Helping students own their reading and writing by asking them how they do it!

    Katie is one of the most thoughtful and purposeful teachers I work with. Like her students, I hang on her every word and gesture. Her sense of humor and passion for learning are contagious. It is because of her I became interested in understanding ways to help students own their reading and writing. After observing in her classroom early on in the school year,  a boy who is usually quiet and reticent about sharing his thoughts,  announced how he would change the  book he was reading. It was obvious that he felt he owned that book - he had the power to change it.  Katie helps each of her students love stories, jokes, the printed word, and to find a place in literacy. When I asked her how she does it, she asked her students to answer my question. That is a classic Katie action - go to the source and ask the kids! Her room is child-centered and you feel their energy when you enter the room.

On the whiteboard next to her is a list of what helps them feel like they own their reading and writing:

•  the different genres they can read and write   
•  their writers notebooks where they can come up with new ideas of their own
• the classroom blog to share their ideas from literature circles 
•  how she gives the characters a voice during read alouds

    It is obvious what Katie values from reading this list. She wants her students to have choice in what they read and write. She provides authentic opportunities for them to share their ideas. Every day she reads aloud, acting out the stories, using different voices for each character, demonstrating her love for the printed word.

Katie provides her students with lots of time to talk about what they are reading and writing. She leans in and genuinely wants to hear their ideas.Often it is a lively discourse where she sits back and listens to their ideas.  She models for them how they can be good listeners and engaged participants in literacy.
 
To Ponder:
What do you value in literacy?
How do you share what you value with your students?

Recommended Reading:

Talk to Understand by Ellin Keene (Heinemann, 2012)

Spring issue of Educational Leadership 2012

Deeper Reading by Kelly Gallagher (Stenhouse, 2004)