KSMA

Keep them reading

           

            It’s March and my 5^th graders are still reading!  For many this may sound really strange, but to others they understand why this is such an important statement.  I have been a librarian for 27 ½ years, and each year I have seen a decline in reading with my upper grade students, largely with the boys. Although over the last couple of years, I have even seen the loss of some girls. Both great readers and poor, they just stop reading for recreational purposes. When asked why I got various reasons, “I am too busy to read.” “I can’t find anything that I like anymore.” and one of my all time favorites “It just isn’t cool.” For many years, I have heard middle school teachers and librarians talk and write about how their male students have stopped reading and the need for finding ways to encourage them to keep reading. I have found that this doesn’t start at the middle school level it is intensified.

            Last January I started working on the Continuing Education Option through the state of Kentucky. This program gives me the opportunity to get my Rank I (without going to 30 plus hours of class) while doing something that will benefit my students and teaching.  After spending the summer studying research on the effects of recreational reading, I decided to show how recreational reading helps student achievement and to encourage my older students to see the importance of reading. The lessons I have created and used with the 5^th grade have accomplished these things. The lessons included some modeling, teacher read-alouds, student journal writing, research projects and a great deal of recreational reading time during their weekly library time. 

            One lesson I used centers on the students’ future. This lesson focuses on careers and how reading is an important aspect of any job they plan for their future. Students were given an assignment to write in their journal what they planned to do after high school, how they though reading would be involved in their choice, and three questions they would like to find the answers to about their future choices. The students researched their chosen career to find the answers to their questions and found further information about their future choices. When they were finished with their research, each student wrote a short report as a journal entry. The students then shared what they learned about their careers of choice. 

            Since I have over 130 5^th graders, I decided to use only two of my weekly classes to collect data to see how my lessons have impacted their achievement.   One class has a variety of levels with the other being one of our collaboration classes.  The main reason for using this class for data was important because these are the ones I knew would probably stop reading sooner then some of the other classes I had.  Since I have worked with these students for the last 2 years, I thought this group would be a good target group to see if what I implemented would make a difference. I have always shared with the teachers of our building how important it is for the students to have recreational reading time and the effects it has on students; however, due to student schedules, it is not always possible. Since I have implemented the changes in my lessons and the structure of my class, I have students who would have stopped reading that are still reading and sharing what they read with the others in the class.

            One of my hardest cases is a young man who one morning before school, prior to Thanksgiving, brought in his overdue books. When asked if he wanted to get new books then or wait till class time the next day, he informed me that he wasn’t going to check anything out anymore because he was finished reading. This opened the door for me to talk to him about how his reading would never improve if he just stopped reading. I asked him how he planned to get through high school and do all the things he wanted to do if his reading didn’t improve. He suddenly changed his mind and he has been reading ever since. He has even been back to the library on days he doesn’t have library to get new books to read.  Since working on the career project, he has changed his attitude even more when he realized that what he wants to do will take some specialized reading and knowledge.  

           Now it is April and my students have not stopped reading. They check out books, share what they read with others, talk to me about what they think the library needs, and write interesting entries in their journals about reading and their thoughts on what they read. Since implementing the changes, I have seen great improvement in the 5^th grade students’ attitude toward reading. This change will be one that I will continue to improve on and will expand to the 4^th grade next year. Our library, will be a place where reading, writing, sharing and enjoying a great book all comes together to enhance student achievement.