Category: Reading Identity

conferences, Reading, Reading Identity

A small tweak for better reading goals

Pernille Ripp

I think we are all really good at setting goals. But goals that we actually attain? Those are harder. So when I think of the reading goal work I do and have done with students, there is a small tweak that has made a big difference: including the why. And not in teacher lingo, but in the everyday kid language that shows us this is something they have truly reflected on.

Why have they chosen what they chose? What should the end result be?

Does it even align with who they are and what they have the capacity for right now?

This small tweak can lead to a deeper understanding of how they want to grow  overall and move goals from being checklist items to meaningful  pursuits. It can also show us which kids are just setting goals to please the adults or get it off their to-do. There is a lot of parroting that happens in schools, kids know what we teachers want to hear and so often when it comes to setting learning goals, kids tell us what we want to hear. Asking them to pause and add on an answer to “in order to” gives us a chance to open up for much broader conversations, and also continue our focus on developing readers and not “just” reading skills.

I have shared my reading survey before, but here is my 6 week survey that I use every 6 weeks to check in with students. This is where they set new goals and it has been updated with this addition. 

being a teacher, Reading, Reading Identity

Using Self-Compassion to Help Readers Grow

Pernille Ripp

Another post first shared on Patreon, but one that is oh so relevant as we continue to attempt to build meaningful reading relationships.

I came across a fascinating article that discussed the three pillars of self-compassion and how actively developing it can help us alleviate anxiety and depression. Immediately, my mind jumped to reading identity and overall school affinity for students. How does self-compassion and seeing your own worth tie in with how we develop and what we are willing to try?

So I have a few ideas for how we can take this work and bring it into our classrooms as a part of what we already do. In my experience, some kids who hate reading have this reaction because of how reading makes them feel; worthless, and so when we focus on developing self-compassion, they can sometimes shift their mindsets into one of awe rather than disappointment.

Reading is an incredibly complex brain capability. It is not something that just happens, but something we have to train our brain to do, thus the need for specific reading skills teaching, as well as positive reading experiences. When kids don’t develop as easily as they see others do, they often turn that inward, seeing themselves as less-than, rather than recognizing that many components need to be in place to develop as a reader and that we inherently develop at different speeds. And we can try to speak this out of existence, but we all know that ultimately the deeper realization needs to come from the child themselves.

Adding these ideas into the reading conferring that hopefully is happening provides us with an opportunity to dig deeper into how kids view themselves as readers, and the next steps they can take in their journey. So it is not that it is one more thing to do, but rather a new lens and line of questioning we can explore with those kiddos who despite all our attempts still hate reading.

I use a lot of surveys with kids in order to see how they view themselves as readers. My beginning of the year one – which can be used any time – can be accessed here  but sometimes a quick survey like this one can also be a great way to check in and deepen conversations.

I would love to know your thoughts on this. Do we even have time for this? How do we make the time? What are the conversations we can have with kids that help them take over the ownership of their reading development?

Reading, Reading Identity

Let Students Speak Books: Simple Ideas for a Shared Reading Community

Pernille Ripp

I have been thinking, writing, speaking about reading identity and building joyful reading opportunities in school for more than a decade. Ideas still come, but at times, they slow down. After all, there are mnay tried and true ideas that still work, even as they get re-shared throughout the years. We finetune, we adapt, we consider, we reflect, and we put things into practice to see if this little tweak, this little idea is THE idea for helping a child build their reading culture.

We all know so many of the components of a reading environment that works a for a lot of kids. Independent reading time, book choice (As my niece said today, “I only like to read books I decide myself”), embracing diverse preferences not just in reading material but also in how we read, who we read with and how we work with reading. We allow and encourage book abandonment, and we spend precious minutes recommending books to speak books with our students. We lead the way as a committed adult reader who wants to showcase all the paths into reading and why it matters.

Bit it doesn’t always work. Even this, is sometimes not enough. And I get asked a lot; then what. But how can we take it further? Because an adult-centered reading community is an artificial one at length for students. It has an expiration date that lines up with when the adult says goodbye.

