Christina Nosek

What if…

What if… Reflections from 35,000 feet between St. Louis and San Francisco

Screen Shot 2017-11-21 at 8.16.10 AM What if we open the lines of dialogue and ask more about where each other is coming from instead of waiting for our turn to talk or becoming defensive in moments of disagreement?

What if we considered the Patterns of Power in literature and our students’ own writing when teaching grammar instead of the harsh rules, exceptions, and limitations found on worksheets?

What if we arm our students with strategies and a platform for writing rather than assigning a topic that will only live on the teacher’s desk and in a folder?

What if we asked our students what they feel is important instead of forcing importance on them?

What if we taught students how to choose books instead of limiting them to a humiliating level label?

What if we viewed the books in our classroom library through our students’ eyes? What will happen if we ask who is represented, who is misrepresented, and who is missing?

What if we stopped to ask students “what can you try?” when they come to difficulty instead of Doing the Work for them?

What if we look at our students’ writing with an admiring lens instead of a deficit lens?

What if we speak up and call out a colleague when they put down a child? Who will stand up for that child if we don’t? Every child deserves a hero.

What if we show our children that they can be their own heroes? What if we empower them to advocate for themselves and others?

What if we ask our students who they are and accept all of their stories instead of forcing the single story upon them?

What if we speak up when we hear or see prejudice in action? Our silence is acceptance.

What if ALL teachers had access to professional development that inspired them to ask these questions instead of PD that simply shows them how to regurgitate a prescribed curriculum?

What if?

I will never stop asking what if. It may not win me any popularity contests, but it will cause some to think a little differently or to challenge their own views. I may not change everyone’s mind, but I may plant some seeds that have the potential to grow into change at some point. Friends, I hope you’ll join me in asking what if…

As teachers, and as teacher leaders, we will never truly know the reach of our influence, but as long as we keep publicly asking what if? and challenge the oppressive and unjust Screen Shot 2017-11-21 at 8.04.49 AM status quo, we are making change. Thank you to everyone who inspired me to ask what if? this weekend at NCTE 2017 in St. Louis: Joanne Duncan, Jan Miller Burkins, Kim Yaris, Gravity Goldberg, Renee Houser, Kari Yates, Penny Kittle, Kelly Gallagher, Nancie Atwell, Jeff Anderson, Whitney LaRocca, the entire crew at Stenhouse, Justin Dolcimascolo, Sam Fremin, Susie Rolander, Kathryn Hoffman-Thompson, Kara Pranikoff, Colleen Cruz, Pernille Ripp, Chris Lehman, Heather Rocco, my table of open-minded elementary educators who willingly asked questions and challenged books, Chad Everett, Dana Stachowiak, my dear G2Great cousins, and all of the incredible educators who led and participated in roundtables around conferring first thing on Friday morning. My teacher and change-agent heart is full. There is work to be done, friends.

What if… This, I will never stop asking.

Thanksgiving Reading Plans

Thanksgiving reading Blog Image Thanksgiving break is upon us! So, of course this was a great time to do a healthy reading habits check in with my fifth graders. During the past few days, I spent time conferring with each of my fifth graders around their at home reading habits. As a class, we discussed how Thanksgiving break is the perfect time to truly dig into a good novel… the weather is cooler, lots of in-between moments for reading abound: travel time, waiting time, after dinner time, etc, and no other school work, extra classes, or lessons will be scheduled that may get in the way of the important work of reading.

There’s no need for a cutesy worksheet, dreaded reading log, or homework assignment to get kids reading outside of school. In fact, using those methods to assign reading make reading about complying with the teacher’s expectations rather than reading to grow, learn, and enjoy as an individual. Instead, provide kiddos time to find and take home a great book (or a few in the younger grades), support each reader in creating a reading plan through conferring, and talk about it! Not only did we discuss our reading plans during reading workshop, but also we discussed them in our opening and closing circles at the start and end of the school day.

Each of my fifth graders now have a great, self-selected read or two to delve into over Thanksgiving break. In addition, they also have a plan for reading and friends to come back to after break to chat about the book.

Copy of Thanksgiving reading 1 — This reader spent some time choosing a book to dive into over break! He and I then conferred around strategies he’ll use when reading the text and putting his plan for reading into place.

