given the 40 Book Challenge! I've got to get going with my Readers Notebook! I may just start it with my students! Here we are so far! I should still add cooking and knitting books to my Informational section! Funny how you don't realize the amount you read until you begin reflecting in a Readers Notebook.