This week we are assembling digests of some of the prominent themes across the last ten months of blogging. Over the next three days, we will look at three aspects of independent reading: volume, text choice/type, and nurturing passion. We hope that, for those of you who haven’t been with us from the beginning of this blog, this series of digests gives you a broad sense of the way we think about literacy instruction in general and the Common Core in particular.
Yoga, Piano Lessons, and Culinary Skills
This post puts reading practice into an analogous context, yoga, and explores the relationship between practice and improvement. How do you get better at yoga or piano if you never practice? While educators need to be relentless about asking how much are kids actually reading, we have to remember that we don’t get better at anything (and we have no hope of becoming independent and proficient) unless we practice!
Does it really say that?
Beware of what you think the CC says! There are a number of places in the Common Core State Standards proper and in supporting documents that articulate that practice is critical to achieving the goals laid out by the standards.
The following blog series connects to Malcolm Gladwell and his references to the 10,000 hour rule. These posts begin to look at the standards themselves and they point out places where the CCSS do and don’t honor practice. These posts generally conclude that the authors of the standards probably should have been a bit more explicit but most certainly did imply that reading volume/a lot is important.
How Does the Common Core Honor Practice? (Part 1)
How Do the Common Core Reading Standards Honor Practice? (Part 2)
How Do the Common Core Reading Standards Honor Practice? (Part 3)
The Balance Between Literary and Informational Text: Is it Enough?
While this starts out as a post about reading diet and ensuring that students read a balance of literary and informational text, it is really about reading volume. The big idea: How much time are kids actually reading?
Anchor Standard 10 Begs Another Question: What Does it Mean to Read “Independently and Proficiently?” (Part 1)
This blog offers tips for making sure that students reach the goal of reading volume and thereby the loftier goals of independence and proficiency.
How interesting!
My February 1st blog was about “volume of reading” after hearing Lucy Calkins in Chicago found here. http://franmcveigh.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/volume-of-reading-how-much-is-enough/ And as Richard Allington said in the March, 2012 Ed. Leadership article “Every Day, Every Child” – there are six research-based practices that cost $0 to implement! They all involve MORE reading!
It’s time for teachers to find the books that will encourage students to read! Literally, “getting hooked on reading” is one HUGE goal!
Thanks for weighing in Fran! More reading does seem a simple solution to our reading problems, doesn’t it?