Reflections on Passionate Readers by Pernille Ripp

This week I finished Passionate Readers by Pernille Ripp, my first book for #MustReadin2018. I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in creating a building-wide reading community! 📚

Here are just a few of my takeaways.

1. Reading Teachers have to be readers!

The bottom line is that if we are going to try to convince our students that reading is a good use of their time, we really need to practice what we preach. Mrs. Ripp recommends that teachers make our reading visible, set public reading goals, and share our reading plans with our students. 

Two years ago, I incorporated Donalyn Miller's 40 Book Challenge into our classroom. The students have a copy of this sheet in their reading journals, and mine is posted on the board so students can see my progress. When we do book shopping, I rotate to the different tables with the students and add titles to my TBR list (the first page in our reading journal). When I finish a book, students know that I go back to my TBR to decide what to read next. As we read, I journal about my thoughts and feelings, keep track of characters, and copy quotes that I find to be particularly significant. I share these with students when we discuss what we're reading.

40 Book Challenge sheet adapted from Donalyn Miller

2. Teachers need to have a classroom library.

It's not just that we need to have classroom libraries, it's that they have to be filled with books that students WANT to read. Ask the students. Become familiar with what other teachers recommend (there are so many fantastic resources right on Twitter). The good news? This can start small. I shop at Scholastic Warehouse sales and use their book clubs to order. I try to get at least one copy of new titles, even if that means that there is a wait list for them. Bottom line: students need to have books right at their fingertips. Classroom libraries are a must!

3. We need a "Passionate Reader Learning Community".

Starting on Day 1, our students are aware of the expectation that "this is a reading class; we are going to read." As Mrs. Ripp points out, "...if we are a class where reading is discussed, then reading also needs to take place in it" (66). We book shop on the first day of school. I have found that if the expectation is there, and the routine is in place, students WILL read!! I may not be able to control what happens outside of our room, but I can ensure that while they are with me, students will have time to read books that they choose. 

The link below is to my favorite blog post that Pernille Ripp has ever written:

What Administrators Can Do To Promote a Reading Culture

4. We need to help our students develop their reading identities.

Mrs. Ripp recommends the following steps:

• Hold an Initial Reading Conference. This is where students set a reading goal to work on until the next time you meet. Mrs. Ripp explains, "It is important that we let the students speak more than we do, as we need for them to realize that their reading identity is not determined by us, but one that they solely carry responsibility for" (100). 
• Allow students to have complete choice in their reading.
• Allow students to book shop whenever they need it, not just at some predetermined time.
• Incorporate audiobooks. This is NOT "cheating"! Audiobooks can be an equalizer for many of our students. Mrs. Ripp points out, "...students finding success with the audiobook world are building their courage, their stamina, and their desire to pick up print texts" (120).
• Book abandonment is OK. I usually tell our students that "life is too short for bad books". The last thing I want is for them to dislike reading any more than they already do. So, if a student says they don't want to read a particular book anymore, I say "OK." But one tip that I picked up from Passionate Readers is that it is important to discuss WHY the book is not working for him/her. 

What I enjoyed most about this book is its honesty. All of the strategies are ones that Mrs. Ripp has adapted after years of trial and error in her own classroom. And she is quick to point out that there are always those students who just don't become the readers that we want them to be. As someone who has taught in a reading intervention classroom for the past eleven years, this was VERY refreshing to hear--it is SO easy to become discouraged!

As Pernille explains, "Teaching would be so much easier if we could see the influence that the learning may have on a child, but most of the time we do not. We can only plant the seeds that hopefully will grow into something bigger than even we could imagine" (88).

As always, Happy Reading! 📖

#MustReadin2018

Happy New Year! 🎉🎉🎉

I have decided to give #MustReadin2018 a try. Here are the books that I have committed to read. 

Some are titles that #2jennsbookclub will discuss; some are recommendations from #ProjectLITBookClub; and some are simply because I've loved other titles by the author, and to quote The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, "Frankly, I'd read your grocery lists." 