This is why some of our time has to be focused on that shift in who is at the center of the reading culture. How can we shift from being the sole source  of reading knowledge to cultivating a shared knowledge base? How do we establish and grow a  casual reading community that goes beyond just the teacher-student  interactions and start to draw in each other as fellow readers?

Like I said, I  have shared many ideas throughout the years – in my book, Passionate  Readers, this community, and on social media. But here are a  few more to get those readers talking, sharing, and seeing each other  as the valuable resources that they are.

I have linked to the resources I have created as well. 

Choose my Book for Me

Have each child fill in a reading desire sheet: length, genre, format, favorite previous reads etc – see sheet for questions and to make your own.

Then have students identify four people they would like to find a book for – 2 friends and 2 not-yet-friends. Assign two students to each child, ensuring everyone has two individuals to find a book for.

Share the reading desire sheet and let them loose, pulling books they think these people may like.

Pile them up and have them add them to their to-be-read list.

…Then You Might Like

Have students fill out their favorite themes of books on a quick tally sheet. 

Then group 3-4 kids into small groups putting them in charge of their chosen theme.

Each group creates an “If you like this book, then you might also like these books…” poster.

Hang and share in your classroom.

Adult Favorites

What do the adults in your schools and community love to read and what would they recommend to someone in your classroom?

Have adults come in or share a recorded brief (2 minutes or less) book talk with students offering their favorite reads for this age group.

Play one every day or create a library where students can access at their leisure.

For ideas for adults with guidelines, go here

Fill a Box

Grab some shoe boxes or other smaller boxes and group 4-5 students together.

Let them loose in your book stacks  – collaborate with your librarian if you don’t have a classroom library – and as a group, have them fill each box with recommendations of books they have loved.

Swap boxes with other groups, give a short rundown of titles selected if you want, and have kids write down book recommendations on their to-be-read lists.

1 Minute Book Talk

At the end of independent reading once a week, have students stop and do a 1 minute or less book talk to their table group (or group them together).

Have them share what they are reading, why they chose it, and one other question from this list or ones they make up themselves.

  • Share the most shocking or surprising moment you’ve encountered in your book so far.
  • What keeps you hooked and motivated to continue reading this book?
  • On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rank this book in terms of enjoyment?
  • Who do you think would enjoy reading this book? 
  • If you could ask the author one question about the book, what would it be?
  • Share a favorite quote or passage from the book that resonated with you.
  • Has this book made you see something in a different way? How has it changed your perspective?
  • Make a TikTok dance or gesture that represents the overall mood or theme of the book.
  • Imagine if this book were turned into a movie. Who would you cast as the main characters?
  • Share your favorite character from the book and explain why they’re memorable to you.
  • If you could recommend this book to anyone (real or fictional), who would it be and why?
  • Share an interesting fact or trivia related to the author or the book’s setting.
  • What emotions has this book made you feel?
  • Show us your reading spot or favorite place to dive into this book.
  • If you could live in the world of this book for a day, what would you do or explore?
  • Share a book-related tip or hack that has enhanced your reading experience.
  • In three words, describe the overall vibe or atmosphere of the book.

Think Like a Marketer

Have students find a book they would like to advertise. Can be one they have read or not.

The goal is now to create an advertising campaign for this to entice as many readers as possible. What should the tagline be? How should the book be photographed?  Think like a marketer – how would the book be placed, what props would be present, what would the angle be?

Have students create posters using Canva with their images and taglines and share them around the school as a way to entice further readers. You can even run a campaign and see how many kids end up borrowing the book.

Giving students an opportunity to be the ones that speak books more than the adults is a way to shift ownership. It becomes commonplace when we give it value, time, and space to be developed.

So what are ideas that you like to use? How have you shifted the ownership of the discovery of books into the hands of your students?

being a student, being a teacher, Reading Identity, Writing Identity

Embracing Change: Helping Students Break Free from the Self-Consistency Fallacy

Pernille Ripp

I never thought I would step out of the classroom as a teacher. There was no vision of my future that didn’t have me being a teacher, yet taking a break from physically teaching and working in marketing as a brand writer has been an incredible experience. Not only am I now 100% certain that I want to get back in the classroom, but I have also gotten to test so many of the writing strategies I have taught students throughout the years, expanded my own knowledge of the corporate tech world, and had to push myself way beyond my comfort zone. Starting over in a career at 42 is not for the fainthearted.

