Welcome Pinterest Pinners!A new school year has started, and I'm using these babies for the second year in a row to build some of our reading comprehension skills. And guess what?! The independent reading log AND rubric (along with a few other goodies) are now a part of my Independent Reading Essentials bundle that on SALE in my TeachersPayTeachers store. Take a look and enjoy!
I have not always had consistent success with independent reading in my classroom. Like everything else, a lot of it depends on the group of kids and their attitudes toward books. For some, it was a treat, a much anticipated part of the day that they were always willing to fight for if necessary. For others, it was nothing short of battle to just get them to open a book, let alone read one. I'll admit that I'm usually too quick to give in to bad attitudes and toss things aside, using the excuse that "We won't spend time on what has become a waste of our time." While that thought process is certainly invaluable in any classroom where you have too much to cover in too few days (every classroom, perhaps?), some things are worth fighting for, and independent reading time is absolutely necessary if I want my kids to become critical thinkers.
My first step in this process of creating engaged, motivated readers is to establish consistency, a routine that students can count on when they walk through the door. I've had this mental block that independent reading time is a waste because there's very little assessment attached to it. I've read over and over that in order to combat that lack of accountability, students need to keep reading logs, a written record of what they are reading, how much, and how often. But again, I'm faced with the nagging feeling that it's a waste of time. Surely all of our students are well aware of the fact that they can just make up the information that's usually required in a reading log (title, author, number of pages read, etc.), so what are we really accomplishing?
If we're going to spend time on it, then I want it to be worth doing, so I worked up a reading log that is a bit more interactive. It has places for the usual information I listed above, but it also includes a place for self-selected vocabulary, summary, and a reader response entry with tips and writing prompts spread throughout.
I intend to use these on a weekly basis.
The rubric I use is pictured below. I plan to add it to my TpT account soon as well.
