Making Plans as a Reading Community

One of the tell-tale signs of a Reading Community is that the readers in the community make plans.

Our school has TWO WEEKS off for Winter Break. That is a long amount of time to be away from my readers. The week before break we got together and decided on some concrete plans for break. 

Our goals were simple: make a plan, be prepared for that plan.

I think it's no mystery that I love the look of book spines. My door is adorned with our read books of the school year, our shelves house most of our books spine out and we do some fun book jacket designs throughout the school year. It was only natural that our Winter Break TBR included the chance for beautiful spines.

How to make it work:

-Make realistic and individualized goals

(I had some students reading ECHO by Pam Munoz Ryan for Mock Newbery, there was no way they were finishing it over break, so be realistic. I also had some students who still haven't finished a book for the school year wanting to finish two over break, be real. Help your kids set achievable goals).

-Readers should jot down books they are currently reading & ones they want to read over break.

-Readers should shop the classroom library, school library and make plans to get the books they will need for break (this helps students avoid reading emergencies).

-Be sure to do a brief mini-lesson on "edge time reading," a quick anchor chart brainstorming WHERE and WHEN kids can read over break would be perfect.

-Readers should color in the spines as they finish their books.

-When you return- celebrate all reading! Share your successes or goals with the kids. Show them your TBR and talk about how it went.

-Don't attach rewards or punishments to this. I'll find you if you do.

So, if you are planning to make plans with your readers (and you SHOULD) then get this Winter Break Freebie here. If you know you love the design and want to be able to use it for all of your breaks, find the full set here.

Happy Reading!

Vocabulary Instruction

Vocabulary is a work in progress for me. I've heard some research stating that teaching vocabulary is isolation is just IRRELEVANT. That got me thinking... I already DO NOT teach vocabulary in isolation. That's a step in the right direction, right? I still feel like I'm not {quite} there... 

Step One: On my summer reading list is Word Nerds by Brenda Overturf

Have you guys read this one? I've heard great things and I'm hoping it will help me up my vocab game!

Step Two: Set up 4-Square Vocabulary Notebooks

Guess what I'm working on?? setting up vocabulary notebooks for AUGUST. I know, I can't believe I'm this on top of it right now. We love using Frayer's 4 Square Model and it really helps the words become more concrete for my big kids! I've already made plans to finish these and Ladybug's Teacher Files Morphology Spelling Dictionaries next week. I figure if these are all taken care of, that's one less "not so fun" thing I need to prep in the Summer. Bye Felicia!

{Also, Astrobrights Cardstock makes my life. Such an ink saver!}

Step Three: Plan more hands-on, engaging vocabulary activities

I'm working on getting together some great strategies to share with my 4th graders next year. I am in the middle of a puzzle project right now, and I'm hoping Word Nerds really comes through with some Research-Proven Activities! If you have any suggestions, please comment below!

How do you make vocabulary stick for your students? I'm all ears!

MAY you always love to read!

Get ready... The #wecantputbooksdown Girls are back with a Linky for May. New to the Crew is the most amazing and talented TeacherSunny. Find her on IG.
She is one of my most inspiring teacher buddies! 

This month we're talking about what we do in our classrooms to promote MAY you always love to read! I have a ton of things that I do to try to get my kids to really LOVE reading. I want to start the post by saying that my go-to resource for developing life-long readers is Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller. If you know me, you know I'm slightly obsessed with the Reading Queen and all that she has taught me about turning my kids into avid readers. Let's pause, take a look at the photo, get online and order this book... I'll wait.

Did you get it ordered? Good, thank me later!

I'm attending a Scholastic Reading Summit this summer where Donalyn will be speaker, along with Mr. Schu (obsessed with him too) and that fantastic Cynthia Lord. I'm so excited to learn more about reading with these fantastic advocates, and if you don't know Mr. Schu, go check him out. I'll wait again.

We had and awesome giveaway on Instagram where each person either gave away something fantastic from their TpT store or an Amazon gift card to buy more books. Thanks for checking in and don't forget to get back with us in June! :)

My IG post was about giving my kids the gift of TIME when it comes to reading. We spend 20-30 minutes everyday reading in class. This is Independent, free choice, reading for pleasure time. There is no worksheet attached, no work, no harassing teacher sucking the fun out of the room.

You may be shaking your head saying "Stacey, how do you find the time?" Well, my question to you is "How do you NOT find the time?" It has been said that kids should spend more time reading than doing reading related activities. Does that ring true in your classroom, I can say it does in mine. IR time is not the first thing cut from my schedule if something comes up (and doesn't it always?)... You have to make an effort. You make time for what you feel is important. Bottom line. What are not willing to compromise in your schedule? For me, it's this time. This time where all the magic happens. Where kids nurture their love of reading or discover it for the first time.

Here are some photos of my kiddos really loving their reading time... I mean seriously, kids beg for this time. That's how you know you're doing something right. They can't wait to take out their books.

So, what are you doing in your room to make sure your kids develop a life-long love of reading?

Check out some of my great friends on IG for their suggestions... Anything from time to book raffles and book commercials!

Our Reading Environment

Hello out there! I thought it might be fun to give you guys a little peek into my classroom!

I teach Language Arts in a 5th Grade classroom to two different homerooms. I love my block and am fortunate enough to work for a district that puts a lot of trust into their teachers when it comes to teaching our standards. Here are a few of my favorite places in my room that help me promote and share my love for reading with my kids...

First up, my library!

I moved my IKEA shelves to make more room in the reading area. I like how it looks, but this area is getting a major overhaul this summer. Right now, my two black bookshelves hold "books in a series," and the two tall shelves are separated by genre!

I liked the look of the library more at the beginning of the year:

I will find a solution, I'm going for a minimalistic look, but that's hard when you are trying to build up your library and book selection!

Here is a shot of my Reading Graffiti Wall:

Here we use markers or white colored pencils AND crayons to write quotes that stuck out for us in different stories! Our wall is packed and I fully plan on keeping this a focal point of the classroom next year. The kids LOVE it and it helps them find more books to read!

Here is my latest reading addition to my classroom:

It's so important as a reading teacher that I read. If you're a teacher, you should be making time to read, too. How will you ever pass on the enthusiasm for reading if you. don't. read?? Kids pick up on our attitudes and I think it's just rude to expect your kids to read everyday when you don't. #sorrynotsorry

Share that reading is something you do outside of school, it's something you do for FUN! Otherwise, kids can easily be convinced that reading kind of stinks with all the worksheets and reading logs. BLEH, that's a whole other can of worms I won't open!

Your environment can be very influential! What are you doing to make your room inviting for readers?