Noticing Growth

Thank you to Stacey, Betsy, Dana, Tara, Beth, Anna, Kathleen & Deb for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers.

The past couple of days I've conferenced with some of my students about their growth in reading. After being out for almost a week, I was able to notice some things quickly. We begin every block with "Status of the Class" (from Steven Layne's book "Igniting a Passion for Reading"). That's where I ask every student what book they are reading and what page they are on. It's a quick and powerful part of class. Students hear what others are reading and that turns into an instant book recommendation. I know what every student is reading and I quickly learn their preferences.

When I returned to school and we began our status of the class, I noticed one of the girls was reading a different book. I scanned the status for the last book she'd been reading. I remembered it clearly because four girls formed their own book club, picked the same book and nudged each other to read each day and night. They checked in with each other and sat together during silent reading. I asked her about her book. She looked at me with a puzzled expression and said, "I finished it last week." I finished the class and then she and I conferenced. We discussed her as a reader in September. How it took her weeks to finish a book about the same length. We looked back in the status of the class binder and noted page numbers each day. We compared that to now and how she finished that book in three days...a huge accomplishment for her! We talked about how she's grown so much as a reader. She sat up taller. 

The next day we took our reading rates. I learned about this practice from Penny Kittle's book Book Love. We read for ten minutes and they count the pages they've read. I take into account the book they are reading (graphic novel, novel in verse, novel) and the page they are on (beginning, middle, end). Once they give me all of that information, I record it. I wish I could say I've recorded reading rates once a quarter, but it's only been twice this year. This showed me the growth of my students. Another student showed significant growth in her reading rate. When we conferenced, she glowed in her confidence. 

I'm not a fan of the word "data". Having said that, meaningful data like our status of the class and our reading rates is certainly powerful. Reading it in context and talking to students about what they've achieved is wonderful.

Today, I celebrate the growth of my readers. Way to go, sixth graders!

Thank you to Ruth Ayres for providing this space to share our celebrations. Please join us and share your own!