Here is my new article posted at Middleweb.
It begins with why regular opportunities for students to engage with literature as creative writers are so important. Then I offer my top five strategies for doing so.
Check it out!
Here’s a graphic I drew to show how a whole novel study looks and flows—and to illustrate how I typically integrate creative writing into the structure.
You’ve probably been in a meeting like this: your grade team is looking over recent student achievement data, trying to make sense of it and come up with sensible next steps. Someone notes that many of the students who performed poorly in math also performed poorly in English, and their difficulty with reading is holding them back in understanding math word problems. Social studies and science teachers agree, adding that struggling readers have trouble with the work in their classes as well. For a moment, the meeting seems to be moving in a productive direction.
Naturally, everyone turns toward the English teacher(s) in the room, with eyes that seem to be to saying, “Why haven’t you fixed this?” It gets awkward.
Someone cuts the tension with a comment along the lines of, “This is why we all have to teach reading.”
An administrator nods, “That’s what the PD last June was about.”
Some teachers nod, while others roll their eyes. Everyone has a good reason.
Reading is a skill necessary in pretty much any academic subject, so we all need to teach it. The eye rolls, however, remind us that we can say this all we want, but that doesn’t make it clear how we should go about it, especially when content area teachers are struggling with their own content, pacing calendars, and the same staggering diversity of readers that challenge us in the ELA classroom. And that PD in June? It didn’t help teachers make actionable plans, and it hasn’t been discussed since. I’ve witnessed a version of this cycle in every school I’ve taught in.
No Shortcuts To Better Reading, But A Clear Path Forward
Part of why these conversations never seem to go away is that there are no shortcuts to improving reading skills. Yes, there are techniques that can be taught, but their effectiveness will depend on the individual student’s needs, the reading context, and the teacher’s ability to connect the two. English teachers aren’t just holding onto silver bullets that we can pass on to content area teachers to immediately serve the wide range of readers in the room. And if we had them, we would have already used them ourselves, and the discussion would be moot.
But there is a very real way teachers across subjects can work together to strengthen our readers. According to a large body of research, what actually works is when students spend time reading something of interest (generally of their choosing) in a supportive environment. It makes sense—we get better at the things we spend time doing.
In secondary schools, where English teachers often have just 50-minute periods, we really struggle to provide enough time for our students to read on a daily basis. Perhaps we can devote an average of 20 minutes of our class daily class period to sustained reading. If that’s all that students are reading in an entire day, that’s not enough—especially when students need to catch up on years of not reading enough. Twenty minutes a day is barely treading water.
How We Can Work Together
I think teams of teachers can and should work together to increase the amount of time each student spends during a school day reading productively—by that I mean, reading something interesting (generally of their choosing), in a supportive environment.
The content, the supports, and how they fit into the overall structure of the class are variables, but here are the requirements that will ensure the time you devote will pay off in terms of students’ reading skills.
a) The students genuinely want to read the text. Even if it’s not the exact activity they would choose to do on, say, a Saturday afternoon at home, in that moment, they feel interested. Offering choices is often the best way to tap into intrinsic motivation. Showing interest in the reading materials ourselves also makes an impression. Finally, if the materials connect to the students’ lives and/or to questions they’ve asked in relation to the content of the class, the interest will be higher.
b) There are texts accessible for each student—generally based on reading level but also through the supports offered. In content areas, I strongly suggest ordering class set subscriptions to magazines written for your age group. The offerings here at Scholastic are great with selections appropriate for all ages and subjects. In my ELA classroom, I like to have a class set of NY Times Upfront Magazine, which provides accessible articles on current events. Students run to read them each month.
If cost is prohibitive, see this post for an urgent plea to school leaders to fund books—and other reading materials. Meanwhile, you can always print out a variety of articles from sources like Newsela (with similar content adapted to different reading levels) or NY Times, or any interesting blog posts.
Books can also be used in content areas. A science teacher I know has copies of science-related books, such as The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and The Omnivores Dilemma Young Reader’s Edition, as well as audio recordings for both. At specific points in the year, he introduces a book to the class, and students can opt in to reading it. A social studies teacher I know has a whole library of books, historical and current, fiction and nonfiction, that are relevant to the study of history. She gives students time to read a book of their choosing (as long as it has some connection to a historical topic or theme) three days a week at the start of class.
c) The environment is conducive to reading for pleasure. If students are reading independently, the room is quiet. The teacher has set an expectation that everyone really read. The points above will help make this a feasible request without having to resort to threats to enforce quiet. Other than the requirement of actually reading, this is a low stakes activity. Students should not have to worry about being judged on their reading ability.
