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My students need access to "just right" books to develop as readers and learners. Many of the students in my class have not grown up with enrichment activities like family trips to museums and extracurricular classes. Most report that their parents say they can't play outside, exploring nature, because the neighborhood isn't safe enough. I want to get great books in their hands, so that they can learn the stories that many middle class kids grow up with, like the fairy tales. Even more than story books, I am asking for informational books. I want my students to learn to see informational texts as windows to the world, so that I can teach them how a book can spark new wonderings and light their minds on fire! I want them to learn that knowledge is theirs for the taking, and that they can teach themselves about any topic through reading. In order to learn to take ownership of their learning, they need access to a collection of books on a variety of topics, written at their instructional and independent reading levels. My class runs in literacy workshop fashion, so that I teach a mini-lesson with the students gathered around me on the rug, we do a bit of practice on the reading strategy together, and then I release the kids back to their desks or to tables to spend the majority of their time working on self-selected reading. I will put these books right into leveled baskets on my shelves, so that students can easily make choices about what to read each day. Research has shown that students need to spend the bulk of their reading time reading books with 90-100% accuracy. Please allow my students to open their windows to the world!
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