Speed Dating - with BOOKS!

The first time my classes tried speed dating with books was in 2013. It's time for a new blog post!

Before we first started, I found these blog posts to be especially helpful:
Tips for Getting Kids to Do More Choice Reading: Book Speed Dating
          by Erica Beaton (@EricaLeeBeaton)
Building Our To-Read Lists: Book Speed Dating
          by Colby Sharp (@colbysharp)
Book Speed Dating: How I did it and why I'll do it again
         by Leigh Collazo (@MrsReaderPants)

We've usually got some kind of contest or challenge going on for reading at our school library. This month is no different. With the challenge in mind (and the new face lift our library has had), here's how it was set up (and now our teacher-librarians set it up for us!):

There were six tables, with different categories from our "TMS Tower" challenge. Here are the challenges:

We're hoping students will find this fun, fairly easy, and will get them out of any "reading ruts" they may be in currently.

The challenge was explained, students received a page where they can take notes on which books might look appealing (and from which category they come), and we broke into small groups (3-5 depending on the class size) and let students browse for about 3 minutes per table. Then students regrouped and the local library challenge (100 Books before High School) and prizes were announced.

I loved the twist this time with these fun categories. I also loved the incentive to complete the challenge by the end of the year - when you complete it, you get to choose a book to donate to a library in need. Mrs. Fahnoe shared how fortunate we are at our school to have such wonderful books (most in great condition!), and how it'll will be beautiful to see more books going to kids who need them.

Of course, not every child took this seriously. That doesn't mean we're giving up! The plethora of books should be a clue to them that there IS a book for them out there, should they choose to stop and take some time with it...

What Do "Real" Readers Do?

"How can we prove we're reading?"
A common question from students when you are not giving marks in an ELA class and students have to give evidence for their grade at the end of each quarter...

Background...
I began my first version of Genius Hour in 2012 because I was upset with how little my students were reading. Come to think of it, this was probably my first attempt at classwork without a grade attached, too. Instead of requiring a book project for ONE book a quarter (and many being able to get that "A" without actually READING the book), students were now reading what they wanted one day every week, and sharing what they read somehow (their choice). This was the first way I included independent reading DURING class. (It was my 15th year teaching, but only my 2nd year in an ELA classroom - forgive me for not including independent reading prior to this!)

This School Year...
Fast-forward, and my classes have no grades until they provide evidence to me at the end of each quarter why they should have a certain grade. I currently ask students to keep track of what they're reading on the in-class log we pass around each time we read independently in class (15-20 min a day). I take these home at the end of each Thursday and decide who I will have a conference with that Friday. (All other times, I'm reading alongside them.) These conferences could be to ask what they're reading at home (since the log shows they are NOT reading at home), to ask if they could give more book talks (as the log shows they are finishing books and not sharing them), or to ask them to challenge themselves or even a simple, "Have you read ___ yet?" The in-class log has proved to be valuable, and they pass it around (on a clipboard with attached pen) without much distraction each time we read.

They are not fans (yet) of keeping track on their own of what they're reading. They don't see the reasons why. I have provided a log for each student in the past, but it seemed a chore for them to write down what they finished, and what they abandoned. I never had a log when I was a student, and I've read about the negative effects of reading logs, so I don't require them to have one at this point in their lives. These logs were great to help me have conversations with students about what genres they enjoy, or encouraging them to branch out of their comfort zone, but the fact that it was a "chore" and that some students would lie on it was detrimental to the entire independent reading experience. What are our goals? Read MORE. ENJOY reading. That log did not help us reach our goals.

Some students feel fine speaking in front of the class. I record their book talks, add them to our Weebly here, and we're currently practicing giving feedback (that only I used to give) using this form. This feedback gets copied and pasted into the online grade book, so they receive same-day feedback and something to focus on the next time they share.

I ask students to provide evidence to prove that they are reading at least 20 minutes each day outside of class. The in-class log is the only resource we have right now that is a constant for all students. Then there are the students who don't mind giving book talks. My other students want to know what else they can use to prove that they are reading outside of class.

The true question I need to address, however, is this:
     How can students share what they're reading?