I kept this list professional, MG and YA titles only, but look forward to LOTS of great reading in the upcoming year! 😄

I purchased Passionate Readers by Pernille Ripp in November, and haven't had a chance to crack it open yet! 😩

The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater

One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling

Miles Morales: Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Granted by John David Anderson

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez

The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie

I wish you all Happy Reading in 2018! 📚

Reflecting on my 2017 Reading

2017 was another amazing reading year! It included titles that my Book Club(s) read, MG and YA titles from all of the bookish Twitter hashtags that I (try to) keep up with, and some books that were "just because" (2017 was the year of Pride and Prejudice!). 

I'd like to share just a few of the titles that had a significant impact on me, in the order that I read them. 

I don't think I can add anything about The Hate U Give that hasn't already been said. Starr is sitting in the car when her friend Khalil is shot by a police officer. Needless to say, the event has a huge impact on Starr, her family, and her neighborhood. For me, the most intriguing thing was the duality of "Starr" Starr, and "Williamson" Starr. I have to admit, I highlighted something on pretty much every page. Oh, and I loved each and every one of the Harry Potter references! 💖

Takeaway quote: "Goodbyes hurt the most when the other person's already gone."

I simply can not say enough about Refugee by Alan Gratz! I received an ARC at the Scholastic Reading Summit, and finished it in 2 days. I read parts aloud when presenting PD sessions, and recommended it to all participants. I am thrilled that the good, kind people of Donors Choose made it possible for Refugee to be one of our Project Lit Book Club titles!

Refugee is the story of 3 young people: Josef (a Jewish boy in Nazi Germany in the 1930's), Isabel (a Cuban girl in 1994), and Mahmoud (a Syrian boy in 2015). It is an extremely timely read, and masterful in the way the characters' stories are interwoven. I loved all of the characters, but would like to give a special shout-out to Mahmoud's dad, who was often comic relief in the midst of some very dark situations. 

Takeaway quote: "But a funny thing happened while I was waiting for the world to change, Chabela: It didn't. Because I didn't change it."

An ARC of Dear Martin was graciously given to me by our Reading Council. I passed it on to one of our high school teachers, then bought myself a copy and purchased another one for a friend. The story begins with Justyce being handcuffed because of a misunderstanding by the police. He journals letters to Martin Luther King, Jr. as a way to explore his feelings and try to wrap his head around what's happening in his life. There is a LOT to discuss and learn from this book, but for me, the most powerful parts were the discussions that took place between Justyce and his classmates. 

Takeaway quote: "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality."-Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Alan Gratz also provided another excellent title this year. Ban This Book is outstanding! Amy Anne is incensed when the school bans her favorite book from the library--and it doesn't stop with just one book! She and her friends come up with ways to get the books into students' hands, and ultimately take the fight all the way to the School Board. 

Takeaway quote: "Everybody had the right to interpret any book any way they wanted to. What they couldn't do then was tell everybody else their interpretation was the only interpretation." 

I purchased Restart for our classroom based on reviews that I had seen on Twitter, and was inspired to read it because of one of my 6th graders, who devoured it and then exclaimed, "You have to read this one next!" She was so right! Chase wakes up in a hospital room after a fall and can't remember who he is. When he returns to school, it becomes clear to him that maybe he wasn't such a swell guy. I found it touching to see some humanity develop in a kid who was so clearly a vicious bully before his accident. 

Takeaway quote: "Sometimes a whack on the head is exactly what a fellow needs."

Our Book Club (as well as #2jennsbookclub) finished the year with Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. Will is heading downstairs from the seventh floor in an elevator to avenge his brother's murder. At each floor, someone from Will's past who has been shot gets on. Will receives insight from each character as he tries to decide whether or not to follow the rules (No crying, No snitching, Revenge). The imagery is absolutely beautiful, and the story is completely compelling.

Takeaway quote: "Blood soaking into a T-shirt, blue jeans, and boots looks a lot like chocolate syrup when the glow from the streetlights hit it. But I know ain't nothing sweet about blood. I know it ain't like chocolate syrup at all." 

Earlier this year, I read that Angie Thomas said, "empathy is more powerful than sympathy." Each of these books exemplifies that idea to me. What books have you read recently that inspire empathy? I would love for you to share titles!

Happy Reading! 📖