Over the past few weeks, I've heard from teachers who are concerned about the reading levels of some of their students. Using data from CBMs and the GMRT, staff members have identified students who are really struggling, and are wondering what they can do to help those students succeed.
According to a meta-analysis done by Guthrie and Humenick (2004), there are a few classroom factors that are most strongly related to success in reading:
Choice in reading material is the second most influential factor related to success in reading. Having an extensive library is a first step, but it isn't enough. Helping kids to choose books at or slightly above their current level is necessary as well. The lack of choice can undermine motivation and achievement. (Pressley et al., 2003; Guthrie, 2004)
Finally, students have to have time to read every day. In Guthrie's (2004) findings, "reading volume predicted reading comprehension." Education researcher Richard Allington (2002) confirms these findings: students in the classrooms of the most effective teachers read ten times as much as students in classrooms of less effective teachers. As Calkins states, "The engine that motors readers' development is the time spent engaged in reading and in talking and writing about that reading."
So, what can you do with the resources you have? First, reflect on your current practices and classroom environment. Do kids have access to books? If not, how often can you get to the library? Ask Corinne Miller for a copy of Fountas and Pinnell's Leveled Book List so that you can help match kids to texts. You could also create a Donor's Choose project to add books (and other supplies) to your classroom library at no cost to you or the school district. BetterWorldBooks.com is another source for inexpensive books to add to your library - and every book purchase you make, they'll donate a book to a high need community.
What about your current classroom structure? The workshop model allows for students to choose texts to read, and the structure and routine of workshop provide plenty of time to read everyday. Our very own South Dakota Teacher of the Year, Katie Anderson, runs an outstanding reading workshop during her 6th grade reading class if you're looking for an example of workshop in action.
Resources:
Allington, Richard. 2002. "You Can't Learn Much from Books You Can't Read." What Really Matters for Struggling Readers: Designing Research Based Programs. 2d ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Calkins, Lucy, Mary Ehrenworth, and Christopher Lehman. 2012. Pathways to the Common Core: Accelarting Achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Guthrie, John T., and Nicole Humenick M. 2004. "Motivating Students to Read: Evidence for Classroom Practices That Increase Reading Motivation and Achievement." In The Voice of Evidence in Reading Research, edited by Peggy McCardle and Vinita Chhabra, 329-54. Baltimore: Brookes Publishing
Pressley, Michael, Sara E. Dolezal Kersey, Lisa Raphael Bogaert, Lindsey Mohan, Alysia D. Roehrig, and Kristen Warzon. 2003. Motivating Primary-Grade Students. New York: Guilford Press.
According to a meta-analysis done by Guthrie and Humenick (2004), there are a few classroom factors that are most strongly related to success in reading:
- Access to high-interest texts
- Choice in reading material
- Time to read
Choice in reading material is the second most influential factor related to success in reading. Having an extensive library is a first step, but it isn't enough. Helping kids to choose books at or slightly above their current level is necessary as well. The lack of choice can undermine motivation and achievement. (Pressley et al., 2003; Guthrie, 2004)
Finally, students have to have time to read every day. In Guthrie's (2004) findings, "reading volume predicted reading comprehension." Education researcher Richard Allington (2002) confirms these findings: students in the classrooms of the most effective teachers read ten times as much as students in classrooms of less effective teachers. As Calkins states, "The engine that motors readers' development is the time spent engaged in reading and in talking and writing about that reading."
So, what can you do with the resources you have? First, reflect on your current practices and classroom environment. Do kids have access to books? If not, how often can you get to the library? Ask Corinne Miller for a copy of Fountas and Pinnell's Leveled Book List so that you can help match kids to texts. You could also create a Donor's Choose project to add books (and other supplies) to your classroom library at no cost to you or the school district. BetterWorldBooks.com is another source for inexpensive books to add to your library - and every book purchase you make, they'll donate a book to a high need community.
What about your current classroom structure? The workshop model allows for students to choose texts to read, and the structure and routine of workshop provide plenty of time to read everyday. Our very own South Dakota Teacher of the Year, Katie Anderson, runs an outstanding reading workshop during her 6th grade reading class if you're looking for an example of workshop in action.
Resources:
Allington, Richard. 2002. "You Can't Learn Much from Books You Can't Read." What Really Matters for Struggling Readers: Designing Research Based Programs. 2d ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Calkins, Lucy, Mary Ehrenworth, and Christopher Lehman. 2012. Pathways to the Common Core: Accelarting Achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Guthrie, John T., and Nicole Humenick M. 2004. "Motivating Students to Read: Evidence for Classroom Practices That Increase Reading Motivation and Achievement." In The Voice of Evidence in Reading Research, edited by Peggy McCardle and Vinita Chhabra, 329-54. Baltimore: Brookes Publishing
Pressley, Michael, Sara E. Dolezal Kersey, Lisa Raphael Bogaert, Lindsey Mohan, Alysia D. Roehrig, and Kristen Warzon. 2003. Motivating Primary-Grade Students. New York: Guilford Press.
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