On Monday, I visited a lovely school called Narnia. The school was a warm and welcoming place, with teachers and students chatting in the hallway between periods. In the classroom, teachers had a conversational tone with students, and students felt comfortable answering questions.
I attended a 6th grade reading class, with Daniela translating quietly. As had been explained to me, the reading was all in what we would call a workbook-a softcover textbook with text excerpts and questions. This class was reading an excerpt from a Norse myth. The teacher did what all skilled teachers do- she started by making the topic seem relevant to students. She invited the students to share what they know about the Marvel movies, and the conversation took off. She also shared that she was so interested in myths that she bought some books about myths. The students all wanted to look at the books and wanted to know if they could borrow it. Then students started sharing: “I have a book of myths at home! I’ll bring it tomorrow!” She promised then that they would all have time to read the books the next day, when there were more of them to share.
The rest of the class time was spent with students taking turns reading aloud from the textbook.The small adjustments that the teacher made, without the benefit of a classroom library or the ability to give the students a choice in what topics to explore, helped hook the students into the reading. The act of sharing a little about herself as a reader (I am someone who reads books when I am interested in a topic.), connecting the content to something that interests them (Marvel movies) and offering just a few authentic texts made the difference. Intentional teaching matters, and you can do a lot with just a few books.
Trusting Readers 