So confession time....when I was young, I didn't like reading...yeah, you read that right....THIS reading teacher didn't love reading!!! I was a good reader...I just didn't like it! I'm not exactly sure why, but I didn't. I remember one day in third grade, we got to choose a book from the teacher's "book cart". I chose a book that had several stories in it. The story I chose was about a girl that visited her grandparents and got to ride a horse. I wasn't a huge horse lover or anything...but I visited my best friend's home, on a farm, often! It was such a different life for me because I lived in town. I loved being on her farm! I remember being so involved in the story when the teacher called time...we had to put the books away. I remember the next time we got to choose a book, I went back to that book to finish it. To this day, I can even recall the story. The next year in fourth grade, I had a teacher that turned out to be my favorite of all time...Mrs. Beth Jackson. I'm still in contact with her today...I give her most of the credit for me wanting to be a teacher! She read to us every day after lunch...I couldn't wait for her to read...that was it! I looked forward to going to the library to check out books...I would ask my parents to even take me to the public library to check out books! So....I think my number one tip is....
Have a variety of books to offer choices for all readers...not just interest...but reading levels, as well! Set aside time for students to have a CHOICE of what they read!
Share your story...if you didn't like reading (like me) then share that! If you did like reading, share why! Connect with your students! This can go a long way!
Offer other things than books! There are lots of other types of text...authentic reading....menus, catalogs, comic books...etc. etc. etc.
Build stamina! Practice this in class! Start off with one minute...then increase...until you reach 20 minutes.
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