Pernille Ripp

Another post from my Patreon that I thought might be useful to others. After all, we are all faced with many who have deselected reading as something they spend time on, either by choice or by circumstance. And those kids, or adults, have more than likely had a lot of well-meaning adults try to help them reconnect with reading. But have we really dug into why? And not just in a one question on a survey kind of way. So if you are looking for some inspiration, perhaps these thoughts can help.

My students are supposed to read 20 or so minutes a day. Maybe yours are too.

Most of them don’t.

They go to afterschool care, play video games, play with friends—do all the things kids tend to do when they have full and busy lives. Many also don’t seem too bothered by their lack of outside reading.

Reading is, after all, just something you do in school for school.

It’s remarkable, even at the 2nd-grade level, how vast the difference is between the kids who read regularly and those who don’t. Those who read for discovery outside of class grow by leaps and bounds in class. They bring in words, ideas, connections that weren’t part of a lesson plan but are now shaping their learning anyway. It shows the benefits of having a literate life and what can happen when someone is not given that same opportunity.

Those who haven’t found a lot of reading joy yet—or whose parents don’t help them make time for reading (or force them to in some instances)—are growing too. But it’s different. More halting. There’s more confusion, more gaps to fill, more knowledge to simply encounter as they grow their brains.

So as always, I am curious.

Why not?

Why is it that despite their access to books, their reading time at school, their exposure to true reading role models, and all of the good things that come with that, they still don’t read?

Is it choice? Is it life circumstances?

So this is the core of today’s discussion: Why don’t you read?

Not just a question to be answered in five minutes and moved on from. But a conversation, something to be worked with, to be shared, to be understood. What are the actual barriers that stop you—not just from reading, but from enjoying it?

And if reading isn’t a struggle for you, if you already carve out time for books, then what’s your question for reflection?

Here is my idea for the lesson, every student gets one of the posters, or you display it so everyone can read it.

Why Don’t You Read?

A Flowchart for Figuring It Out

Every student has paper or their notebook to reflect in.

🔽 Do you read outside of school?
➡️ YES! → What has helped you build that habit? What do you wish more people knew about reading? What’s a book you wish someone would pick up?
➡️ No… not really. → Let’s figure out why.

Barrier: I Don’t Have Time.

➡️ Is that really true?
🔹 Do you scroll on your phone?
🔹 Do you rewatch the same YouTube videos?
🔹 Do you lie in bed awake, waiting to fall asleep?
🔹 Do you sit in the car, on the bus, waiting for things to start?

➡️ If so…
✅ Try a 5-minute read—set a timer and stop when it dings.
✅ Audiobooks count. Can you listen while doing something else?
✅ Carry a book with you and grab small moments while waiting.
✅ Swap one round of social media, one video, one game level for a page.

➡️ If not…
✅ Reading doesn’t have to be daily—what if you just picked one time per week?

Barrier: I Don’t Have a Good Book.

➡️ What’s the last thing you liked?
🔹 A movie?
🔹 A game?
🔹 A TV show?
🔹 A meme?

➡️ Now match it.
✅ Like action? Try graphic novels or fast-paced adventure books.
✅ Like funny things? Try books that make people laugh (even if it’s just ridiculous facts).
✅ Like facts? Nonfiction books exist about EVERYTHING. Even weird stuff. Especially weird stuff.
✅ Hate long books? Short stories, poetry, or “choose your own adventure” books count.

➡️ Still not sure?
✅ Let someone else pick for you—friends, a teacher, even a random shelf grab. Worst case? You don’t like it and try something else.

Barrier: My Brain Can’t Settle Down to Read.

➡️ What’s going on in your head right before you try to read?
🔹 Just came off screen time?
🔹 Feeling stressed or distracted?
🔹 Can’t sit still?

➡️ Try helping your brain shift gears:
✅ Move first—walk, stretch, or shake it out.
✅ Do something calming before reading (drawing, deep breaths, fidgeting).
✅ Start tiny: Read for 2 minutes only. Then decide if you want to keep going.

