Read with Someone or Reading with a Friend

Isn't it exciting when your students want to read all the time?  My class does a modified version of the Daily Five.  We have a separate time when we "Read to Self" after lunch everyday.  My students also have the option of "Reading to Self" during Readers' Workshop. What I discovered is they love this special reading time, and we have really increased our stamina throughout the school year.  I use this time to fit in listening to children read independently.  There is nothing more powerful than getting a one-to-one uninterrupted glimpse of a student reading.  I usually spend 5 minutes with each student, giving me a chance to listen to 5-6 extra children read each day. We have built our independent reading stamina to 35 minutes during the month of February.  Some students could go for longer periods of time, but my struggling readers need more anchored support.  When our "Read to Self" time is up, I switch to "Read to Someone."  They finish out this time by reading with a friend.  So we are now reading for 45 minutes each day.  They love their "Read to Someone" time, and it is a great way to build a classroom reading community. 


Procedures are a MUST for any program to be successful.  My students have the option of sitting on the floor, laying on reading mats, sitting at their tables, reading under our tables, or in our hallway (privilege).  I first encouraged the "sit by your friend" when they read, but everyone had a different reading style or what was "comfortable" reading.  So as always, I made up a song to a familiar tune to help us learn the correct procedures.  This song is to "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes."  At the end of the song, I say, "Where does the book go?"  They chant, "In the middle!" Here is a picture of our anchor chart:

 Click here to download these FREE anchor charts. 

Click here to view:  "I'm Working on My Strategies to Read" for the Smart Board, Interactive Whiteboard, or student computer on my TpT store.

Don't have this technology yet?  Use the mp3 song and book set from my TpT store.
"I'm Working on My Strategies to Read" mp3 Song
"I'm Working on My Strategies to Read" Book Set
The book set includes a big book version along with an independent reading book, 1/2 size books for book boxes or guided reading, and a single page version for homework folders.  You can also use the big book version to create 11X17 anchors charts for your reading wall.

Independent Reading Book
8 1/2 x 11

"I'm Working on My Strategies to Read" from the CD "Growing Dendrites by Kathy Griffin" (c) Copyright 2011