5 Decisions I Made to Support Kids Reading Over the Break

Spring break is here! Well, it’s here for those of us in my corner of the San Francisco Bay Area. All of my fifth graders have made plans for reading over the break, and I trust that hundreds upon hundreds of pages will be read over the next nine days. Why? Well, as a teacher, I made a few intentional decisions to set them up for reading success.

Decision #1

My fifth graders have started every single day this school year by reading self-selected books for 15-40 minutes. That’s kicking off 141 consecutive school days with reading! Reading has become a habit for all of us. The more you read books you love, the more likely you are to continue reading- even when school is not in session.

Decision #2

We talk about books everyday, multiple times a day. Our constant talk about books across the school day has made reading a part of our all-day everyday in the classroom. This talk has even transcended beyond our school day. How do I know?

• I confer with my students each day. Sometimes, they talk about their reading and discussions about reading beyond the school day during our conferences.
• On our online class discussion (ours is in Schoology, but there are many other platforms available), kids chat about their books and reading- they do this by choice on their own time.
• Parents have casually told me how much their kids read and want to talk about their reading at home.

Decision #3

I’m a reader myself. Perhaps this isn’t a decision. Well, at some point in my life (it’s tough to pinpoint when), I decided I was a reader. But, the most important decision was intentionally deciding to share my own reading life with my students. They all know how my favorite time of the week is my first cup of coffee with The New York Times on Sunday and that one of my main reading goals right now is to read more realistic fiction to grow as a reader. They also know I made this goal for myself because I’ve fallen into a habit of mostly reading narrative nonfiction. My point is, they know who I am as a reader. By sharing my own reading life with them, they are more apt to honestly share their individual reading lives with me. Because of this, I am better positioned to support them as readers- I am better positioned to affirm what’s working well in their reading lives and offer next steps when roadblocks arise. When we affirm what’s going well in a reading life and offer support when trouble might happen (which it often does), our readers are more likely to succeed in reading more and sharing more with us.

Decision #4

I give my students free rein of the library with no restrictions at all. We have been in school for 141 days. Free rein did not start on day one. It took time. At first, we used browsing boxes. Then, the library was introduced. After that, tons of book talks and book basket talks were given. Oodles of mini lessons, small groups, and conferences were conducted around how readers choose books. And, eventually, we got to where we are today. When students have choice over their reading, we know they read much more than when they don’t have choice.

Decision #5

I invite kids to take books home. I know this scares many teachers, and I completely understand. I was quite worried, too, before I made this decision a few years back. The fear of losing books terrified me. Books cost money- my own teacher salary money! That’s kind of scary. However, when I realized that many of my students would not continue reading if I didn’t allow them to bring the books home, I knew I had to make a change. So, my students bring home books to enjoy. They bring home the books knowing the importance of returning them. They know that other readers need to also have access to the books, and they know that books cost money (there is no reason to pretend they don’t!). Do I lose a few books each year along the way? Yes- a few. However, the vast majority of books lent out always come back. Simply put, kids can’t read books if they don’t have access to them.

All of these decisions were made long ago. If we want kids to read when they are not with us, we have to first figure out ways to cultivate a vibrant and engaging culture of reading in our classrooms everyday. We can’t expect kids to do what we don’t model or show them. It’s not too late to start now. It’s never too late to grow a love of reading.

To get kids reading over break- spring break, summer break, winter break, any break, make the decision get them reading every single day in the classroom first.