Rebecca Welch Post 4: Routman Ch. 3: Share your Reading Life

I feel like I share a decent amount of my life with my students. We have morning meetings a few times a week and we all share something about our lives during this time. They always want me to share something and I usually do share something with them. But I do not think I have ever shared anything about myself as a reader. But Routman says that we need to share our personal reading lives so that we can "connect world reading with school reading." I think this is so important because I know that when I was in school, I did not enjoy the 'school readings.' I did enjoy the books that I chose or that my mom helped me choose.

While reading the section about the importance of having a personal library, I really got to thinking. I have a fairly extensive library, which I am so thankful for. But often my students do not want to read what I have. They want to either go to the library or find something on Big Universe. I have realized that while allowing my students to read the nonfiction books on Big Universe is important, it is also important for them to be reading what is in my library. I think I need to put more procedures in place for when we can use Big Universe and when we cannot. My students need to be reading more real books instead of online books.

I also love what Routman said about having a writing notebook for quotes, facts, or interesting thoughts while reading. In my last post, I wanted to find some way for my students to be able to write their thoughts while reading without writing in borrowed books. This is the perfect option!

Finally, I think I need to allow my students more time to talk about what they are reading. I don't think I give my students enough time or opportunities to talk about their books or what they are enjoying. If I want my students to read in my library more, I need to let them talk about what they are reading. But most importantly, I need to start sharing what I enjoy reading!