That's a Lot of Reading!

When I first introduced the idea of the 40 Book Challenge to the kiddos, they immediately thought, "No way!" Most of these kids have been middle of the road students their entire lives. To attempt to read 40 books in one school year seemed beyond their capabilities, according to them. When I asked how many books they read last year and the year before, I got answers ranging from "none" to "five" with a few exceptions, readers who read over ten books. Their challenge was also my challenge. How could we create an environment where kids would willingly pick up a book and read it for a decent amount of time? How could we get reading to be "cool" for kids? How could we help kids build the reading stamina that they will need in the future?

Since I had just started at East Naples Middle School, I had to stock my bookshelves. Selecting books that kids would want to read is always a challenge, especially because I didn't really know these kids yet. I bought hundreds of books that I thought would appeal to them and, with a fully stocked library at school, the kids had lots of choices. Now, we had to change the culture. I showed book trailer after book trailer, gave book talk after book talk, highlighted books that I saw kids read, and read WITH the kids so that they could see that it is their most important work, not busy work to do while I do other teacher duties. Some kiddos are readers just waiting to blossom. Those kids took to the program instantly. Others took a while to buy in but they did. Slowly, over the course of the year, kids would begin to ask, "I'm finished with the assignment. Can I read?" Music to my ears. Reading became a preferred option for the kids. Often, when kids came to class, they asked if we could forgo the day's work and just read.

My class schedule is three 90 minute blocks. I make sure that 30 of those minutes are dedicated to independent reading. Kids choose their books. We use some textbook stories as our whole class readings so that we have some common points of reference, but nearly all of the other reading time kids spend is on independent reading. I also ask that they read 30 minutes each night before going to bed. Some did but probably most did not. Still, they read in class. They selected their own books and read. Many times, kids would check out the same book and read together. Some groups took an entire series and rotated through it so that they all could read each book. Kids developed reading stamina. The cries of, "How much longer?" faded over the course of the year.

On our classroom wall, we have divisions for our 40 Book Challenge. Each student gets a card with their name. I put a sticker on the card for each book read. Everyone starts on the "0-5 Books" wall. Next is the "6-10 Books" wall, followed by the "11-20 Books" wall, the "21-30 Books" wall, the "30-40 Books" wall and lastly the "40+ Books" wall. Kids would see their card move throughout the year. It is a tangible visual that kids can look to in order to chart their progress. We also celebrate every five books a kiddo reads with a cupcake. When kids reach 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 books, they get "cupcaked". We celebrate!

These kiddos read. Five students reached 40+ Books but so many others read more than they ever thought they would. Kids are in the process of completing a class survey and some of the questions deal with their reading this year. When I look at the number of books read last year as compared to this year, I am blown away. The majority of our kids read over 15 books this year. That is a book every couple of weeks. To make things interesting, I joined the challenge. I didn't get to 40+ Books either but it was fun to keep track with the kids. They also saw me as a real reader who was reading what they were reading. They could trust that my book recommendations were probably pretty good. After all, we were a reading community. We share. 

So many of the kids were surprised by the number of books that they read this year. For some kids, it was ten times what they had read in years past. The key was book choice. Several students reported that they only read one or two books last year and those were the class novels that they read together. This year, we did no class novels. Kids had to take on the responsibility of being a real reader, looking for books they might like and developing their taste in reading. It is what real readers do. While the kiddos were surprised about how much they read, they also reveled in the accomplishment. This year is something they can always look back on with pride. They accomplished so much more than they thought they could. Many of them developed a love of reading that will last their lifetime. That love of reading is gold. I believe that if kids leave me with a love of reading, then I have done the best thing possible for them. Only time will tell.

Looking Down the Road

Last week, we took a field trip to Florida Gulf Coast University. Every seventh grader in our school participated. It is like a rite of passage. It is one of the two seventh grade field trips every year. I think the district is trying to expose the kids to the idea of college. Many have it in their minds that they are going to college after high school but many others do not. This trip shows our kiddos that the option is there for them if they want it.

I am a big proponent of kids going to college. I know it is not necessary to become the best person one can be, but for the experience of it (moving far from home, being on your own for the first time in your life, meeting a variety of people from around the globe), it can't be beat. I want my kiddos open to the idea that college may be an option for them. Many don't even consider it an option. Whether it is cost, grades, or not thinking that they are "college material", a lot of my students don't even think about college. I have been working all year to change that.

I have begun many sentences this year with "When you get to college", or "After high school, when you get to make your own schedule in college". It is important that we talk about college as if it is a given, that they will have that option to take or leave. I want the expectation that they will go to school after high school, be it college, junior college or tech school. We know that these days a high school diploma is not enough for the average kiddo to get a good-paying job. It takes more.

On our tour of FGCU, we saw a dorm room, Alico Arena (where the FGCU basketball team plays), an engineering classroom, the student commons, the library, and several gathering spots around campus. FGCU is a new school, celebrating its twentieth year of operation this year. The campus has newer buildings and a fresh look. It is an attractive place for kids to consider going to school. It is also relatively inexpensive. During the tour, I overheard several kids saying, "I'm going here!" I smiled at that. Others said, "I'm not. I'm going to Florida (the University of Florida)!" I smiled at that as well. Kids were talking about going to college as if it were in the cards now. Some of those same kiddos didn't see the possibility last week. Now they do. The more our tour guide talked about the opportunities, the more kids began to see things differently. 

I tell kids all of the time, "You want to be in the position where you get to make decisions, not have decisions made for you." That means that kids have to achieve enough that they can choose from a selection of things for which they qualify. They are making the decision. If they only qualify for one thing, the decision is made for them. That is why I push college so hard. I know that if they achieve enough to be accepted by a handful of colleges, they will be the decision-maker. They can decide which school to attend or not to attend at all. Regardless, the decision is theirs. 

As we loaded back onto the bus at the end of the day, kids were reminiscing about what they saw on campus. Some were comparing this campus to others that they have seen. I suggested to my kiddos that anytime they have a chance to see a college campus, they should take the opportunity. I look back with fond memories at all of the times I have spent on the campuses of the colleges I've attended. These kids are excitedly looking forward to the experience they will have. College is not out of reach for them. They know that now.