What’s Your Number?
5 Practical Tips for Setting Attainable Reading Goals
Did you set a goal for how many books you will read this year? The average American reads about 12 books annually, but most folks end up reading only four titles. Due to some recent air travel, I logged four titles so far, which is ahead of schedule for me in March. Most years I knock off around 18-20 books but I am striving to carve out time each day to read a bit more. I found out my friend Ellen, a prolific reader and university researcher, admitted to 150 titles last year! (She resists social media and limits television! Still, she must be a speed reader, right?)
How many books are students reading? Annually 54% of nine-year-olds read for “pleasure” and only half of all Americans ages 15-24 read for enjoyment. (The National Endowment for the Arts, 2017) So, how can we motivate students and ourselves to read more? The key is for readers to choose their reading material! It is not surprising that 89% of children will finish reading a book they chose. (Scholastic Kids and Family 7th Reading Report) Readers may also set specific goals to stay motivated to reap the many benefits of reading! Reading is good for us on many levels as it promotes happiness, empathy, mindfulness, and it helps prevent dementia. (University of Sussex, published in The Telegraph, March 2009)
How many books should students read per year? It depends on the age of the student!
Donalyn Miller, reading expert and author of The Book Whisperer (Jossey-Bass, 2009) and former upper grade teacher, asked her own sixth grade students to read 40 books per year. Many of the students reached that goal but even the ones who recorded 28 to 30 books made reading gains. Research tells us that the time students spend in independent reading is one of the best predictors of reading achievement! (Anderson, Wilson & Fielding,1988)
Here are 5 practical tips to increase daily reading. These techniques will help you guide students to set specific and attainable reading goals. Let your students know that you too adhere to these goal setting habits that include considering - what to read, where to read, with whom to read, how to read, and when to read!
*Also, check out the two goal setting forms at the end of this blog!
(From Literacy Strong All Year Long ( k-2;3-6) by Lori Oczkus, Valerie Ellery, and Timothy Rasinski; ASCD)
1.Keep A List Not a Log
Teacher as Reader
A number of years ago I took the sage advice of my dear friend and literacy expert, Regie Routman, and I started writing down the titles of books and the authors that I read each year. My notebook serves as a night-stand staple and is more enjoyable than a dreaded book log. I don’t mind filling it out because I only record title, author, and a few words or one sentence to summarize. I also started including a letter grade for each title to indicate how I rate it. I enjoy getting closer to my “number” of books goal. It’s fun to look back over the books I’ve read in past years and jog memories of what was happening in my life at the time. I either take a photo of my book list or at least tell students about it. I record my list in a “pretty” journal from TJ Max and look forward to writing in it!
Try It with Your Students
•Let students each choose a personal reading goal number of books that they want to reach! Remind them to read every day for at least 30 min at home. Also provide time during school for students to read as well.
•Invite students to create a design for listing their own books that includes titles, authors, quick summaries, and ratings. If students individually design a “form” then I honor their creations by duplicating copies for them. Students store their unique reading lists in a folder that we refer to often. The folder also contains a list of books students want to read next and an interest inventory. We use the interest inventory to help them find books they are interested in reading.
2. Set Goals for What To Read
Teacher as Reader
Let your students know what draws you to your reading choices- a flashy cover, an author or genre you enjoy, a topic you are interested in, or the suggestion from a friend, or a celebrity post. (Reece’s Book Club https://reesesbookclub.com ; or Read with Jenna https://www.today.com/shop/read-with-jenna) I alternate between reading historical fiction, memoir, nonfiction as well as short titles and longer more ambitious ones. Recently, when traveling and I finished my stash and resorted to borrowing my husband’s book which moved me out of my comfort zone into a sports book. The novel, Sooley by John Grisham, is a fictional account about a Sudanese basketball player. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it and raced to the end.
Try it With Your Students
•Share your reading diet and goals with students. (Appropriate titles of course!)
•Students should read what they choose while remaining open to a variety of different genres and formats. Discuss setting goals for reading short books and longer titles.
•Encourage students to hunt for future book picks by talking with peers and searching websites such as Bookelicious https://www.bookelicious.com or Epic https://www.getepic.com.
•Hold a book tasting party. Place the set genres on tables such as poetry books, mysteries, nonfiction, and signal for students to rotate to change tables.
3. Set Goals for When To Read
Teacher as Reader
Reading is less likely to become crowded out by other activities including scrolling through emails or social media if we pick a consistent time of day to read. Maybe your best time to read is when winding down before bedtime, or early morning before the chaos begins, or in the middle of the night if you awaken. Keep books on the nightstand, books in the car, and some reading material on your phone so you can read at a moment’s notice. Try to read for a concentrated 20-30 min per day and then steal other reading minutes on the fly.
Try it With Your Students
•Lead a class discussion about making time to read.
•Make a list together on a chart of possible times at home to read including after school, on the way to school, and before bedtime. Include reading “spurts” while waiting in line or in the car.
•Also, include distractions or problems students may experience such as noisy siblings or the television or music blasting. Brainstorm solutions!
•Encourage students to set a time each day for reading 30 minutes and to also read in spurts at home and school.
4. Set Goals for Where to Read
Teacher as Reader
Where do you like to read? Some of you nod off if you read in bed! Maybe you like to read on the couch or in a special chair. Outdoors you might gravitate to special lawn chair or reading spot on the lawn, at a park, or on the subway. Let your reading habit follow you around your home or apartment and come up with multiple reading spots. Tell your students about your favorite places to read.
Try It With Your Students
•Ask students to sketch where they might read at home.
•They get creative andmake a pop up tent under a table or on their bed for a fun spot to read. Or students can head outside to sit on the patio or lawn or maybe next to a window indoors. •Since we want students to read all summer, it is especially important to ask them to envision not only what they will read and when but where as well!
5. Set Goals for How to Read and With Whom
Teacher as Reader
Even as adults we often vary how we read. Fortunately, listening to books can be as beneficial as reading them to yourself! (See data https://www.audiopub.org/sound-learning) My husband and I enjoy hearing murder mysteries on longer drives. Friends of ours also listen to books in the car and after a trip they often sit in the car in the garage to listen to the end of a chapter. Another friend lovingly read aloud to her elderly father in his final year. When raising our children, we savored reading aloud to them and taking turns reading. When they were teens, we’d spread out and read our own books by the fire or at the beach. One of my grown daughters now belongs to an online book club. Currently, I enjoy selecting a book to read and discuss across generations that includes my mother and daughters.
Try It With Your Students
•Encourage students and families to have a varied plan for reading together each day. Will students read alone, or listen and follow along with a recording, or read in unison with a sibling or parent, or take turns?
•Provide suggestions and maybe even feature families reading together on the school or class website.
•In the classroom also share different ways to experience books alone and together with partners. Take photos of students reading to frame and display!
Enjoy these goal setting forms to use to help motivate your students to grow as readers! from the Literacy Strong Series by Lori Oczkus, Valerie Ellery, and Timothy Rasinski. ASCD)
Literacy Strong
Powerful Lessions for Grades K-2
Literacy Strong
Powerful Lessons for Grades 3 - 5