Blog 3 - No More Independent Reading Without Support

Continuing Section 2 - In the last part of this section, the authors sum up a lot of what we have already learned in this course. Teachers need to conference with their students and provide instruction based on their observations in a variety of methods. whole groups, small groups, pairs, and one-on-one. Also, something that Miller and Moss talk about to an extent is classroom libraries and varieties of text. Actually they support Fountas and Pinell's claim that a classroom library should have "between 300 and 600 titles."  Wow! Miller and Moss also speak the level of texts that students should be reading during IR time. They note that may independent texts are not the best. That actually students may benefit more from more difficult texts. Finally, the authors examine the idea that this cannot be done without the proper tools and support. Students needs incentive programs in order to want to strive to make progress and read more. They also need a variety of text to choose from. However, the key lies within the teachers. Teachers need ongoing professional development in order to continue to help their students. 

Not being a classroom teacher, I do not know the struggle of stocking a classroom library, but I do know that our literacy coach has worked really hard to get materials   for our teachers to use and stock their libraries with. So, this is something that other people are taking note of as well. I also truly enjoyed the notion that not all instruction has to come in whole group. This is something that I think general education teachers have gotten hung up on with the mandated 90 minute ELA block. They feel that they have to teach that mini lesson to the whole group, and they also feel that workshop needs to take place in the same manner and structure every day. I have worked closely with Marilyn Friend over the course of the past two years, and she states that for students with learning disabilities, this cannot be the case. I would think that this would be the same for a heterogeneous group of students regardless. So, it was nice to see some validation in that. We need to be more flexible during that 90 minute block and our teaching methods so that we can reach every student every day!

Blog 2 - No More Independent Reading Without Support

Section 2 - In this section of the text the authors begin to expand on their theory. If you recall the first section was titled "Not This," and the authors explained the issues surrounding independent reading time in most elementary school settings. This section is titled "Why Not? What Works?," and here the authors begin to delve into their rationale about how to make independent reading work and make it purposeful. Here, Miller & Moss make their case for why Independent Reading should become Scaffolded Silent Reading (ScSR). With ScSR, students are supported in their independent reading, they are still allowed to select their text, and read on their own at their own pace, but with support. There is a chart in the text that, in my opinion, outlines this process very well. It states that teachers should support student book selection, so that students find "just right"  books. Also, not only should a variety of genres be represented for each level, but students should be encourage to select different genres by using a "genre wheel" to help them decide.teachers should also conference with students and hold them accountable for what they are reading by asking questions and creating discussions that aide them in their independent reading.

As a special education teacher, I have always been focused on the "can they read?" aspect of student's reading. However, one comment that the authors made, made me realize that  should also be fostering a love of reading. Miller & Moss stated that, "the best readers read the most, and the poorest readers read the least." That one statement made me think that not only should I be focusing on whether or not my students can read, but do they want to read? If they don't want to read when they leave my classroom, what good have I done? They need to be reading both inside of school and outside of school in order to become a successful reader. This section not only made me think about what I should be teaching, but how. So, I guess Miller and Moss have made a believer out of me so far!

Blog 1 - No More Independent Reading Without Support

I chose to read, No More Independent Reading Without Support, by Debbie Miller, and Barbara Moss. 

Chapter 1: This is actually an entire section entitled "Not This." The chapter/section focuses on how independent reading is necessary, yet not utilized effectively in most schools. The authors examine the time constraints that most teachers fear when they try to implement independent reading time. The authors then elude to the issues of wasted time in schools altogether. The examine a specific school and their use of things like "calendar time," "morning announcements," "noisy transitions," and "DEAR time." While the incidents were specific to one school we all know that activities like this take place in manner of fashion in all schools. By merely examining these issues, one can only assume that Miller and Moss plan to offer solutions to these situations, and in turn state that there is indeed time for independent reading in classrooms. 

I have, of course, not yet finished the book. However, it seems like a promising read. I can only hope that Miller and Moss continue their examination of misused time in schools, and that they enlighten us on how to change things. I think most of us know that independent reading time is important in order to foster a love of reading in children. Now, we just need to know how to execute it!