You Gotta Do Light Reading with Bryce Hedstrom

I just love Bryce Hedstrom.  His notes for this session are found on the free section of his website.  I have to admit that I haven't had a chance to check the notes out, which is unfortunate because Bryce didn't get a chance to really go over his notes...too many excited teachers with too many questions.

Bryce recommended a book called "Readicide" by Kelly Gallagher to discuss the difference between light reading and academic reading.  This session was about light reading, where we allow students to read what they want to with very little accountability.  This allows the students to read for pure enjoyment.

With so much emphasis being put on non-fiction readings because of the common core, Bryce really encourages kids to read fiction because fiction can help teach kids empathy.  I love this idea!  I really think that kids should be able to read what they like.  If they are interested in a topic, I'm sure that they will read a non-fiction article about that subject...why should we cram it down their throats??

One of the big ideas from this session was that it is okay for students to flip through a magazine without really reading the the articles.  Even if they are reading the pictures, it is still reading!  If they find an interesting picture, then they will try to read the caption to find out what is going on.

I think we put too much pressure on reading, and this FVR time is a great way to take the pressure off.  I can't wait to try it in the classroom (provided I can find enough materials).

Another fantastic idea from Bryce is that he has posters up with great quotes about reading from Krashen or other literacy experts to show kids why reading is so important.  These posters are available on his website as well.

Bryce does three kinds of reading in class:  academic reading (the novels or authentic articles that are read as a class for content), kindergarten reading (just what it sounds like), and FVR.

Bryce didn't talk about the academic reading in this session.  I got some great ideas about kindergarten reading, though.  Bryce does it every Thursday at the end of class.  He has a large rug that he rolls out for students to sit on.  The students have to be on the rug or in the first row of desks behind the rug, but they must be participants in the story.  Students can volunteer to bring cookies for this time.  Here's the great thing that I learned about K-reading: you don't have to read the words!  You can use an English book or a book with no words; just describe the story in language that is appropriate for that class.  Love it!  K-reading should be about 15 minutes per week.

For FVR (light reading), Bryce has students do this 3 times a week.  They start doing this type of reading the first week of class, even when they don't have much language.  He starts out with 5 minutes and then they do 15 minutes by the end of the year.  In level 2-3, the students read between 15-30 minutes each time.  He recommends stopping them a little bit before they start getting restless to increase anticipation.  FVR needs a lot of coaching and modeling to get the students to act appropriately.  I will have to spend time looking at Bryce's complete notes to see how he sets up his classroom for success.

I am going to take the information I got from this session and start FVR this year.  I am worried about not having enough books, so I am going to try to write some grants to get more books in the classroom.  I'm also going to look for used books on bookmooch, amazon, and other sites to see if I can get some books for cheap.  My aunt suggested asking the local Kiwanis, Lions Club, etc to see if they would give me some money for my classroom.  Yet another thing to add to my to-do list for the week before school!