Screen Shot 2017-11-16 at 7.42.08 AM — This is his plan- on a stickie note stuck inside the front cover of the book. No need for a purchased worksheet- plans should be authentic and come from each individual reader.

Screen Shot 2017-11-16 at 7.48.17 AM — During our closing circle, these are the readers who said they already read The Lost Hero. So, here is who my reader will check in with after break to chat about the book. This stickie note is also inside the front cover of the book. The best motivation to read is a self-selected book and other readers chat with about the book. No need for stickers or points when the motivation is authentic and intrinsic!

Happy Reading & Happy Thanksgiving!

Quick Lunchtime Thought: The Good of Children

Today, one of my fifth graders came in with this piece of paper. She spent time on her own last night looking up Swedish words and phrases so she could communicate with her kindergarten reading buddy who just moved here from Sweden. She did this completely on her own. I love that I get to work with kids. I see the good in the world, firsthand, every single day. Imagine if more adults in the world made choices like this?

Our Community of Readers

The current school year with my fifth graders is now three months in, and I can safely say, we are a community of readers! This past Thursday, I took a step back while conferring with my readers, looked around the room, noticed someone giggling in a corner with his head in a book, saw two readers sharing a book and whispering behind the pages, heard the beautiful buzz of pages turning, pencils jotting, and realized everyone was fully engaged in their reading. It was an amazing moment! My mind quickly thought, “We have arrived!”

But, I know better. We have arrived and gelled as a community of readers in this particular moment, but there will be moments ahead when one of them will struggle through a text, or painfully search for a book without success, or just disengage from reading for another reason. This is why the hard and important work of choosing books and talking about our reading is never over. So, while we didn’t necessarily arrive on our journey, we were in a really nice place along the way this past week.

So, what are the tricks and methods that helped get us to this point on our journey?

We read twice a day everyday for a sustained period- no matter what. A couple years ago, I heard Sara Ahmed speak about how she does “soft starts” with her class everyday. This is where kids arrive at school, put their things away, and settle in to read for 20ish minutes to start the day. I’ve been implementing this in my classroom ever since I heard her speak about it. It’s been such a fantastic way to start our everyday. My students come in, put their things away, and read any book of their choosing- everyday no matter what. We then also read during our reading workshop time- in reading workshop students read for roughly 25-45 minutes after a short lesson. This time in the morning also gives me a chance to check in with everyone, say good morning personally to each student, and get a good grasp of how everyone is doing at the start of the day. I will never ever start my days in any other way.

Reading is not homework- it is a way of life. At parent conferences a couple weeks ago, one of my classroom parents mentioned now that their child is not assigned reading

Screen Shot 2017-11-05 at 8.45.51 AM — Readers bring classroom library books to and from school/home each day so they can really commit to falling for a book!

homework, they are reading more than ever at home. Don’t get me wrong- I fully expect my kids to read at home. But, I don’t phrase it that way. Rather, my kids are asked to work on their personal reading goal everyday outside of the classroom. For some, that will be to kick back, take a break from all of their extra curriculars and laugh along with Raina Telgemeier. For others, it may be to read in what Donalyn Miller calls reading in the in-between moments- this includes always having a book at the ready and reading in the car, in line, or even while waiting at a sibling’s sports practice. For many, it includes carving out a sacred 25-40 minutes at home in a quiet space and continuing on in their current read from class. So, when reading is no longer seen as something they have to do for their teacher, and instead something they get to do to grow, love, learn, and enjoy on their own terms, kids start to read more.

We don’t log our reading, rather we keep track of it through visual, authentic kid-made representations. Reading logs are a complete drag. Really, there is no better way to simply say it. Years ago, I ditched the reading log in my classroom. Honestly, reading logs make reading about complying with the teacher’s requirements rather than falling in love with a book. However, I believe that kiddos still need to have an idea of their reading patterns and a record of growth. So, enter our personal bookshelves and book stack photos!

Screen Shot 2017-11-05 at 8.48.00 AM — One student’s personal book shelf, showing her reading from August through October.

With personal bookshelves, kids create a page in the front of their readers notebook to visually keep a record of the reading they’ve done all year. Fully colored in books are read, partially colored in books are partially read, and books not colored in are to-be-read. Each child makes their own, and the design of the shelf is completely up to them. I’ve seen pre-made worksheets being sold on some websites with the same idea, but I honestly think that is misguided practice. The personal bookshelves work because they are just that- personal. Each child creates and maintains their own shelf. The motivation is high because is is 100% kid created! There is no reason any teacher should waste their money on a pre-made worksheet for kids to fill in when students can create their own.

