Mary Kate,
in her last post asked, “What’s the best book that you’ve read
this summer and what does it show about your reading life?” Her question was recently
followed by another reading question when I hosted a sleepover for my nieces
and nephews. As we sat at the breakfast
table the youngest asked me, “What is your all time favorite book?” That’s such a hard question for me, but as I
think about it, the important thing was that he asked. He cared.
As I turned the question back to him, he talked about his all time
favorite book. Not surprisingly it was a book that marked him as a more
sophisticated reader. He justified that
it wasn’t a challenging book but it was the first easy chapter book he could
read and he reread it several times.
From there our breakfast table exploded into book talk.
Both Mary Kate’s question and my nephew’s question have me
thinking about the questions that many of us ask readers at the beginning of
the year.
As a reading support teacher and literacy coach I have the
honor of learning about many readers. As
we complete our first weeks of school, many Developmental Reading Assessments (DRAs) are being give. Before I start
a DRA I always ask the young reader to read a book from his or her book box
that they love to read. Just watching
first and second graders dig through their boxes for that one book they can’t
wait to share brings joy. We usually
chat for a bit about that book and then I listen to the child read.
I love the first steps for administering the DRA, with the
focus on discovering more about the reader’s identity, a built-in reading conference. You learn what are some of the student’s
favorite kinds of books, you ask how books are chosen, about reading preferences
such as would you rather read in a group, with a partner or alone, and for the
earliest readers who do you read with at home.
Wow! There is so much power in listening to these
answers. Not surprisingly, we uncover
some challenges, as when students say they don’t have books at home or that
their parents don’t speak English. And
the questions remind us of the power of our teacher words as when one girl told
me that she reads to her baby brother because her teacher told her it would
help him learn to read.
The best part of these conversations is watching their
faces become animated as they talk about characters, books, or about reading to
their dad. And yes, sometimes these
conferences reveal a reading identity that is concerning as when the young one
is already thinking that reading is hard and feels that his or her reading
isn’t good enough.
As I reflect on each of these young people and their
responses I know I have been given a gift from each child. Each one has revealed what brings him joy in
reading. Now my job, our job, is to keep
that joy alive. Yes, to nudge them as
readers, to stretch and to introduce them to new authors and genres, but to
also honor them as readers who have already developed interests and
passions.
Also, as I think about the questions we are asking readers
about their identity perhaps the reader feels like I did when my nephew asked
me about my favorite book. Or when Mary Kate asked about our summer reading.
Someone cares enough about you to want to know about you as a reader. I can only hope that our young readers feel
that same way. Yet I know it is through
our continued teaching and interactions with that child, the building of the
tools and strategies as well as the building upon their interests that will let
them all know we do care about their preferences, about them as readers, about
them period.
When Mary Kate and I started this blog we agreed to end each post with a question. Later I asked if we could break that format. Mary Kate wisely talked through the benefits of ending with a question. Today I'm realizing the power in a question if we truly listen to the answer - a genuine question can translate to caring. And so I'm wondering...
What are some of your favorite routines that give you a
glimpse into a student’s life as a reader?
