How I Create a Love of Reading In My Classroom

One of the things that I really pride myself on is creating a love of reading in my classroom. This starts on the very first day of school.

First of all, I have a HUGE classroom library. Now, I'm not saying you should go out and spend a bunch of money. There are ways to get books for your kiddos without buying them brand new. Half Price Books gives away boxes and boxes of books to teachers... just go in and ask. Donorschoose.org is my favorite option! If you don't have one, check it out! Garage sales, library sales, and thrift shops are some more options. Personally, I buy a lot on Scholastic, earn points, then get more books with my points! When the kiddos come in and see my library on the first day, they can't wait to check it out! I have a large variety and set out lots of different ones on display. I make sure that I have the graphic novels front and center, and I set out some non-fiction for those hard to reach friends. They tend to gravitate toward the animal or sports books.

Next, I talk about reading AS A FUN ACTIVITY! I talk about how much I love to read and I say word for word .... "if reading is not fun, you are reading the wrong book. Reading should not be boring". I also tell them that if they hate to read, that my goal this year is to find at least one book that they LIKE. This usually sparks their attention. Some even take it as a challenge! This year, one of my students (on the third day) told me "well Mrs. Falk, you already beat the challenge, I like this book". This comment made my day.

Another key of reading in my classroom is I let them read for enjoyment. During silent reading I may have them do a small jot but, I let them read for fun. I don't give them assignments. I do check in with them for CAFE but, we make those conversations - not assignments.

Read alouds are also part of my day. I am currently reading Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix (my absolute FAVORITE book!) This really hooks the kids and makes them realize that books can be really cool. With my read alouds..... gasp...... I don't have them do any work. I know. Crazy. They just listen and then we discuss. I hit the standards but, it is as a conversation. I might even have them chat with each other on Google Classroom. Reading (in my opinion) shouldn't feel too much like a chore or an assignment to just "get through". 

My kiddos leave at the end of the year as readers! I promise! Even if they came in thinking it was the WORST, they leave having enjoyed books during fourth grade. If you want more details on any of the things I talked about... shoot me a comment and I will blog about specifics.

Happy Saturday!!

How I NEVER take work home!

So I wanted to get on my favorite soap box today! People ask me all the time: "how do you not grade at home?, how do you never have piles of stuff to grade?, what do you do with all the papers? how do you get grades?" I am here to answer these questions! First off, I NEVER take anything home with me. My first year teaching I remember spreading tons of papers on the floor and grading for hours. Nope. Not anymore.

How do I do this? Well, first of all, I limit the actual worksheets that I give the kiddos. There are so many options for formative assessment where I can simply walk around and jot their grade on paper, in my grade book, etc. For example, if the kids are working on a math concept, I can have them hold up whiteboards and instantly see who's "got it" and who doesn't. I also use a lot of exit tickets where they only answer a few questions. Sometimes, I even grade these right in front of them, circle the ones they got wrong and then they go back and correct. This process takes about 10 minutes to get through the whole class and voila! grades for the that are done if you jot them down as you go. Sometimes I use the workbook pages but, who says they have to do the whole page? I choose a few key problems to show their skills and then I only grade those. BAM! Time cut in half and the students aren't sitting there all day doing a workbook page. So, in short, make your formative assessments nice and... short.

Another key to my grading process.... this one is top secret.... I.... throw..... things..... away. Sometimes, I can give grades based on what I see in class and anecdotal notes. I do NOT need to grade a math page every. single. stinking. day. That is crazy. If I don't grade it in at least 2 days, it gets thrown out. Formative assessments are supposed to be used to inform your instruction. If you don't grade quickly, you cannot possibly be using that to inform your practice. So, if it doesn't get graded right away, it doesn't get graded at all.

Lastly, homework. I do not grade homework. I check for completion and look at one or two questions to make sure they didn't write "booger" for every answer. This saves a ton of time and I cannot imagine sitting and grading homework every day. In my opinion, I could be doing much more amazing things for my students with that time.

That's it. The end. Now, go spend your time not grading!