EDUC 580

Childrens and Adolescents Literature in the Reading Program (K-12)

Artifact Description
The book log I compiled for this course was a wonderful excuse to search out, skim
and read a wide variety of books for third through sixth graders. I have a strong
background in primary grade literature due to my years as a pre-school, first and
second grade teacher. However, I work with K-8 students and I found that I needed
to expand my repertoire to include recent publications for intermediate grade
students. The majority of books in this reading list are approximately a fourth grade
reading level which works for the older students I have who are reading one or two
years below grade level. The books represent a variety of genres as per the
assignment but I appreciated the nudge into areas of the library I usually ignore.
Professional Growth
I have always been frustrated to the point of exasperation about the lack of reading
outside school. I believed that if more parents read to their children and if children
just read more, then our schools would be transformed. I still believe that. But I
have found few teachers and even fewer parents who share my deep concern about
time spent reading. Before taking this course, I sometimes felt that my belief that
reading deficits could be prevented by reading more was so simplistic that it
couldnt really by true. If it is that simple, then everybody would read to their
children and everyone would make sure their children read every day. I even began
to wonder whether I was just missing the point and it really is more complex than
that.
Then I read Steven L. Laynes opening chapter of his book, Igniting a Passion for
Reading (2009) To say that it reignited my passion is not overstating the case. I
marked up that chapter as never before, underlining, highlighting, and running to
my husband and children with a listen to this kind of enthusiasm rarely found in
required textbook reading. I had never heard the term aliteracy before and I
latched onto it with a firm grip. I finally had a name for the condition I had been
fighting for so long.
Layne clearly depicts a complete reader in Figure 1.1 on page 7 of Igniting a Passion
for Reading. Title 1 instruction and all reading interventions aim to make complete
readers by targeting the skill-based components such as phonetics, fluency, and
comprehension. I strongly believe that if we develop the right side of Laynes figure
the interest, attitude, motivation, and engagementstudents would read more
and the skills would follow. Layne quotes E. Mayne in an article he wrote as far back
as 1915. It should be the teachers aim to give every child a love of reading, a
hunger for it that will stay with him through all the years of his life. If a child has
that he will acquire the mechanical part without difficulty. I was relieved find
through Laynes writing as well as the many educators he quotes that it really is as
simple as reading, reading, reading. But as everyone who has taught a child to ride
a bike knows, simple isnt always easy.

In an effort to combat the malady of non-reading, I have always tried to entice my

students to read by exposing them to books about their favorite topics, to new
genres or authors. As I wrote in my personal literacy autobiography for this course, I
had several teachers who nurtured my love of reading. One was my elementary
librarian, Mrs. Calahan, who steered me to good books, gave me one-minute
summaries and then moved on. In this way I was introduced to many great authors
such as Madeline LEngle, Judy Blume, Scott ODell, Beverly Cleary, and J.R.R.
Tolkien. I now realize that my beloved librarian was doing exactly what Donalyn
Miller, author of The Book Whisperer (2009), describes in her chapter on student
surveys. Miller writes, wandering back and forth in front of our book bins and
grabbing book after book after book, --I line the counter behind my desk with piles
of books, Post-its marking the intended recipients. I have made preview stacks or
pulled select titles for all sixty of my new students. (p.46) I have always tried to do
the same for my students.
Making the kind of individualized reading recommendations requires a teacher to
know her students well and to be very well read in their students reading range.
The creation of this book log has expanded the number of books I feel comfortable
recommending for an age group for which I dont have as much experience. It also
inspired me to read more childrens books and make sure I stay current with the
latest publications and award winners. I now read childrens books for all ages and
all genres while I eat my lunch and I have made quite a dent in the school and
public libraries book bins.
Although I had read Millers The Book Whisperer prior to taking this course, I
appreciated the opportunity to discuss her simple yet radical approach to language
arts instruction with my classmates. As a result of re-reading this inspirational
book, I was ready to make some changes when school resumed in the fall. I
abolished family-signed book logs for my Title 1 students, tracking their reading on
our reading wall instead. I began the year with student interest surveys compiled
from examples in both Millers and Laynes books. I used my students responses
and the book log created for this course to guide my selection of just-right books
for each of my struggling readers. I also recommended The Book Whisperer to the
OLL principal and staff hoping they would commit more instructional time to just
read.
We teachers (and parents) are good at expounding on skills and traits we believe
our young charges should acquire. Too often, we dont practice them ourselves.
Miller discusses The Need for Reading Role Models on pages 106-118. This section
inspired me to begin my own Readers Notebook to record the books Id read and jot
down a few thoughts about them. Although I have always loved to read, I had fallen
into a pattern of reading for pleasure primarily during the summer. Millers
suggestion to craft a reading improvement plan (p. 112) rekindled my own reading
of childrens books. Compiling the book log for 3-6 graders and perusing
recommended reading lists on websites such as www.goodreads.com and the new
and noteworthy books section at www.scholastic.com/bookwizard inspired me to
set a new goal. I vowed to read all the Newberry Award Winners from the first award
in 1922 to present. Characteristically over-thorough, I gave up before I even started