But this was something I would have never done had it not been for how awful I felt last school year. I needed to become something else in order to preserve what I was.

But still, seeing ourselves through the many roles we play means we often get stuck in the self-consistency fallacy – the belief that our past choices and behaviors must dictate our future. Just as watching the same play with the same actors repeating the same lines would grow tiresome, sticking rigidly to who we think we are can hinder personal and academic growth. 

And so it made me think, of course, about the very kids in our care who only see themselves as one thing – a kid who doesn’t read, someone who is bad a math, someone where school doesn’t work. But they can be so much more. As educators, we know it is vital to help students realize that they have the power to change not only their academic trajectory but also their identities and passions. And we tell kids this all the time, often to very deaf ears. After all, it is easy to tell someone that they can be whoever they want to be, but often we have no way of knowing how to change.This is where teaching them about the self-consistency fallacy can help.

The self-consistency fallacy, also known as the continuation bias, path dependence, or battle against determinism, exerts a powerful influence on our lives. It often compels us to make choices based on our past roles and interests, even when our desires and aspirations have evolved. Similarly, it can limit our relationships, health choices, and overall life direction. However, it is essential to recognize that we are not bound by our past decisions and beliefs. We are dynamic beings capable of change and growth—a verb, not a noun according to Anne-Laure Le Cunff, who recently wrote about the self-consistency fallacy which started all of my thoughts. 

To help students overcome the self-consistency fallacy, we must foster an environment that encourages reflection and expansion. By posing questions, we can challenge students to let go of preconceived expectations and explore new horizons.

This also ties beautifully in with the identity work we can have students do throughout the year. A great place to start is by taking students through some or all of these questions starting with who they are now, how people see them, and how they would like to be seen. Of course, these can be modified to fit the age group you teach.

  1. What are some of your strengths and talents that you value about yourself?
  2. How do your friends and family describe you? Do you agree with their perceptions of you?
  3. Are there any aspects of yourself that you would like to change or improve? Why?
  4. How do you think others perceive your interests and passions? Is there anything you want to explore further?
  5. Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve been hesitant to try because of how others might see you? Why?
  6. How do you express your true self in different environments, such as at school, with friends, or at home?
  7. Do you feel comfortable expressing your thoughts and opinions openly? Why or why not?
  8. Are there any societal or cultural expectations that have influenced how you present yourself to others?
  9. Imagine the ideal version of yourself. How would you describe this person? What traits or qualities would they possess?
  10. What steps can you take to align your current self with the person you aspire to become?
  11. Are there opportunities that you have dismissed because they don’t align with your existing trajectory?
  12. What new paths could you explore if you were not bound by your past choices?
  13. If you could start from a blank slate, who would you be? What would you be interested in? How would you be known?

Asking students to consider how they are seen and whether they agree with that opinion is an important place to inspire change. Is how they are known who they want to be? Are there other parts of themselves they would like the world to know about? Are there parts they would like to not be known for?

It is crucial for students to understand that the most significant opportunities for learning and growth often emerge from unexpected tangents. Encourage students to embrace the “weird” projects that pique their curiosity, explore fun ideas that may not have apparent professional benefits, and engage in collaborations unrelated to their career aspirations. Encourage them to break free of the stereotypes that often confine them.

By venturing beyond their comfort zones, students can cultivate a diverse range of experiences that will shape their unique stories. But even more importantly, they can change their static notions of who they are.

As educators, we have the privilege of guiding students along their educational journeys. By addressing the self-consistency fallacy, we can help students realize that they possess the agency to shape their academic and personal trajectories. By encouraging reflection, asking thought-provoking questions, and embracing change, we can inspire students to explore their true passions, foster growth, and build the foundation for a fulfilling future. 

PS: Are you looking for coaching, in-person support, or virtual presentations? I am available and would love to support your work. Whereas I am physically located in Denmark now, I can travel if needed. In fact, I was just in North America in February 2023 and plan on bouncing back and forth.  If you would like me to be a part of your professional development, please reach out. I am here to help. For a lot more posts, resources, live and recorded professional development, please join my Patreon community where most of my sharing takes place these days.

building community, first day, first week, picture books, Reading, Reading Identity

Booklist: Great Picture Books for The First Day or Week of School

Pernille Ripp

Cross-posted from my Patreon community where I post min-pd videos, specific unit plans, and also do livestreams once a month.