Barrier: My Space Isn’t Helping Me Focus.

➡️ What is your reading space actually telling your brain?
🔹 “Time to relax”?
🔹 “Time to scroll”?
🔹 “Snack time”?
🔹 “Get up and do something”?

➡️ Change the signal:
✅ Play soft music or use headphones.
✅ Light a candle or turn on a lamp you only use for reading.
✅ Wrap yourself in a blanket or sit somewhere totally new—even under a table!

Barrier: There’s Too Much Emotional Noise.

➡️ What happened right before you tried to read?
🔹 A fight?
🔹 Rushing from one thing to another?
🔹 Feeling overwhelmed?

➡️ Make space for calm first:
✅ Pick a spot that feels safe and yours.
✅ Pause and take 3 deep breaths or journal for 1 minute.
✅ Let yourself off the hook—it’s okay to reset and try again later.

Barrier: I Feel Weird or Judged When I’m Reading.

➡️ What’s making you hide your reading?
🔹 Afraid of being judged for what you like?
🔹 Embarrassed to be seen reading at all?

➡️ Make reading yours again:
✅ Read somewhere private or where no one bothers you.
✅ Own what you like—comics, sports facts, scary stories, whatever.
✅ Know this: Many who love reading started by maybe liking something others didn’t expect.

Barrier: It’s Boring.

➡️ Have you ever read something you liked?
✅ Yes → What was it? Why did you like it? What’s similar to that?
✅ No → Are you sure? Not even a weird fact? A joke book? A book that made you feel something?

➡️ Options to make it better:
✅ Try a different format—graphic novels, audiobooks, books with amazing visuals.
✅ Try stopping—if you hate a book, pick another. Life’s too short for bad books.
✅ Try making it social—buddy read, listen to a book with someone, or join a book-related challenge.
✅ Try a weird book. (Weird books are never boring.)

Barrier: It’s Too Hard.

➡️ What’s the hardest part?
🔹 The words?
🔹 The length?
🔹 The focus?

➡️ Solutions:
✅ Words are tricky? Graphic novels, page turners, novels in verse, or audiobooks might help. (You can get free access to audiobooks through the library!)
✅ Books feel too long? Try short stories or poetry.
✅ Hard to focus? Set a timer, read in small bursts, or listen to the book instead.
✅ Read with someone else. A friend, sibling, teacher, or even your pet.

Barrier: I Just Don’t Feel Like It.

➡️ Why?
🔹 Because it feels like work?
🔹 Because you think you “should” but don’t actually care?
🔹 Because you don’t see the point?

➡️ Reframing it:
✅ Reading doesn’t have to be a big commitment. What if it was just one page, one laugh, one cool fact?
✅ You don’t have to feel like a “reader” to enjoy a good story—what’s something you love or something you want to know more about? There’s a book about it.
✅ What if reading wasn’t about school, but about escaping, understanding, or just killing time in a way that actually sticks with you?
✅ No rules. No pressure. Just curiosity—what’s the last thing that made you go, “Huh, that’s interesting”? There’s probably a book for that.
✅ Forget “should.” What if you just picked up a book with no expectation to finish? Just to see.

For Those Who Already Read

➡️ Your questions:
✅ What has helped you build a reading habit?
✅ Have you ever had a reading slump? How did you get out of it?
✅ What book do you think would change someone’s mind about reading?
✅ How can you help others who don’t love reading yet?

Wrap it up: Pair & Share or Small Group Discussion

Students discuss their barriers and potential solutions in small groups.
Those who already read regularly can act as mentors—sharing strategies that have helped them make time for reading or find books they love.

Closing Reflection

One final written reflection or class discussion:

What is one idea from today that you want to try?
What might that look like?
Who is your accountability partner?

Why This Approach?