because most of these books, I discovered, are out of print or very difficult to find. I
am now starting with the most recent winners and working back in time. This has
helped in making reading recommendations to my children, my students, and to
teachers.
After reading The Book Whisperer and hearing instructor, Carrie Hermans, book
commercials throughout the course, I hoped to model that practice in classrooms
at OLL. I envisioned visiting classrooms on a regular basis and modeling book
commercials or book chats as Steven Layne calls them. I would love to see the
classroom teachers and students also begin to do this in their classrooms.
Unfortunately, I havent found time to implement this plan. I am a part-time
employee working 8-1 and the only time I am not working directly with students is
during lunch and recess. Perhaps I could teach the process to my Title students and
have them do a book commercial for their peers or a younger grade. It is a goal
worth pursuing.
Student Impact
As a result of having taken this course, students in my program now read from a
wider variety of genres: poetry, historical fiction, biography, and informational
texts. Two third grade boys who really needed to work on fluency thoroughly
enjoyed You Read to Me, Ill Read to You: Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together by
Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Michael Emberley. The short sections made
repeated readings manageable and on the follow-up lesson, they re-read the poem
but switched parts. The boys enjoyed the interactive reading so much, they read
Hobermans other You Read to Me, Ill Read to You books at home with a parent.
Without the book list I compiled during this course, I wouldnt have thought of using
poetry with these boys.
My students now have more choice among books that relate to their interests. One
sixth grade boy reported on his student interest inventory that he thought fiction
was a waste of time. After that, he chose a book about bears from several
informational texts I offered. He practiced note-taking and summarizing and
compiled his notes into a power-point presentation. He and his parents were very
pleased with the resulting presentation. They especially appreciated seeing the
note-taking forms and commented on his improved hand-writing and attention to
detail. This student has really struggled in the classroom and completing this project
on a subject that mattered to him was a sign of success. I doubt he would have
invested so much effort for a subject or book that I had chosen for him.
I tried to implement Donalyn Millers method in my title classroom last year. It was a
challenge because of the brief reading sessions I have with each student, but it did
have an impact. The fourth through sixth grade title students read for two hours a
week with me in addition to their classroom and at-home reading. Some students
had a difficult time selecting appropriate books and sticking to them. Others had to
slowly develop their reading stamina so they could read for thirty minutes without
getting distracted. Brief book commercials cut into their reading time so we dropped
that aspect of Millers program. Eventually the fifth grade teacher posted her own
40 book challenge and these students had a running head start.

The greatest student impact in my classroom came from abandoning the parentsigned reading log. When students see me they no longer tell me all the excuses
they have for not reading at home that night. Our conversations are positive instead
of punitive. Students still bring home book bags and the same percentage of
students practice at home as before. Only now they monitor their reading progress
by posting the titles of each book they have read. Their wall chart gradually grows
until they reach the star that states their reading goal for the year. They decide
whether to revise their goal and we move it further up the wall. With this system,
students are an active participant in monitoring their own progress and it is visible
to all who enter our classroom. One unexpected result came on the last day of
school when students took down all their 2x3 cards. As they reread the titles, they
recalled the many books theyd read throughout the year. The wall served as a
reading portfolio. As they got to the books theyd read earlier in the year, they
could clearly see that what had been difficult, was now much easier. This process of
self-reflection and recognition of their individual progress happened with every
student I taught. It was a glorious thing to send children into summer vacation with
a bag full of reading success!

Understanding and Application of Standards

During the course of EDUC 580 I developed and demonstrated standards #3, #5,
and #7.
Standard #3: Teachers understand that children learn differently.
The book log I created for this course is a direct effort to adapt instructional
materials to meet diverse reading levels and interests of the students with whom I
work. By using student reading inventories in the fall of the year, I am
acknowledging student diversity and gathering as much information as I can about
each individual student so I can effectively differentiate my instruction to target
their needs. One benefit of my position is that I get to work with many students over
a period of years. While some graduate from Title, many receive on-going
services. Thus, we get to know each other well. As a result of our relationship, I am
able to recommend books with an authentic I thought of you.
Standard #5: Teachers know how to manage a classroom.
The reading wall in our Title classroom exemplifies all components of this standard.
Each student develops a personal reading goal for the year which is written on a
large yellow star with a picture of them reading a book. The star is placed about 4
feet up the wall and their name is placed near the floor. With each 2x3 card they
add to the wall, they chart their progress toward their goal. The physical
representation of their reading achievement has been more motivating than I could
ever have hoped. They are personally motivated to reach their stars. Those who
dont read at home make progress but at a slower rate than their peers who read
each night. This is an effective visual reminder of the message I keep telling them.

Each time someone reads five books, they get to choose a book to keep. There is
positive social interaction between students when we celebrate this students picka-book-day! The most important part of this standard is, I think, the active
engagement in learning. I have students check the wall when they walk in the door
and say, I only need one more book to reach my star, Mrs. MacGregor. I practiced
this book five times and I know Im going to get it on the wall today. I say that
qualifies as active engagement and self-motivation.
Standard #7: Teachers are able to plan different kinds of lessons.
I read widely in my fieldboth professional material as well as childrens literature. I
use my knowledge of childrens literature and my personal relationships with my
students to plan lessons based on their instructional needs. For example, the
kindergarteners I work with are having a very difficult time hearing rhyming sounds
so I have been reading aloud all or part of a rhyming picture book each day and we
practice the rhymes we hear in the book. My third graders became very interested
in the Civil War after reading Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne. I could not
find anything else in our libraries about the Civil War at their reading level, so I
checked out a series of informational texts that had many pictures. Together we
read through the captions only, discussing the difficult words and in this way they
not only expanded their vocabulary, but expanded their understanding of this
important era of our nations history.
Bibliography
Layne, S.L. (2009). Igniting a Passion for Reading, Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
Mayne, E. (1915). The Object of Teaching Reading in Methods, Aids, and Devices
for Teachers, ed. W.J. Beecher and G.B. Faxon. Dansville, NY: FA Owen.
Miller, D. (2009).The Book Whisperer. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Childrens Books:
Hoberman, M. and Emberley, M. You Read to Me, Ill Read to You: Very Short Scary
Tales to Read Together . New York, NY:Little, Brown & Co.