Something that's become very important to me recently as a 4th grade reading/writing/language teacher: From a study I read recently, supported by what I already learned in my masters program for my English Language Arts degree...4th grade is commonly known as the "4th Grade Slump" for reading...this is the year where reading takes a front seat in their education, where they are reading primarily for education/information/learning, reading for research, and it's the age where they find the LEAST amount of enjoyment in reading. Leaving them to simply read AR (Accelerated Reading Program) on their own while filling up "100s" charts from the AR tests isn't cutting it, specifically if that's all we are doing. We can't hear them read. We don't know if they are actually reading these books or if they are skimming to find the requisite facts to pass the brief AR test. We don't hear the mispronunciations, we can't hear the skipped words they can't pronounce at all, we can't hear them not paying attention to the words they are reading...in short, we can't see how ineffective AR is when left as the sole means of getting our students to read. When you finally sit down with a child and listen to them read...you'll often be SHOCKED at how poorly they actually read. I was. I became an instant advocate for what I will write below.

What we HAVE TO DO in order to see gains in reading is LISTEN regularly while they read to us...READ TO THEM regularly so that they hear modeled reading with prosody, proper diction, sentence structure, etc (while they follow each word on the page), and read WITH them in chorus so that they can practice reading with a person who reads with skill. There are many other strategies..whisper reading, CLOZE Reading, etc). These are, by far, according to all research, the best methods of seeing the fastest gains in reading AND in getting them interested in reading. They like the personal attention, and they improve without their even realizing it. IT. WORKS.

I have 5-7 small reading groups going on regularly throughout the week, where I sit down with 3-4 kids in each group at various times in the course of the school day, during lab time or during the morning or afternoon before the busses roll (10-15 minutes at a time), and we read a novel together (or passage, leveled reader, article, etc), a novel they love, a novel that's funny or is within the realm of their interest...I read a page to them...then each of them reads a page in turn, sometimes we all read a page together. Each child has a copy of the novel or story. This is better than traditional round-robin reading where every student reads in class because OFTEN many don't follow, or they don't listen, or they look ahead to see when they will read, full of anxiety and fear and apprehension. Children should never be forced to read out loud in front of the entire class. In small, carefully selected groups, I am seeing them thrive, they get to hear me read every 2-3 pages, and they are getting daily practice reading while I stop and question them, correct words they don't know, and talk about what we just read. This is MODELED CLOSE READING skills.

I also have them sit with me a minute or two at a time and just read to me a page of interesting text, a brief story or interesting paragraph about some interesting topic, and sometimes there is no attached assignment like comprehension questions. It's just reading for the fun of it. I often will read it to them first, and then they read it to me. And then they'll read it to me again the next day...and the next...until they can read that passage with skill. The only way to get better at something...is to practice, practice, practice. The saying "Practice makes perfect" is incomplete. It should read "PERFECT practice makes perfect". If your child is not reading with a skilled reader to undo or prevent bad reading habits, they will not improve. It's just that simple.

Since beginning this process, I have become a full convert to this practice. I see it working. I see the kids looking forward to the reading, and I see them becoming more fluent and better able to read for comprehension, which will show up in progress monitoring and milestones.

Lastly, I sent home a letter today to all parents asking them to sign and send it back if they want me to send home with their child short interesting passages they can read WITH their child for about 5-10 minutes a day. I have TONS of small passages, 1-2 paragraphs long, that they can read with their child. Not only does it build their skill...it builds a relationship between the parent and child! I did this with my son, I read to him all throughout his young childhood, and it was some of the best time I ever spent.

Teachers: You MUST take time to read with your students and LISTEN to them read. How else will you know where they are at their reading level, and how will you then design a strategy to serve their needs? You can't. Children must read. And OFTEN.