It acknowledges real barriers instead of just saying “read more.”
It gives choice and control back to students.
It makes room for both struggling and committed readers to reflect meaningfully.
It creates a community of readers where those who love books can help those who don’t—without making it feel like a lecture.

What do you think? Is this something you can use?

assessment, feedback, grades

Rethinking Feedback: Shifting the Power to Students

March 29, 2025 Pernille Ripp

We know feedback matters. I think of all the ways I have grown because my students, my husband, my editor, and so many others have bothered to share their wisdom with me. Sometimes it stings. Sometimes it sits in the back of my mind, waiting for the right moment. And sometimes, it changes everything.

And yet, when it comes to students, we often act as if feedback is something we do to them rather than with them. We spend hours writing comments, circling errors, suggesting revisions. But how often do students actually use it? How often does our feedback feel more like judgment than guidance?

Maybe it’s time to rethink who gives feedback, how it’s given, and why it even matters. And maybe we can shift our feedback practices in ways that actually work for kids—without adding more to our plates. Here are four shifts that put students in charge of their own growth.

1. Ditch the Teacher-Only Feedback Model

We shouldn’t be the only ones giving feedback. In fact, we might be the worst at it—too rushed, too generic, too focused on what we think matters instead of what they care about.

💡 New idea: What if students got more feedback from peers, younger students, real-world audiences, and even AI tools—and less from us?

👉 Try this:

Have students share their writing with a younger class. It’s wild how quickly they’ll simplify, clarify, and revise when they realize a first grader is their audience. I have done this for years with speeches and even our nonfiction picture book unit, it alters the entire process.
Use AI to generate feedback alongside human feedback—then have students compare. What’s useful? What’s missing?
Create a “feedback portfolio” where students collect and analyze all feedback received (not just yours) and decide what’s worth acting on.

2. Scrap the Grade—But Not for the Reason You Think

We talk about “going gradeless” to reduce stress, and to make learning more meaningful, but removing grades doesn’t matter if students still see feedback as punishment.

💡 New idea: It’s not about eliminating grades—it’s about making assessments feel like coaching instead of judgment.

👉 Try this: Instead of “no grades,” try collaborative grading. Sit down with a student and decide their grade together based on evidence of growth. Let them argue their case. Shift the power.

I have done this for many years, not just with student self-assessments but also their report cards. The conversations you end up having as a way to figure out where to land offer immeasurable insight into how kids see themselves as learners.

3. Let Students Give YOU Feedback First

What if every piece of feedback we gave students had to start with them giving us feedback first?

💡 New idea: Before turning in a project, students answer:

“What’s the best part of this work?”
“Where did I struggle?”
“What specific feedback do I want from you?”

👉 Try this: Make a rule: no teacher feedback without student reflection first. If they can’t identify a strength and a challenge, they’re not ready for feedback yet.

4. The One-Word Feedback Challenge

Ever spend time crafting detailed feedback, only to have students glance at the grade and move on?

💡 New idea: What if our feedback had to fit in one word? Instead of writing long paragraphs that students ignore, we give a single word that sparks curiosity: Tension. Clarity. Depth. Risk. Precision.

👉 Try this: Give students one-word feedback and make them consider what it means. Have them write a short reflection: Why did my teacher choose this word? How does it apply to my work? This forces them to engage with feedback before receiving explanations.

Feedback shouldn’t feel like a dead-end—it should be a conversation. When we shift the balance, when students take ownership, feedback stops being something they receive and starts being something they use. And isn’t that the whole point?

authentic learning, Be the change, being a teacher

Protecting Our Practice: What’s Working and How We Keep It

March 27, 2025 Pernille Ripp

For the past 3 years, I have been sharing resources on my Patreon, with that being shut down, I figured I would share some of them here. This is one of my latest posts, I hope it is helpful.

If there one thing that is constant in education, it’s change. I think it’s what drew me to be a teacher in the first place, besides the kids, of course. Education is full of change. New ideas, new programs, new expectations—always something new to implement, improve, or undo. And yet, we rarely stop to ask:

What’s actually working?

