Reading – Page 51 – Pernille Ripp

Be the change, being a teacher, being me, Reading, reflection, students

Why It Matters to Be Passionate About Reading

April 5, 2014 Pernille Ripp

“…I used to hate reading, it wasn’t cool, you know? But then when I heard you were my teacher, I was kinda excited because in your room it was ok to like reading.”

He speaks these words to me as if they are no big deal. To him they probably aren’t, just another conversation with his teacher. But in my heart and mind, these words mean everything. These words are why I am so passionate about books and about kids loving books.

I chose to finally unleash my passionate reader last year, thinking it might make a difference in my classroom. Little did I know just how much of a difference it would make. We are a reading classroom now. Not that we weren’t before, but not like this. Not this excited, not this engaged, not this immersed. Reading is cool in my room, something that matters to 5th graders. Reading is what we do.

When I pull out a new picture book, the kids cheer. They laugh, they comment, they re-read. When I bring in a pile of books, I have to step out of the way while my students grab the one they have to read now and others scramble to make signup sheets so they can read it next. All it took was for me to be passionate. All it took was for me to share that passion. (And of course, incredible books).

We wonder whether passion matters in education and in reading in particular. Do teachers really need to be readers themselves to teach reading? I am here to tell you it makes the biggest difference. Children who have long given up on school can find solace in books. Books build connections. Books build memories. When we are passionate readers ourselves we are actively sharing our lives, our connections, our feelings, with the kids that we hand books to. When we go all out in our love of reading, we show kids that it is okay to be a reader. That it is not something to be ashamed of. Not something to hide. But rather something that should be embraced and shouted from the rooftops.

So when students come to me and tell me reading sucks, or reading is uncool, I am not afraid. Nor am I upset. They just haven’t found the right book, they just haven’t laughed at the right read aloud. They haven’t experienced the magic of reading a picture book as a big kid. They just haven’t had that moment where everything disappears and all that matters is the book. And that’s ok, hopefully, this year will be the year. Hopefully this year they will find their passion. Because I am not giving up on them.

PS: Have you heard about the Global Read Aloud? The books for 2014 were just chosen and I promise this year will be amazing. Connect your students to the world through a shared read aloud, after all it only takes one book to connect the world.

I am a passionate (female) 5th grade teacher in Wisconsin, USA, proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day. First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classroom Back to Our Students Starting Today” can be pre-bought now from Powerful Learning Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Be the change, being me, Reading, reflection

So What’s My Book About?

April 4, 2014April 4, 2014 Pernille Ripp

This week was very exciting for me as my very first e-book published by Powerful Learning Press became available for pre-buy. I had never thought I would be able to add “author” to my bio! This book is meant to be a how-to change your classroom for any level of teacher, pre-service, new, or veteran.

What’s even better is that right now until April 7th there is a coupon, I love a good coupon!

Save with this pre-buy coupon code

To celebrate the pre-launch of this exciting book for educators, Powerful Learning Press is offering a $3 discount through April 7. Use our coupon code PREBUY at checkout to save $3. Go to the PLPress online store to buy now.

I hope you consider reading it.

being me, Reading, reflection

Take a Moment to Celebrate

April 3, 2014April 4, 2014 Pernille Ripp

He sat down next to me, book bin in hand, ready for his conference.

“So what has been going on in your head as you read?” I ask, pen poised and ready to jot.

“Well…” he clears his throat “…I just finished this book.”

And that’s when it hits me. This kid finished a book! And not just one book but almost 10 books this year. This kid who at the beginning completely had given up on chapter books, who only read magazines if forced. This kid is reading. And not just reading, he is sharing his thoughts, writing ideas down, thinking of what to read next.

So I put my pen down, I only write “Celebration” in my notes. Instead we spend several minutes discussing his accomplishments, discussing his growth. I urge him to be proud, to notice what he has done. A few minutes is all it is, but monumental none the less.

When was the last time I took a few minutes to celebrate a child’s growth with them privately? I am great with the whole class praise, but often forget the one to one. Not any more. Instead of a reading mini-lesson I will be celebrating. Instead of giving them something new to try, we will instead spend a few minutes cherishing what they have accomplished, what they have already done.

In a week we can go back to the new, but for now we will cherish the old. After all, a small celebration can indeed go a long way.

Reading, Student-centered

For the Love of Book Clubs – Creating Meaningful Conversations

March 15, 2014March 18, 2014 Pernille Ripp

“….I think you are right because…”

“…on page he said…”

“…I really connected with…”

I am drifting around my classroom listening in on the book club conversations happening during reading. Some times I stop and guide, other times I just listen, smile and move on. What a glorious sight indeed, 26 students discussing their books.

It wasn’t always this way in my room. I remember the days of guided reading, teacher front and center, and the students skimming the surface of their books waiting for their turn to read aloud. I remember the times when 2 children dominated every conversation and others just watched. Or the time when I thought book clubs meant I had to have all of the questions prepared in all of the books. Gone are those days and thank goodness they are. So how did we get to this stage, because I can tell you it didn’t just happen by magic!

