Examining Reading Habits - Great Conversations

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 My Reading Habits – Wondering What Students Do, Too

Sometime early in the year, I’ve always liked to have students write about their reading habits, what they’re currently reading, what kinds of things they read besides books, what they love and what they don’t.  I write too, to let students know how diverse reading habits can be.  Those who are avid readers will see that I’m usually reading several books at a time, as they do, and those who are less enthusiastic will see that reading behavior doesn’t just mean books. 
This time because I have a new class, I want to find out more about the habits of these new students. I already know some by the books they're choosing and the research they've finished, but I need more so I can give them a big nudge for the rest of the year.

Here’s a sample of my reading during a regular day:

o   The local newspaper.  I read the front-page articles, and if especially interested, finish them when they move to the inner pages. I receive the Skimm, the Huffington Post, and the local Denver Paper, check the front page of the New York Times, wish I had time to do more. This is wake up reading, starting the day with words, coffee, yogurt and cereal.

o   Several times a day, I read blogs from my online reader, many, many of them, and then turn to the e-mail.  From e-mail, I receive newsletters from Choice Literacy, IRA and NCTE, which I skim, and save for the future if some of what is shared looks like I’ll want to look again.

o   For writing inspiration, I am currently reading several books about writing that I can share with students.

o   For non-fiction, which I read a bit at a time, I’m reading Port Chicago 50, by Steve Sheinkin, about a little known civil rights issue during World War II.

o   For teaching, I am reading What We See When We Read by Peter Mendelsund; I've become fascinated by the visual in reading and learning. This book is amazing, filled with quotes, visuals, etc. I also read articles Two Writing Teachers share, the Stenhouse articles, and some from Education Week.  I also read the NCTE journal, In The Middle and others from IRA.

o   For pleasure, and as a judge, I’m reading and re-reading the finalists in the poetry Cybils awards.

That’s it, mostly.  You who are readers know that readers will pick up anything to read just a bit, to see what it’s like, or to skim something interesting.  When I share some or all of this with students, they begin to examine their days, and realize that they’re really reading more than they think.  I didn’t add texts, but they will, along with Facebook, Instagram & their preferred social media.  After discussions about what we read, the next step is how do we read each kind of print?  And then, sometimes questions come about how fast, which mean ‘how much to skim and when’?  And, where is the most productive place for focused reading? 

Making a list of what is currently being read supports great conversation, which leads to other conversations, some lessons in different approaches to different kinds of reading, and recommendations by peers.  Reading, critical to all learning, is one of the topics that can’t be ignored just because students appear to read well.  There’s a depth and a breadth of individual learning to consider. 

photo credit: Indian Homemaker (Kamera Krazy) via photopin cc