“When we
make our reading lives explicit to our students, their reading lives expand in
many directions.” This quote distinctly articulates how and why we need to
share our own reading lives with our students. I love the idea of bringing in
the books we are currently reading to share with our class. I know my own
daughters are mesmerized when I have a new book on my night stand and it looks
totally different from the kind of books on their shelves. I always get lots of
questions, “What’s that about? How many pages does it have? 364? Man! How can
you read that many pages? Does it have any pictures in it?” And honestly, I
love their innocent inquiries about what I am reading and I love that I’m vicariously
modeling pleasure reading. Especially, when they go to bed and I can’t wait to
read my next chapter!
Like the
author, I think it is so important to advertise our favorites. Just like we may
see a certain fashion accessory or make-up or hair trend being touted on TV or
by a celebrity, we too, can promote to our students the “cool factor” of an
author and their creativity in writing great books. I clearly remember showing
a video clip years ago about how Eric Carle creates his famous illustrations.
The painting process he used was amazing and the finished products in his now
famous books were so neat to see in their completion. I remember sharing in
detail my collection of Eric Carle books to my students and dissecting the many
illustrations. The next library day, almost every student had managed to find
and check out an Eric Carle book. A teacher’s recommendation can go a long way!
When taking
my own children to the library or Barnes & Noble, I immediately go to the
New Books section. What can I add to my list? What can I read to my kids for
the first time? Sharing my love for reading with my students is never a chore –
it’s always something I look forward to and hopefully something that my student’s
enjoy.
How sweet that your children checked out Eric Carle books - you must be quite inspirational! My daughter works in marketing and she says "Marketing rules the world" - you must be good at marketing to inspire your children to read!
ReplyDeleteHi Sara,
ReplyDeleteI loved how you connected many of the strategies in this chapter to your own reading life and how it has motivated and inspired your students to want to read and to become more interested in what you are reading. Lorraine is right, we are the best advertisers for reading our students have. We have to sell our best!