I started compiling my pile of great picture books to read for the first day of school and then…the list grew.  A lot.  Because so much of what we do on that first day of school depends on the type of mood we are trying to invite, the focus we choose to have, and of course, the age of our students.

So, the link shared here will show you more than 50 great picture books you could use, 20 that I love personally, and then another 30 some suggested by other educators. Some are new, some are old, and all serve a great purpose of discussing norms, modeling fluency, opening up discussions, creating memories, and focusing on reading as an act of community creation. 

Reading a picture book aloud has been a personal first-day must for many years in our classroom.  I want kids to see that we will spend valuable class time on reading, that read-aloud is not just for younger children, and that their voices get the space they deserve in our time together.

I know I missed amazing titles, which would you add to this resource?

I am excited to be heading out on the road again to be with other educators in-district or at conferences while continuing my virtual consulting and speaking as well. Whereas I am physically located in Denmark now, I can still offer virtual and in-person work.  If you would like me to be a part of your professional development, please reach out. I am here to help. For a lot more posts, resources, live and recorded professional development, please join my Patreon community where most of my sharing takes place these days.

being a teacher, Reading, Reading Identity, Student Engagement, student voice

5 Steps to Reading Reactivation for Dormant Readers

Pernille Ripp

I was in a reading frenzy the first week of summer vacation. Lounging on my nap couch, bringing a book to the pool, lying in my hammock, and feeling on top of my reading life. And then we went home to Denmark, jetlag and worries of the future crowding my mind, and all of a sudden the reading bonanza I was in disappeared. Just like that. I finally finished a book yesterday, a 10-page slog at a time, wondering where my concentration and drive went. It’s not that I don’t like to read, it is that I don’t have the energy to.

The guilt of not reading is a constant companion because I see the books staring at me and the time beckoning. Yet I know that once my sleep gets figured out, once a few major decisions fall into place, once my brain believes that I am resting, then the reading will continue. I am secure in my own identity as a reader, it may be on pause right now, but I will restart it soon.

I see these same emotions play out in our classrooms as well; kids who were reading champions, who never went without a book, all of a sudden floundering. Losing the drive, the motivation, the love of settling into the pages of a book and seeing only work, stress, and perhaps even guilt like me. But a major difference between the students in my care and myself is that for some reading appears to be lost for good. An activity they were good at, something that has now slipped out of their grasp. And for some they don’t think it will or even want it to ever come back.

So many of my students believe that to be a reader, one must be actively reading at all times or making plans for their next read, and these false notions of what it means to be a reader can lead them into further disconnection with reading and seeing reading as part of their future identity.

This is why we must consider and change how we speak about reading and the act of being readers. This is why we must actively share our reading journey, leaving no part untold, so that the readers in our care can truly see and understand that once a reader, always a reader, even if it lies dormant. I share my reading pauses with my students so they can see how I slowly get back into active reading. I don’t stop calling myself a reader just because I do not have a book in my hands, just because I do not feel like reading. I am merely at rest, still solid in my knowledge that I am a reader.

So how do we make space for these conversations?

Step 1: We first discover how each child sees themselves as a reader. If they declare themselves non-readers, then we ask when this started? What caused it? What actions did they take? How do they feel about that? Having surveys and follow-up conversations allow us to start these conversations from day one, but that doesn’t mean that every child is ready to share honestly with us. Why should they? They have no reason to trust us on the first day of school. So make sure to come back to these conversations as the year progresses, this also recognizes the damage that can be done to their active reading lives in our care despite our best intentions. Children stop reading all the time for many reasons, we should have a way o uncovering that throughout the year. I plan 6-weeks check-ups throughout our year so that this conversation will be checked on at least every 6 weeks but we have lots of other informal check-ins as well.

