How do I make leveled books more interesting and less of an identity factor?
Imagine a classroom of early and beginning leveled readers. Their world of reading independently is fairly new and sometimes just around the corner. Then ask yourself "What is the best way to display and group a classroom library that emphasizes and encourages students to practice and develop a love for reading?" Is the answer to categorize them into groups of easy, middle, and hard? Well, no. The issue here is that leveled books are categorised into letter ability in our classroom, and the closer you are to the letter "I", the "better" you are at reading.
Students, even at the young age of 5 know what A, B, C, levels are. They know who is a good reader, and who struggles. The books are blatanly labeled and the books within these levels are placed within tubs. Is this system organized? Yes. Is this system meaningful? Yes. Is this system widely used? Yes. Is it important to think about the implications that come along with any type of labeling? Absolutely.
Routman's chapter titled, "Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library" explains that students begin identifying themselves according to their level and this can cause a sort of a negative distraction when trying to encourage the love of reading to such young readers. Leveled books according to Routman, "aren't often a first choice" (p. 69). Our classroom library is distinct because leveled books are located in one particular section, and other classroom library books are on the other side of the room. Often leveled books take a greater amount of time to consider reading. In our class, many of the A leveled books are black and white copies, and full of dull content. Through my own experiences, I often have to remind my students they can only have 2 books that are not labeled, they often want more than allowed. I also have to encourage them and "sell" 4 just right books. They often search through many just right books before finally picking one. With this is mind, how do I provide a more interesting just right, leveled library for my students without being a millionaire? Black and white copies just don't work. Hmmm...
I find Routman's paragraph important and I feel that I am still at a loss for solutions. If I de-emphasize leveled books, how do I go about incorporating them with their purpose without focusing so much on the level? Students will always know who is the better reader, writer, etc.
Can Messy Learning Make A Comeback?
5 months ago
Christina, I took believe we as teachers need to create a diverse and easy way for kids to find the level of books they can read but I believe they still need to feel like they made their own choice and in turn will be excited to read the book they chose. I saw an example of a child who was forced to read a book in her level and she HATED it. She struggled with the words and was disinterested in anything to do with the book. My MT gave up and asked her to go find another book, she lit up ran over to the library and grabbed one that interested her. She then "ripped" the book open and immediately started to read the words, sounding out any she was unfamiliar with. Motivation is key for kids to want to learn otherwise, as this child displayed, it is a lost cause.
ReplyDeleteI am thinking of my nephew who wanted to read a book for Accelerated Reader, one that was longer than most and at a higher level. His mother asked the teacher if he could read that one and have 2 weeks instead of the usual 1 since the book was longer. The teacher said no.
ReplyDeleteI think we have to focus on our knowledge of our students as readers and help them choose books that are a good match for them. Books at the right level are important, but other factors include vocabulary, familiarity of topic, conceptual load, and student interest. None of these show up as a number or letter on the book. This is why I think informal reading conferences and reading logs are so essential.