Spring Literacy Challenge #1: Let Them Read

It’s (finally) spring, and along with the warmer temperatures comes testing season. This year, before you kick into test prep/worksheet hell, try this simple literacy challenge to fine-tune the coming weeks:

Track how many minutes students spend reading during one school day.

Research is really clear on this: students who read more achieve more. (And have more vocabulary, better fluency, increased comprehension, and can think critically.)

Simple right? 

In real school, one of the biggest factors interfering with time the students log as readers is the adult talking in the room. Yes. We can be our own worst enemy in this arena.

As a quick awareness exercise, set a timer next time you start talking to your students in a literacy lesson. Stop the timer when you let them read and make a note of how many minutes you talked.

Then, start the timer again when you release students to read in the same lesson. Stop it when the time is up. Compare the amount of time you talked to the amount of time the students read.

Continue to track the minutes across one day (or one class period if you are in grades 6-12). If possible, make a note of how much of this reading is silent and on their own. As readers. As real readers who have to exercise their reading muscles without you or a partner or a small group in a variety of texts.

(Of course, it ALL counts as reading time, but for those of you with an eye on The Test, it is helpful to know how much of the day is logged as a reader that mirrors the assessment.)

In our work in schools, it is not uncommon to observe 30-40 minute literacy lessons where the students read a total of 1-7 minutes. TOTAL. And it is always a surprise to the adults in the building that this is happening!

The good news is that this is an easy fix. 

You can raise awareness of your own talking time versus reading time by trying the timer exercise. You could also video a lesson. If your talking time is just too uncomfortable to track, then just start with how much time students are logging as readers — real readers. 

Yes, you can count reading on the computer.

Yes, you can count reading for fun.

Yes, you can count reading in whole group.

Yes, you can count reading in small group.

Yes, you can count reading that is not fiction.

Yes, you can count reading in science, social studies, or other informational text.

Yes, you can count reading that does not include a test, worksheet, or diorama.

But, the minutes HAVE to come from one day in the life of the student at school. (Minutes read at home is a totally different number.)

Keep this simple. Do not get distracted by titles, levels, labels, or other barriers. Just simply log how many minutes are available for students to read during the school day. The idea is to get a sense of how much time your students log as readers, and then multiply that by 5 to get a ballpark idea of how much they read during one week of school.

Once you have your number, reflect on ways to increase it. Can you talk less? Can students read in small chunks across the day (or class period)? Where in your schedule can you plug holes with actual reading?

So instead of making copies, adding more tasks to the day, or surfing Teachers Pay Teachers for test prep magic, we challenge you to just let them read.