Following the STAR Reading Test, students headed to the Book Nook for a little Independent Reading. Next week we will begin calling Independent Reading time Read to Self time.
Each student found a cozy little place to begin reading and read independently for about 10 minutes.
I know 10 minutes does not sound like a long time, but many students need to build up their independent reading stamina. We took a few minutes to learn about the word stamina and what it means to our reading ability.
I used my marathon training as an example of stamina. I explained that if I went out on week 1 and was expected to run 26.2 miles that I would be setting myself up for failure. Running 26.2 miles takes a lot of training and practice. I must start out with low mileage and slowly increase my distance, or stamina, until I reach my goal.
Students must do the same thing when reading. I cannot sit them down during the first week of school, following months of summer vacation and freedom, and expect them to read independently, silently, and still for 45 minutes. If I expect them to do that then I am setting them up for immediate failure. In order to build confidence in their ability to read I must first provide them with opportunities to feel successful!
Today most of us read for the full 10 minutes without moving or becoming distracted. We will try again tomorrow and Friday until we master the art of reading for 10 uninterrupted minutes. Next week we will begin increasing our stamina by 2 minutes every other day :)
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