Just Right Reading Motivation

We seem to to have lost some steam.  Our stamina is still in tact and everyone is on task, during reader's workshop, but the reading excitement buzz is lost somewhere....No worries, I have a plan.

1st: Remind class that our reading monsters are being book deprived!  I printed reading monster food and we are good to go.  (See here for a previous post about them and Love to Abby at The Inspired Apple for her Ready to Read unit!)

Students write the title of a book on a slip of paper and "feed" their monster.

2nd:  Ramp up the "just right" finding help!  The following two books are both about readers who just can't admit they might actually like reading. The first one, Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don't) is so funny and you will be able to apply it to at least one student and hopefully see a bit of yourself in Miss Brooks:-)
 

That Book Woman  is a book inspired by the pack librarians who brought books to the children and families living in the Appalachian mountains.



3rd:  Read-and-Tells-I used to do them all the time, need to bring them back.  For a while, I do the book talks.  I "read and tell" what I have read and share with the class.  Sometimes I will use online book trailer videos.  After a while of me modeling the Read-and-Tell, students begin signing up and doing them on their own.

So I challenged my chickadees to two things:
1) SHOW their grateful attitude towards the amount of books we have in our classroom/school and the easy access we have to amazing books. 
2)  As they read, pretend they are Miss Brooks and see if they can suggest a book they have finished to a friend.

Looking for the return of the reading buzz,
Laurie

On a separate and unrelated note......Pinterest and I are having separation anxiety due to district internet server is blocking it!  Do they not realize the educational value that comes from all the teacher boards!?

Reader's Workshop Housekeeping

This is where we keep our bookbags, writing, math, and reading journals.

Today's goal....review!  When we left for break, our Daily 5 expectations were being tested.  Now it is time to review and reign it in:-)  During the break I spent a good deal of time cleaning out my student's bookbags and cubbies.  I found all sorts of things that didn't need to be there.  Today we shared about what should be in our bookbags, why we have bookbags, and how to keep ourselves together.  So I took pictures and posted them on the cubbies as reminders for how to keep tidy.  We reviewed on task reading behaviors too, for more info. check this post.

What goes in our cubby:

Bookbags.....

Books INSIDE the bag, not thrown in the cubby.  Bookbag on top of journals.

Closed flat journals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Journals......

Just right books....not extra bookmarks, pencils, etc

Everyone gets a day to change books.  The thought of the whole class changing at once is pure craziness.  So students trade books on their day or they can keep reading the ones they have.  They just have to be aware that their day to change won't be around again for another seven days.

 Happy Reading!

 Laurie
PS if you haven't heard the buzz about the new blog The Best Endings, you don't know what your are missing.  Check it out!