MrsK Books: Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller

Title: Reading in the Wild: The Book Whisperer's Keys to Cultivating Lifelong Reading Habits, Author: Donalyn Miller

ISBN: 9780470900307

Publisher's Synopsis:

In Reading in the Wild, reading expert Donalyn Miller continues the conversation that began in her bestselling book, The Book Whisperer. While The Book Whisperer revealed the secrets of getting students to love reading, Reading in the Wild, written with reading teacher Susan Kelley, describes how to truly instill lifelong "wild" reading habits in our students.
Based, in part, on survey responses from adult readers as well as students, Reading in the Wild offers solid advice and strategies on how to develop, encourage, and assess five key reading habits that cultivate a lifelong love of reading. Also included are strategies, lesson plans, management tools, and comprehensive lists of recommended books. Copublished with Editorial Projects in Education, publisher of Education Week and Teacher magazine, Reading in the Wild is packed with ideas for helping students build capacity for a lifetime of "wild" reading.

MrsK's Review:

Do not attempt to read this book without hi-lighters, sticky-notes, a pen, and dedication.

Last year, as a staff, we decided to read three books that could inspire us as we searched for a new reading and language-arts curriculum. What began with Reading Magic by Mem Fox, lead us into Donalyn's first book entitled The Book Whisperer. Inspired doesn't quite catch the true meaning or level of excitement that began bubbling forth and into our classrooms.

Once summer arrived, I eagerly continued my journey with Reading in the Wild. During those lazy evenings I would curl up with an iced tea and "browse" through the book. If you are an educator, I'm sure you realize that "browsing" would not last long. Frustrated beyond belief with all of the insightful renovations firing off in my mind, I gave in and "set my learning stage" fully equipped with every note-taking tool I would need. I was now prepared to embark on a journey with a designated goal of "tweaking" next year's learning environment. What I unearthed was a quest of such magnitude that I needed to embrace this "re-molding," slow my pacing, and accept the collaborative mentoring from every page of Donalyn's leadership (one of the best educational investments of my career).

Within these pages, you will find reading ideas, techniques, and tools that will provide the "perfect" setting for our students to be set free "to read." As mature readers we read for various reasons. We are always on the "watch" for new discoveries. We search garage sales, book stores, library shelves, online book reviews and lists. If we are truthful... we probably have stacks of books awaiting our attention. We know how to use the power of a book to teach or explain the "how-to" for any situation we encounter whether it be cooking, automotive repairs, quilting, home make-overs, or searching for an address. Rarely are we asked to take a quiz about what we just read. Outside of a classroom, when was the last time you had to fill in a packet about the book you enjoyed? Was it an art project that lead you to a good read or was it a discussion about a character, a story line, the next book in a series?

"Wild reading is: readers who incorporate reading into their personal identities

to the degree that it weaves into their lives along with

everything else that interests them."

"What are the habits of a lifelong reader?" If you agree that lifelong readers are those who: dedicate time to reading; self-select reading materials; share books and insights with other readers; have reading plans beyond their current book; and show preferences for genres-authors-topics... then... as an educator you are lead into taking a "critical look" at your own teaching practices (lesson designs, classroom management strategies, formative assessments, etc.). "What instructional components exist in your classroom that will support students as they develop lifelong reading habits?"

So many insights...

