We started our reading year with the question "Why Read?" Once we established the motivation to read, we worked hard to build our reading community.
What We Do
We get excited about books in our classroom. Together we explore our classroom library, chat about books, make recommendations, and create "Books to Read" lists. We pass our favorite books around the classroom, and hold lotteries for the most highly sought after titles. We watch live webcasts and get books signed by our favorite authors.
This year in our classroom each one of is striving to read at least 40 books spanning different genres including realistic fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, traditional literature, poetry, informational texts, biographies, graphic novels, and picture books. We choose our own books and keep careful records of books read. We check in often to reflect and set goals.
We are reading tons! More than many of us dreamed possible! Our genre bar graphs are filling up quickly. We are choosing more complex texts and digging deeper than ever! We are well on our way to becoming the best readers we can be and life-long lovers of reading!
Recent Reads and Classroom Favorites:
Over the past few years, I have read several books which helped shape our Reading Workshop. I have been so inspired by these teachers' passion for teaching reading. Much of what we are doing in the classroom is based on their practices. I am so grateful to have stumbled upon these amazing teachers and their inspirational books!