Not in a “let’s be grateful” way. Not to ignore what’s broken. But in a real way—naming the things that are making a difference for kids right now and figuring out how to keep them from disappearing.

Because the best things in education? They don’t vanish because they stop working. They vanish because no one gets to protect them.

Five steps to protect your real best practices

Instead of just naming problems, try this instead:

1️⃣ Name It

What’s actually making a difference right now?

Not “what should be working” or “what’s supposed to work”—but what’s really helping kids learn, feel safe, or stay engaged?

This could be:

• A structure that supports all learners

• A routine that fosters belonging

• A teaching practice that engages even the hardest-to-reach kids

Think about your classroom, your team, your school. What’s worth protecting?

2️⃣ Figure Out Why It Works

• Is it because of a system in place?

• A shared school-wide effort?

• A few committed teachers holding it together?

If something only works because a few people are giving 200%, it’s fragile. The goal isn’t just to notice what works—it’s to understand why it works.

3️⃣ Ask: Is This Replicable?

Would this still work if new teachers joined? If leadership changed? If budgets shifted?

If the answer is no, then it’s not protected.

Good practices should outlast the people who start them. If what’s working is too dependent on individuals, it’s time to build structures that make it sustainable.

4️⃣ Make a Plan to Protect It

The best ideas don’t survive unless someone fights for them. So, as a team, ask:

• What do we need to keep this going?

• Who needs to see its value so it’s supported long-term?

• How do we make sure this isn’t just an “extra,” but a part of how we do school?

If something is working, it should be built into your school’s foundation. Not just something you “hope” stays.

5️⃣ Keep It Visible

The next time a new initiative rolls in, a funding shift happens, or a schedule changes, pull out this list and ask:

❓ Will this change threaten what’s already working?

❓ How do we keep what’s good while making space for new ideas?

We lose the best things in education when no one names them, protects them, and reminds people why they matter. So make the list. Keep it visible. Use it to push back when needed.

Your Turn

What’s working in your school right now that must be protected? How do you make sure it lasts?

Try this with your team. Then come back and tell me what showed up.

assessment, discussion, feedback, grades, Student Engagement

Let Kids Reject Feedback (Yes, Really!)

March 24, 2025 Pernille Ripp

A quote block where it says: Good feedback isn't about control, it's about conversation.

What if kids had the right to ignore our feedback? Not because they’re stubborn or disengaged, but because they understand it—and decide to make a different choice.

Too often, feedback feels like a demand: Fix this. Change that. Do it this way. But writers? They get feedback, weigh it, and sometimes say, “No, I’m keeping this.” That’s not disengagement—it’s ownership.

Let’s Build Feedback Negotiation into the Process

Instead of expecting students to accept every suggestion, teach them to think critically about feedback—to question, challenge, and ultimately make their own choices.

1️⃣ Shift the Conversation – Before giving feedback, set the tone:
🗣️ “You don’t have to take every suggestion. Your job is to think about it.”
Ask them: What do you want my feedback on? Where are you stuck? Make it a dialogue, not a directive. I’ve written about this before in the context of only looking at one thing in writing conferences.

2️⃣ Teach Kids to Push Back (The Great Way) –
When students disagree with feedback, they need language to explain why. Try modeling this:

“I see what you’re saying, but I’m keeping this word because it’s my character’s voice.”
“I understand your point, but I want this to feel unfinished on purpose.”
“I’ll change this part, but I’m going to keep this sentence because it’s important to me.”

If we want students to engage with feedback, we have to let them practice rejecting it thoughtfully—just like writers do.

3️⃣ Make Choice Part of the Process – Instead of requiring students to change everything, try this:
🔹 Pick one piece of feedback to apply and one to challenge. Explain why.
This simple step forces them to consider feedback instead of just following orders.