If they are sharing the books they love, they'll be proving that they're reading. More importantly, their peers will soon be reading those books. (That is the hope! That is the goal!) It's the great circle that gets them reading more and more. I am excited for students to add more books to their "to read next" lists! (Ahem - like "real" readers do!) So maybe the even BETTER question is...

What do "real" readers do?
     1) Being a "real" reader myself, I keep the books I've read in two places - a Google doc for each year (so I can keep track of my "gaps" - I still don't read "enough" mysteries), and on Goodreads, so I can keep track of what I've read - organized by categories I establish. (I also love Goodreads to keep track of books I WANT to read. My "to read next" list is on Goodreads, accessible from my laptop, iPad, or phone. I ask my students to create "to read next" lists - most are currently on the last pages of student binders.) Goodreads is not an option for many of my students, as they are not all yet 13. I've heard good things about BiblioNasium, and I've just created an account...
     2) As a "real" reader, I also blog about books I love. Sometimes I give a book review, other times a brief synopsis, and still others I blog about what I did as a result of reading the book.
     3) As a teacher / reader, I give myriad book talks, and share book trailers with my students.

Because I want my students to be life-long readers, I'm suggesting these
Options:
Blog (or Paper to post in the room)
     -Book reviews
     -Thoughts or actions after reading a book (reading response options listed below)
     -A letter to the author
Book advertisements
     -Movie clip / book trailer / commercial
     -Poster
     -Book talk (in class, or for announcements)
     -Book blurb right IN the book or ON the book, and put on a "student recommendations" shelf
     -"What I'm reading" - tape a picture of the cover of the book on their locker or on a wall w/their name & picture
Big Idea Notebooks
     -Thanks to Penny Kittle's Book Love, we have these themed notebooks to share our reading.
Reading Response Options
     -These are such fun for me to read, too! Students post these on our bulletin board (unless there's a spoiler...)
BilioNasium (or Goodreads!)
     -I will see what I can do to include this resource into our days.

Bonus:
How can I tie these into gamification? More points for more authentic audience reach, of course! 1st time advertisements get the most XPs (experience points). Too many students sharing about the same book gets old for students. I dabbled in gamification last year, and am willing to try again. I just REALLY want reading to be its own motivation. I know there will be seventh graders who do not love reading, so I'm keeping the gamification route open...

Update 10/31/17 - Here are more ideas from Amy Rasmussen!

Thanks for the push from Sara Wilkie tonight, who shared with me Shaelynn Farnsworth's post on Alice Keeler's blog about "6 Alternatives to Reading Logs..." She's got more ideas here! Thanks to Sara, it was time for me to hit "publish" on this older draft! It doesn't have to be perfect to publish...!

Hacking Silent Reading Time

This school year, I tried four new "hacks" to get my 7th graders to read even MORE. These are in addition to TONS of book talks, reading alongside students, passing around a clipboard each day so students can write in what they're currently reading, and having set non-negotiable times each week for students to read independently for 20 minutes (in my beautiful 80-min. block) at a time.

Here are four types of students I have that do not exhibit habits of readers... yet. I have then listed the hack I've tried. I've experienced success with each one, and that's why it's time to share them with you.

The Great Pretender

She says she reads. At home. Each day in class, she chooses a different book. This book is usually one from my "browsing" shelf - Guinness Book of World Records, The Big Book of Gross Stuff, picture books such as Jumanji... I wouldn't keep these books on my shelves if I thought they were bad books, by any means. But this child exhibits all the habits of a non-reader. She'll try to fool you into thinking she reads. She might go so far as to give a book talk about a book the teacher read last year in class.

Hack:

Get the audio version of books, and download them to the classroom laptops (if you have them). I have six old laptops in our class (and two chargers that work - I rotate which get charged each night). On the top of the laptop, put a picture of the cover of the book. Book talk it, and let students read along while listening. My experience -- every time we read in class, my "Great Pretender" quietly gets a headset, opens iTunes, and is engrossed for 20 minutes.

