Carol Talanges - Post 4 - Ch. 6 Routman

      I choose to respond to chapter six – Plan for and Monitor Independent Reading because it is a vital part of my reading instruction and I am always interested in more information about how to improve my Independent Reading time. I loved the introduction to the chapter with the dialog with the teacher about scores and she asks “when do they get to read books they can choose?”  I love this question and I often fall in the cycle of I must extend my lesson and they must read this, but it is SO important that we never take away the time where students are reading what they choose and utilizing their own reading strategies to become more successful readers.

      I used her dialog as a quick check for myself. Is my classroom do I “carefully monitored, independent reading program in place, fully supported by and ample classroom library and daily reading conferences”? Most of the time I can confidently say yes, but I know that I also have great weaknesses with conferencing and monitoring progress. I mostly struggle with keeping notes and fully tracking students’ progress. I also struggle with conferencing because of time restrictions and I never feel like I get to each student enough weekly.

      I like that Routman does mention goal setting with her Independent Reading, because I notice that most people do not include it. I feel that goal setting is one of the most important aspects of Independent Reading because it is individualized and it allows students to self-reflect and create their own personal goals as readers. I find great joy is watching my students realize that they have fully accomplished one of their personal goals and it leads to great confidence for them in their future reading.