4️⃣ Celebrate Thoughtful Resistance –
When students defend their choices, it means they care. That’s the goal. Instead of marking something as “wrong,” ask:

Why did you make this choice?
What effect are you going for?
How can you make this even stronger while keeping your vision?

Good feedback isn’t about control. It’s about conversation. And if we want kids to become confident writers, we have to teach them that their voices matter—even if that means telling us no.

assessment, feedback

If Kids Don’t Understand the Feedback, It’s a Waste of Time

March 23, 2025 Pernille Ripp

I haven’t used this blog in a long time. With the move back to Denmark, navigating the world as a mom of neurodivergent kids, and just the world (waving hands around me), this blog has been quiet. But with the decision to shut down my Patreon, I also might just come back here more. After all, my mind is still going a million miles a minute and perhaps, somewhere, someone could use a few of the ideas that I have. So hello again. It’s nice to be here.

Ever had a kid read your carefully written comment—something insightful, brilliant even—only to ask, “What does that mean?” Yeah. Me too.

If feedback is just for us, if it’s full of teacher-speak or rubrics no one actually reads, kids will ignore it. Not because they don’t care, but because it doesn’t feel like theirs.

Let’s fix that.

Instead of handing them a rubric, build it with them. Here’s how:

1️⃣ Look at real work – Show them examples (past student work, mentor texts, whatever fits). Ask: What makes this good? What makes it confusing? Let them lead.

2️⃣ List what matters – Write down their words. Not “clear transitions” but “It flows” or “I know what’s happening.” Keep it in their language, not ours.

3️⃣ Make it theirs – Turn their words into a checklist, an anchor chart, or a simple, student-friendly rubric. Let them help decide what matters most.

4️⃣ Use it. Every time. – When they write, when they revise, when they give each other feedback. Ask, “How does your work match what we said makes this strong?”

If we want kids to actually use feedback, it has to belong to them. Because the best feedback isn’t what we tell them—it’s what they understand enough to use.

math

Race to 100 with 3D printed math manipulatives

December 17, 2023 Pernille Ripp

As part of our 1st grade work in math, we are heading into place value, ten pairs, and addition.

So of course, one of the games we will be playing more than once, is Race to 100, a fantastic math game that can be used to teach addition, subtraction, place value and so much more.

As we prepared the game, we realized we needed dice and instead of adding stickers to regular dice, we figured we could have some 3D printed.

Enter my husband and his trusty 3D printer.

Math manipulatives

He printed me 18 individual dice with the numbers: -1, +1, +1, -10- and +10, +10

And that file can be found right here

Need the Race chart templates – right here

Want dice that have -100 and +100, here they are in that same file, just pick the one you want.

And how do you play?

There are many variations of the game, the sky is the limit with this one. I will be playing it using these instructions courtesy of Bard – love that AI.

The Race to 100

Objective:

Be the first player to reach the number 100 on the hundred chart using a single die with the numbers -1, +1, -10, and +10.

Materials:

A hundred chart or large sheet of paper with the numbers from 1 to 100 written in columns
One die with the numbers -1, +1, -10, and +10 – for older kids, you can use two dice.
Game pieces (such as small colorful blocks or tokens) for each player

Set-Up:

Each player chooses a game piece and places it on the number 1 on the hundred chart.

Gameplay:

Players take turns rolling the die.
If the player rolls a -1, their game piece moves backward one space. If this happen on their first turn, they just stay where they are.
If the player rolls a +1, their game piece moves forward one space.
If the player rolls a -10, their game piece moves backward ten spaces.
If the player rolls a +10, their game piece moves forward ten spaces.
Players cannot move their game piece beyond the number 100. If they roll a number that would cause them to exceed 100, their game piece remains on its current space.
The first player to reach the number 100 on the hundred chart wins the game!

While I know this will only be relevant to some of you, I figured I would share it in here too. Especially because all it takes is a regular printer and 3D printer and then you have the game.