Step 2: Create action plans to reframe their language. While children are often at the mercy of adult plans, it is vital that we activate them as problem-solvers and active participants in their own goal setting. What is a realistic goal? Can they try a book on in our independent reading time? How many pages are they willing to try? If not reading with their eyes, will they read with their ears? Will they read with a partner? Will they listen to a read aloud? Also writing down these plans and goals is important because we often forget the nuances of how we got to this plan. Accountability is also built through check-ins. This helps us reframe the language that they use about themselves. Adding partial sentences such as “not yet” or “right now” can be a way to start the refrain. So when a child says they hate to read it can be reframed as ” I hate to read right now.”

Step 3: Give it time. We often confuse our power thinking that if we tell kids to read then they simply will. Some will for sure, and as we know, others will dig their heels in and refuse every positive attempt we make to give it a try. This can be an indication of how comfortable they feel as readers who are disconnected from the act of reading. It can also be a window into the reading trauma they carry with them, or even just disdain. Whatever is the root cause, it can sometimes take months for some children to even try to reactivate as readers and while our own rush to help them become active readers again is a driving force, we cannot let that cloud our decisions. Forcing someone to read through the use of grades, computer programs, or other negative external measures will most often backfire in the long run. What we are looking for here is an initial activation or reactivation of feeling like a reader. So meet them where they are at and take small steps together, be mindful of the child at the center of this, not just the adult pressure to “make them a reader.”

Step 4: Reworking mindset long-term. How do we speak about reading and who our readers are? What is the language that our curriculum wraps them in? How do we show the importance of reading through the actions we take? I constantly have to remind myself that the year I have with students is only one small part of their lifelong reading journey and that my well-meaning intentions can lead to significant long-term behaviors in reading, both positive or negative. So how I invite them into this work matters greatly; am I judgement-free, am I firm in my conviction that they too can find value in reading (notice that I am not using the word joy yet because for some joy can be too big of an ask in the beginning), and I am calm in my approach. Yes, this work is urgent but it must also be centered in peace in order to make space for the many components of a child’s life. Am I holding them to high expectations while also supporting them in an individual plan? Checking in with students through both casual and planned conversations is a great first step but also tracking what we discuss and the ideas we have is another. I keep a binder with my noticing and conversations so that I can track how I am supporting them and also how they speak about themselves.

Step 5. Celebrate small growth. Too often we are intently focused on the major transformations and miss so many milestone moments along the way. This is why I am not in favor of many major individually-based reading celebrations where children have to reach an adult-determined milemarker that automatically excludes those who are developing at a different pace. Each child has something to celebrate, whether it is trying a book for the first time in a long time, actually reading a page on their own, actually engaging in conversation for the first time about their reading identity, or even just being willing to speak to you at all. Paying attention to all of these mini-milestones and recognizing them in genuine ways through positive interactions can make a major difference in how children view their reading journey. Being an adult cheerleader as they reconnect, reactivate, or finally activate in the first place is a necessary part of the adult support we provide.

Seeing the determination in a child that has declared themselves a non-reader as a force of good rather than bad, can be a powerful tool as we help children see their own power. Their convictions and dedication to not reading are a sign of the strength they have and what we can potentially help them tap into as they envision themselves as readers. It takes motivation to be a dormant reader in a classroom filled with books, how can that motivation be used in a pursuit of reactivation?

Helping a child recognize and see a path forward back to reading is not just a central tenet of the work I do, but it also encapsulates the humanity that is the center of the classroom we co-create. Every child, no matter where they are at on their educational journey, deserves respect from me – whether they love to read or not. So making space for identity formation, for reframing the language children use to describe themselves, offering that up to other adults who support them, and then taking actions based on the notion of possibility is what we can do as we plan for future students or reconsider our own reading curriculum.

As for me, I have a new book to read, a shorter one that will be out in the fall. One whose cover called my name and whose pages seem manageable even in my sleep-deprived state. I am going to give it a whirl and pay attention to how I feel. I know my inner reader is still in there, waiting to be reawakened.

I am excited to be heading out on the road again to be with other educators in-district or at conferences, while continuing my virtual consulting and speaking as well. If you would like me to be a part of your professional development, please reach out. I am here to help. For a lot more posts, resources, live and recorded professional development, please join my Patreon community where most of my sharing takes place these days.