Forgetful Frances
She's disorganized. She reads at home. (This is evident in the books she knows and her spelling, vocabulary, and grammar.) She doesn't remember to bring her book to class. Ever. She chooses a different book off the shelf almost every day, but then leaves it somewhere in the room and it takes me awhile to find it to put it back where it belongs. She can't find it the next time she wants to read it, so she chooses another book.

Hack:
Check out books you love(d) from your local library. Put a sticky note in them that says, "This book stays in room ___" so students cannot check them out. (I've been burned and had to pay for a book that never returned.) If this type of child is truly disorganized, she will not mind that the books have to stay in the room, because she would forget to bring one home or back to school anyway. Place them on the whiteboard (chalkboard?) shelf or another display. Make sure the covers face out - just like the end caps at the grocery store - make them VISIBLE! Have bookmarks on hand so she can save her spot in the book. My experience -- she's reading one book at school and one at home. In the books pictured below, there are THREE bookmarks (one for each of my three classes) in Fuzzy Mud (thanks for the rec, Sandy!). One bookmark is simply a corner of a piece of notebook paper. Now that I'm returning the book to my library today, students have said they'll check it out of their own library. (I will probably renew this copy, however... Am I an enabler??) I purchased a copy for the class, and it's currently checked out, with a sticky note inside of students who want to read it. 

The Distracted Diva

She only wants to read short, easy books. She starts books, and then abandons them after 20 pages. She'll read half of a graphic novel. She doesn't always bring a book to class. When she does bring a book, it might be one she's read before, or one in which she's had her bookmark on page 15 for a week or two before she abandons it. She likes to whisper and giggle with a friend during silent reading time or simply look anywhere but the pages of her book if her friends are too busy reading.

Hack:

Create an "article of the week" document that is viewable by anyone. Make a shortened, easy-to-remember link to it. Let students read the articles online using a device. My experience -- Our document is tinyurl.com/KirrAoW, and Scott Hazeu helps me add to it. My requirement if students use this source - they must tell us about the article(s) they read when silent reading time is over. Very few students have used this option, but a couple of them have, and that's good enough for me. Frankly, I think they've forgotten about it. I'll remind them of the link and where it is on our class website on Monday.

The Sports Hound

He loves sports. Sports. Sports. He doesn't bring his own book to class. He chooses fiction books from the sports section of our classroom shelves. He pretends to read. He succeeds at this until I decide to observe and then intervene. (I use this easy system, revised from Donalyn Miller's Reading in the Wild.) He's got a bit of the Great Pretender in him, because he sometimes gives a book talk to the class based on the information on the back of the book and the first chapter of the book. If you have a good relationship with him, he'll admit that he reads the first and last paragraph of each chapter. "That's enough to know about the book," he confesses.

Hack:

Use the computer at the front of the room for browsing articles. Have the student mute the volume so if there's an ad or video, it won't disturb the class. This student doesn't have to pretend to read anymore during silent reading time. This may even help him develop a daily practice of reading the news - at home. My experience - he comes in, excited for silent reading, heads to the computer, mutes it, finds his favorite sports site, and reads for the entire 20 minutes.

These children still may not read at home, but I'm going to do my best to be sure they DO read when they're in room 239. If nothing else, they know that developing the habit of reading for a solid block of time undisturbed is important to me.

P.S. This is all done without grades attached. Of course.

Quick Tip #11 - Reluctant Readers

"Picture Books" - NOT!

Hook those reluctant readers with books such as these...

Note: Not all photos from Humans of New York are appropriate for all audiences.

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Quick Tip #7 - Reluctant Readers

Books with funny titles...

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Quick Tip #1 - Reluctant Readers

I am starting a new vlog series - quick tips - that I want to remember in the future!

These will be ideas that have worked in my classroom, and ones I don't want to forget. I won't worry about extra noises in the background, what I wear, if my hairs are all in place, or what I sound like. I am doing these for my teaching. If they happen to benefit you, too - GREAT! I'll label/tag them "Quick Tips" and then what they relate to (reluctant reader, struggling writer, genius hour, ants in the pants, etc.).

So here's my first one - Using a Timer to Help a Reluctant Reader

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