We started the first day of school. The very first thing I did in my classroom was read aloud a book and ask my students to discuss it. Everything we have built off started that day.
We set the goal beyond school. I don’t want my students to have deep conversations to get a good reading grade, I want them to be able to have meaningful conversations about anything in life. The goal is bigger than 5th grade and the students get that.
I gave them a timeline. I told the students that later in the year we would be in book clubs and so everything we were practicing in reading led up to this; real “adult” conversations about books.
We practiced. Deep conversations don’t just happen so we practiced with every read aloud. That way the students had a shared experience to discuss without it taking up much time. Practice wasn’t just out loud, students would also write down what their response would be on post-its, thus allowing everyone a chance to be a part of the conversation.
We built off each other. Younger readers tend to state their opinion without really listening to what has been said before them. I modeled how to build off what has just been said and students then practiced every chance we got.
We did it across subjects. Creating great discussions isn’t contained to just reading but is something we need in all subjects because it is a life skill. We have many discussions across the board and they all practice the same skills with the goal of pushing our thoughts deeper.
We created cheat sheets. Students don’t always know what questions to ask to push a conversation so we created cheat cards together; little note cards with printed questions that they could refer to anytime they want.
I stopped talking. Rather than lead the conversation, I am now on the side coaching in and helping when needed. I also have a designated weekly time set aside for each book club so that I can really see how it is going and help as needed. It has been wonderful to see the clubs grow.
They picked the book. And abandoned the book if needed. Just as every book doesn’t work as a read aloud, every bookd doesn’t work as a book club book either. Students had about 12 different books to choose between and gave me a top 4. Each group knows they can abandon the book if it does not live up to their expectations but that it needs to be a shared experience.
They set the expectations and the pace. Before we started reading, all groups met to create the expectations within their group. They discussed what they should look like, sound like, and feel like and then created a poster. All the posters are different based on the group. The groups also decide how many pages they are going to read every day, leading to 100% completion and buy-in.

My students know that book clubs are their chance to show off everything they have learned in reading, but also that it is bigger than that. Book clubs are not just reading and discussing a shared book, it is about growing as a person. I am so proud of my students and what they are accomplishing.

being a teacher, being me, Reading, reflection

My Students Hate Our Read Aloud

March 3, 2014March 4, 2014 Pernille Ripp

I could tell they were falling asleep. Drowning in their disinterest, faking it just for me. So I tried to make the voices like they like, I tried to quicken the pace. I emphasized the action that happened. Nothing… The read aloud had started 2 minutes ago yet it felt like an hour.

I closed the book. Asked what was the matter.

“It’s so boring, Mrs. Ripp,” whined a student (yes really, whined).

“There’s no action…”chimed another.

“Remember how with “The False Prince” we asked you to keep reading? That hasn’t happened once here!” exclaimed a third. Heads nodding all around.

So I did what most teachers normally do when their meticulously chosen read aloud is torn apart, I got defensive.

“What do you mean there is no action? Didn’t you just read this part? And also, you have to give it a chance, not everything can happen all at once…” I could hear my own sales pitch but I couldn’t stop it. “Trust me, I picked this book and it is phenomenal, it gets so good.” I was starting to sound desperate. I shut the book, sent them off to read, and sat n the rocking chair licking my wounds. How could they question what I had chosen? Didn’t they trust in my opinion?

Now, looking back on it I see what I should have done. I should have listened. Asked more questions, taken their notion to heart and opened it up for a classroom discussion. I shouldn’t have gotten defensive, I shouldn’t have shut it down. I shouldn’t have taken it personally. It is not me, nor the book that is the problem. It is the choice of the book right now that isn’t working, that’s all.

So tonight I realize that perhaps we need to just abandon the book. That it is not a case of me being wrong on my selection; the book is one of my all time favorite books, but that it may just not be the right fit for us right now. That it may not be the best read aloud. That doesn’t make it a bad book, far from it. It just means that kids should discover it on their own, at their own pace, much like I did when I first read it.

Tomorrow when I am with my students again, I will ask them their thoughts. Should we abandon or should we continue forward? I will not be offended, I will not become defensive. I will instead take it as yet another learning moment just like I should have done from the start. Although we try so hard to find the perfect read alouds for our class, they don’t always work. And that’s ok. It is when the students have the courage to speak up against our choice that we must listen the hardest. After all, as teachers isn’t that we strive for them to gain? The courage and independence to form an opinion about something?

My students didn’t set out to upset me, nor to disappoint me. They spoke up so that we could be saved 200 pages more worth of bored read aloud time. I am not mad, nor upset anymore, but instead renewed by the challenge of finding the perfect read aloud. The one that will have the students begging for just one more page. The one that they will clamor to read themselves once I am done. That’s the one I need to find. And the best part, I know it is out there.

Post Script:

Today we talked about the book, I shared with them the new book that they could switch to and then we did a secret vote. In the end, I was surprised. The majority decided to stay with our current read aloud, however, I struck a deal with the other disappointed kids. We will revote in 50 pages and see if we want to continue with it then or not.

I then discovered something important as I read aloud. While I hate to stop a read aloud, I asked them if they knew what a passage meant. They had no idea. Between my sub and I, we had not discovered that the students were not catching a lot of the meanings in the text or even some of the context! I had miscalculated their background knowledge as well as their vocabulary. No wonder they dislike the book so much, they were missing half of the action. As I finished our read aloud telling them a little bit about WWI, I could see I was re-hooking them into the book. While it may not be everybody’s favorite book still, I think it still has a chance…

being me, Reading, reflection

I Am a Reader

February 25, 2014 Pernille Ripp

I have always been a reader but I was never a proud reader in my classroom until a year ago. I realized then that to inspire deep passion in my readers I had to share my own. I realized then that to inspire my students to keep reaching for books I had to show my own hunger for more. Now I am reader because I know it matters. I am reader because it teaches me more.

I am a reader because I can hand books to students knowing that they will love them.

I am a reader because I need to get lost in books as much as my students do.

I am a reader because I want to live a thousand lives and travel to a million places.

I am a reader because my life would be gray without all of my books.

I am a reader because I cannot pretend that reading is important, I have to live it.

I am a reader because it allows me to connect with any child I meet.

I am a reader because of the memories it creates.

I am a reader because of the moments I share with others.

I am a reader because my students need me to be.

I am a reader because my soul requires it.

Are you a reader? Why?