I first learned of book stacks when I saw Penny Kittle speak at a conference a few years

Screen Shot 2017-11-05 at 8.43.03 AM — One student’s October book stack photo. Students can choose to be in the picture or to feature the books alone.

back. She does book stack photos with her high school students so they can see how much they have read and grown as readers over a period of time. I loved the idea so much, I started using it in my fifth grade classroom! We take book stack photos at the end of every month to show the books we finished that month. At the end of the year, all of my students have nine photos of their books read all year. It’s amazing to see the smiles on kids’ faces when they see all that they have read and accomplished. However, what really can’t necessarily been seen is how they have transformed into avid, happy, and engaged readers hopefully for years to come.

We model how incredible reading is with daily read aloud. The best marketing device

Screen Shot 2017-11-05 at 8.41.02 AM — Getting ready for read aloud! Every day after recess- no matter what. Our current read: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

for encouraging a love of reading is directly modeling it through read aloud and authentic discussion around a shared book. This can include picture book read alouds, novel read alouds, shared reads, and much more! This is something that is done multiple times a day. For example, if I look back at this past Thursday in my classroom, I read aloud to my fifth graders four times: in our opening circle (which follows our soft start) I read aloud a short current events article for all of us to discuss, after recess I read aloud from The Wild Robot for 15 minutes, during writing workshop I read aloud a students’ piece of writing to point out a particular craft move (this was actually more of a shared read as it was projected on the board), and finally during social studies I read aloud for a few minutes from a book about Jamestown. These four modeled reading sessions were not only subject specific, but also they were great marketing devices for how great reading can be! It’s important to mention that I don’t just hope my students see how great reading is in these experiences- rather, I explicitly point it out… “Wow! Did you see how Peter Brown just addressed the reader? That is such clever writing!” or “Huh. I didn’t realize that about Jamestown. It’s amazing how much this little book is teaching us!” Now, my students are pointing it out, too!

While kids are reading, I confer with them.

Screen Shot 2017-11-05 at 8.36.51 AM — My November conferring schedule- it’s not fancy, but it helps me stay on track! The top week is Halloween week- my conferring goals weren’t met, but not for a lack of really trying!

A conference is a one to one conversation between two readers: a student and me. My goal is to hold a reading conference with 5-7 kids each day. Sometimes I achieve this, sometimes I don’t, but I always try. There are a multitude of benefits to conferring with readers. In fact, Kari Yates and I wrote a whole book about it! We’re really looking forward to sharing our love of conferring with readers when our book comes out from Stenhouse Publishers in early 2018! Taking a step back and watching a classroom full of kids transform into a classroom full of engaged readers is great, but sitting down, and getting to know each of them individually as a reader is even better!

The most important thing to mention when reflecting on our community of readers is that there are no tricks, gimmicks, or purchases (aside from books) that one can implement in a classroom to turn a group of kids into a community of readers. The absolute only way to do it is to provide books, secure and fiercely protect reading time, confer with readers to offer support, and then to let them read- no matter what. As elementary school teachers, there is no task or job that is more important. As one of my education heroes, Dr. Mary Howard often says, “It is our responsibility.” As soon as we start viewing it that way, things will fall into place- with a little hard work, rejection of gimmicks (I’m looking at you, Teachers Pay Teachers and other worksheet mills), and acceptance of the idea that “the only way a kid became a reader is by reading.” Thank you to Kylene Beers for that one.

Why I Ditched the At-Home Reading Log

Personal Bookshelves

Falling in Love with Books!

Reading: It’s Just What We Do! Access, Choice, Volume, Support

Wonder: The First Few Days of Reading Workshop

My first four days of school have come and gone. It’s now the weekend, and I am back in my beloved, currently fog-draped, city of San Francisco for a couple days reflecting on the past week and planning ahead for the days to come.

This morning, I’m thinking about our first few days of reading workshop. Specifically, I’m thinking of the first day.

On the first day, I gathered my class in our meeting area, and told them that my one goal this year is for each and every one of them to consistently find books that they love, find a lot of them, and happily read those books every single day in fifth grade and then beyond. And, that there is only one way to make this happen…

“The most important thing you can do as a growing reader and citizen is read. So, today, you will explore the classroom library, choose a book or two or three, and just read!”