There are no required takeaways, no strings attached; no worksheets, reading checks or tests of comprehension. If your classroom or school is so grades-oriented that ten minutes daily of no-strings attached will create a great deal of trouble, try simply entering a participation grade for students for “reading in class.” Let students know you are doing this, and enter those grades in real time—not as a “gotcha,” but to send a message that this practice is as valuable as any other activity in your classroom. Ideally everyone will receive full credit. Do this a few times, and you will probably not have to continue. (Also, check out Starr Sackstein‘s Hacking Assessment for ways to shift your classroom culture away from grades.)
Finally, support students as needed. In some cases, this means helping students choose materials they will find interesting and be able to read independently. In other cases, this means asking a few students to read at a table with you. You can read aloud to them or allow them to volunteer to read portions aloud (no forcing). If some students want to read aloud to one another in pairs, and can manage this with quiet voices, encourage it.
Listening to texts counts—it’s an integral part of learning to read in the first place, so for struggling readers, it’s an especially meaningful support. Allow students to listen to audiobooks. Consider also allowing students to listen to quality podcasts connected to your subject, even if the text is not available for following along.
Adopt the “Reading Do Now” Across Content Areas
In this recent post, I shared my practice of starting class with 10 minutes (sometimes more) of independent reading, and my reasons for doing so. Given the need for students to read at a much higher volume throughout a school day and week, I encourage teams to take this on across content areas. If ELA teachers include reading time daily, and each content area teacher begins class with independent reading time just one day per week, we have almost DOUBLED students’ weekly reading volume. If science and social studies teachers are able to do this twice per week, well, the math works out even better :)
The more comfortable, interesting, and successful reading experiences students have, the more they build the dexterity and confidence they need to confront the challenging texts. An investment of time across subject areas is worth everyone’s while.
What will your team commit to doing?
This piece was first published in my Education Week column, Teaching for the Whole Story.
In my classroom, the distinctions between whole-novel studies and choice-reading cycles have actually become less clear than they once were. I celebrate this, because I think it reflects that reading is happening in an organic, continuous way. This continuity of practice builds strong readers who internalize the habit of reading, carrying it well beyond 8th grade.
One of my goals this year is to share more materials and ideas from my classroom here. Today’s share is a very simple process for looking at one scene in a novel that works really well, allowing stretching students to stretch in their zones of proximal development. Equally nice is that they are fun to read.
This post was originally published on my Education Week blog, Teaching For the Whole Story.
In a recent post, I discussed the debate around whether to teach whole-class novels. In the field, this conversation can get quite polarized.
Many prominent educators make strong arguments for abandoning the practice of whole-class novel studies completely. Their criticisms of whole class novels are convincing, yet their conclusions are narrow. In some circles, the practice has reached taboo status, to the point that some teachers feel worried about sharing their views if they don't align completely. I find this worrisome; professional debate is important and teaching is complex and nuanced. Though I have strong views about pedagogy myself, I recognize there are multiple ways to teach effectively.
On the other side, teachers defend the value of whole-class novels studies, but many do so without seriously addressing the criticisms coming from advocates of choice reading. This feeds the polarization of the debate by playing into a stereotype of defenders of whole-class novels simply being attached to old-school educational models, sticking to what they know, rather than trying new things.
Of course, many would also agree with me that we shouldn't be limited to this either/or scenario, and that as a profession we can do better than a decades old stalemate. I believe we must revolutionize, not drop, the whole class novel.
The five strategies below are steps toward that end. Trying any number of these will have a posi-ive impact on teaching and learning, but I should add that they are meant to work together in concert. I share the method and supporting practices in much more detail in my book, Whole Novels For the Whole Class: A Student Centered Approach.
It may seem counterintuitive, but a thriving culture of independent reading directly leads to stronger participation and outcomes in whole class novel studies. If reading books isn't an active part of your students' day-to-day experiences, they bring that lack of experience to the novel you hope they will read with the class. I think this is one of the reasons teachers tend to over-teach whole class novels, and students tend to "under-read" them. Conversely, if students regularly read, they bring those habits to a book the class reads together—similarly to adult readers who join book clubs. Additionally, by being a part of students' independent reading lives, we gain crucial information about students' reading interests, habits, and skills; with this information, we can more thoughtfully select novels for our groups and better support individual students to read them.
Selecting a novel for an entire class of students is no simple task. Though students have varying interests, experiences and reading levels, one thing teachers can be fairly certain they have in common is their age or developmental stage, because of the way most schools are structured. And this is a great entry point for a book choice, because we also tend to be interested in stories that help us sort through major developmental issues. For example, 7th graders tend to be concerned with negotiating with power dynamics within their peer groups, and 8th graders are beginning to understand the concept of a society and critique structures and traditions within it. If the book deals with a theme that will interact with the big questions students are grappling with as they grow up the world—and also passes muster as a title with literary merit—every reader in the room will gain from the story experience.
Using development to guide novel selections will likely rule out some of the classic texts often associated with a given grade level and readily available in the book room. That's just the kind of revolution we need.
For thinking through whole class text selections, check out this tool.
Check out this post by fellow Ed Week blogger, Christina Torres, with her take on the value of whole class novels, and how she chooses for her class.
This probably sounds like a tall order, and perhaps it is, but consider this: novels are works of art. Imagine being asked to analyze the corner of a painting without having seen the whole painting. Imagine that the person asking you to do so has seen the whole painting and keeps asking questions that hint at the meaning, which only becomes clear when you have seen the whole picture. That would be rather silly. It makes much more sense to see the whole picture (ie. read whole story), and then go back and look closely at pieces of it, now with the whole in mind. That is what I mean by a whole novel approach.
Here are some tips for making this shift:
Make a pacing calendar, with a reasonable amount of pages for your students to read each day. (Depending on my group and the density of the particular text, I've gone with 10-25 pages.)
Make sure every student has a copy of the book. Provide class time for reading, and require students to finish the day's reading at home.
Allow students to read ahead (get the whole picture faster!), using the calendar as a minimum. For those who finish early, reading time is still reading time. I offer a number of choices for their continued reading.
Avoid leading students' reading with your questions, which are informed by your whole-picture understanding. Focus on supporting students to access the text and enter the world of the story for themselves.
I teach students to annotate the text with sticky notes as they read. My goal is to get them to pay attention to their own thoughts and articulate them. My rationale is that this is a habit many adult readers use authentically when a text is thought-provoking or challenging, and it can be applied to any text, rather than teaching students to become dependent on my questions.
Create small group activities that position students to engage with one another to build comprehension and read more deeply. There are many creative possibilities. Here are two:
Some students will be comfortable reading mostly independently. Others will benefit from reading aloud with a partner, or conferring frequently with a partner. I offer all students access to audiobooks, and for those who need it most, it makes a huge difference. Finally, I do some teacher-facilitated small group reading and processing aloud together (either me or a co-teacher). When we "process aloud," we are focusing mostly on figuring out what is happening, and sharing questions or reactions, rather than analyzing. Teacher and author Pernille Ripp (who generally advocates for students self-selecting reading materials) has written this thoughtful piece suggesting that multiple ways to access a whole class text is a small idea that makes a big difference.
Once students have completed the book (ideally by the due date on the calendar—I know what you are going to ask... and that will have to wait for another post), I bring students together for seminar-style discussions. I like to do this with half of the class, while the other half works on a creative writing assignment.
In whole-novel discussions, I do not create discussion questions. I don't even ask students to generate discussion questions, though I don't have any issue with that. Instead, I ask every student to say something about the book to start the discussion. After everyone has spoken once, the discussion is open. Questions and debates emerge, which creates authentic purpose for turning back to the text for close reading.
I maintain a role of facilitator. I type notes on everything that is said, which I give to students afterward as a record. I prompt students to turn back to the text, for evidence or to reread sections for a deeper understanding. I try to create opportunities for quieter students to speak, and for students to continually dig deeper into the questions they raise.
We do this for three days. Yes, all in all, it takes six days for both halves of the class to complete their three discussion sessions.
After talking through so much of the book, students develop critical interpretations of themes, critiques of the author's craft, and other compelling ideas. They are ready to write. We create essay questions (not predetermined by me) based on the big ideas and questions that came up in discussions. The notes become a huge resource, and students are highly motivated to put their ideas and arguments onto the paper in a convincing way. The community discussions help them to formulate ideas that matter to them.
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I could go on and on (which I why I had to write a book on this). For now, I'll say that a community of learners is a powerful resource, and literature is a powerful art. Bringing these two elements together around a single book is a joyful and humbling experience, one that expands my students' own reading lives and prepares them for the expectations of college level work. I am eager to have more conversations about how and why we make the choices we do in whole class novel studies.