Screen Shot 2017-08-19 at 9.34.42 AM As my fifth graders sat listening to my words, I noticed many of them peeking back at the classroom library. It appeared that the anticipation for exploring all that the library had to offer was growing. After a few more brief words about taking time to choose a book they actually want to read, I set them free! I gave my fifth graders free reign of the classroom library, and just simply let them read. As they started reading. I stood back, wondered, and observed. Using my trusty clipboard, I recorded what I noticed.

What did I look for and Take Note of?

Who quickly found a book?
Who took time to carefully select a book?
Who had a difficult time finding a book, or didn’t find one at all?
Who settled into engaging reading right away and never looked up?
Who eventually settled in after carefully choosing a book?
Who had a more difficult time settling in?
Who never really settled in?
Where did they choose to read? Their tables, on the floor, in bean bags, near others, away from others, etc…
Which books were chosen? (I wrote each title down next to each reader’s name on my clipboard)
Were any conversations authentically started around finding books or reading?
Were any sticky notes used for jotting things down? What was jotted down?

As I stood back with my conferring clipboard, I just wondered about these new, fifth Screen Shot 2017-08-19 at 9.42.31 AM grade readers in front of me. I did not intervene, I did not jump in to teach, I simply stood back, wondered, and took notes about each and every one of them for those 30 minutes of independent reading time on the first day of school.

My wondering did not stop with independent reading time. With about five minutes left, I invited my readers to give an informal book talk about their current read or about any book they read this summer. Two readers took me up on that invitation! Listening to their book talks and observing the rest of the class during the talks also revealed quite a bit about my readers.

On day two, I did the same. I simply invited my readers to read, stood back, wondered, and took note of what I observed. Four more readers asked if they could give book talks that day.

On day three, I knew quite a bit about each and every one of my new readers! I was ready to give a whole group lesson based on patterns I saw. In addition, I was ready to sit down with my readers to confer- to have one to one, in the moment, individualized conversations.

It was a great start to the school year! If you have not yet started school (or even if you have), before you jump in to teach your readers, I invite you to take a step back and truly wonder about each and every one of them. Try to get to know them as the unique people and readers that they are. Look for what is going right first, and then what might need a little guiding. Really try to learn what they need before you teach. Let your readers guide you. Your teaching and your readers will be so much stronger because of it!

Happy Back to School!

My first book for teachers, To Know and Nurture a Reader: Conferring with Confidence and Joy, cowritten with Kari Yates, is now out and available from Stenhouse Publishers. Our goal with this book was to help teachers make the important practice of conferring with readers manageable, effective, and fun!

See you at ILA!

For a little over a year now, Kari Yates and I have been working on a book! As we head into the final stages of the writing process, we are excited to share some of our ideas with others at the upcoming International Literacy Association Conference in Orlando next week! If you’ll be there, we’d love to have you join us!

ILA Kari Christina Image F (3)

What Kids Remember…

Small Writing/Big Idea

Think back to your days in school. What is it that you remember most as a student? Field trips, assemblies, friendships, great teachers, reading, writing?

You might be wondering why I tacked on reading and writing to the end of this list. Recently, in casual conversation at school, a couple people were mentioning that kids don’t remember the academics of school, but rather the “fun” stuff like field trips or field days or festivals. While I don’t disagree with this idea (who doesn’t love field trips?), I have to say that it is only part of the truth.

If academics are presented to kids in ways that both engage and empower them, that is

Screen Shot 2017-06-22 at 6.34.45 PM — Making writing engaging and memorable with Heart Mapping inspired by Georgia Heard

exactly what they’ll remember. The most powerful teachers are those who effectively inspire students to learn, wonder, create, and take chances. Kids remember being engaged in learning.

Nothing warms my heart more than when a former student writes a letter or comes back to visit and tells me that he loved reading in my classroom or that she never knew the power of writing could be so strong. Better yet, nothing is better than when they tell me that they still love reading or writing.

What do students remember? They remember what we value as teachers. They remember the passion, excitement, and community around what we choose to deem important. I know what I deem important. What is it for you? What will your students remember?

Related

Falling in Love With Books

Reading: It’s Just What We Do!