Community Conversations: mini-lessons with modeling, discussions, student practice and reflection
Conferring Points: individualized support, assessment debriefing, student evidence, skills and tools
Keeping track of your Reading Life: student documentation, reader's notebooks, reflections, targets and goals
Classroom non-negotiables: in class silent reading, genre selection, writing topics, shared book recommendations, book reviews, reader communities, consistent lesson routines, and so much more
What Readers Look Like: they "snatch a few minutes of reading time between appointments, while waiting, or before falling asleep, have a book for reading emergencies where ever you go
Binge Reading: "There's something satisfying about falling into a book and walking with the characters until the journey ends." Burning through a book, staying up late, or grabbing the book during extra minutes.
Reading Itinerary: as they read you confer
Class Schedule: What does it look like/ What has more impact? The rule of thirds.
Student-Selected Choices: Which titles are keepers? Surveys, lists, book review blogs, author websites, reader networking, book clubs, and random choices
Preview-Share-Discuss: read-alouds, book buzz promotions, abandoning titles, book selection, selection reflections, evidence tracking, and classroom library standards
Classroom Climate: "A community of readers and writers." Bottom line=acquisition of literacy skills, clarity of purpose, reading culture, close reading=mindful reading, strategic and knowledgeable readers, Epicenter readers, resident experts
Teaching Style: goals, inquiry, conferencing functions, clarity of purpose, gathering evidence
Reading Plans: life-long habits, targets-goals-tracking, challenges, genre gaps, reading preferences, reading habits
Appendix: forms, lists, assessments, Genre titles

"Every book begins and ends with other people."

Organized, inspiring, and over-flowing with tested-examples... Take the time to invest in this journey...

Every student will benefit...

MrsK

Inspiring... A must read, share, discuss, and put into place within our classrooms!

The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child

MrsK's Review

Meet the Author:
D_Miller_Headshot

Donalyn Miller has taught 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grade language arts and social studies in the Fort Worth, TX area and was a finalist for 2010 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year. In her popular book, The Book Whisperer, Donalyn reflects on her journey to become a reading teacher and describes how she inspires and motivates her middle school students to read 40 or more books a year. In her latest book, Reading in the Wild, Donalyn collects responses from 900 adult readers and uses this information to teach lifelong reading habits to her students.

#TITLETALK

#titletalk is an hour-long Twitter chat moderated by Donalyn Miller and Colby Sharp on the last Sunday of every month beginning at 8 PM EST. The first half hour is spent on a literacy education topic; the second half hour is spent recommending titles. The second half is what has earned #titletalk the unofficial title of “the most expensive thirty minutes” on Twitter.
Archives of all of the #titletalk chats can be found at http://titletalk.wikispaces.com/.

NERDY BOOK CLUB

Donalyn Miller – along with Colby Sharp and Cindy Minnich – created the Nerdy Book Club website in December 2011 as the online home of the Nerdy Book Club Awards. It quickly grew to include daily posts that shared and promoted a love of reading – especially a love of reading books for children and young adults.
You can read all of the posts and see the winners of the Nerdy Book Club Awards at http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com.

No comments:

MrsK's Reading Bio

Reading is important! No questions asked, not even a blink of the eye from any student I grew up with. On the first day of the First grade, we were given our first books. Day two we all read aloud, round robin of course. Day three we were place in our first basal, now known as a lit circle group. Books were so important, publishers designed new curriculum so that every student was reading by the end of the first week. These early readers had images that looked like what we could see in the classroom, beyond the classroom, even on the big screen. Reading is important, throughout history every generation has believed that “Reading” opens up the world for endless possibilities.

I adore the 1950’s Dick and Jane books. Actually, most reading specialists and experienced (45+) educators believe that every student learned to read with Dick and Jane. Since these books are being re-issued, I have heard many parents, grandparents, and students claim that Dick and Jane stories of repetition does teach students to read.

Early influences from my mother influenced my desire to read. I would watch her read and we would go on “secret” excursions to the library. The library became my playground. I owned every book I could carry home, of course they needed to be taken back to their home after visiting with me for a week or two. My first book that I could pull off of the library shelf and read was, Father Bear Comes Home. I only saw my dad on Sundays for a few hours. I would pull this beginning reader off of the library shelf every week. Every week I would try to read the first chapter. Every week I got further in the story. My mom would let me check it out, only if I could read it myself (She didn’t like the illustrations therefore she didn’t want to take time to read it to me). One day, I pulled the book from the shelf and when mom came to get me from the children’s corner, I realized that I had read the whole story. I ran to the check out desk and the Librarian KERCHUNKED the checkout card. My mother, brother and neighbors read. My teachers read. We all read aloud all day long in school. The Priest read aloud every day at mass, even in Latin. Everybody in the Doctor’s office read. People on the bus read. Dad’s waiting in their cars as the Mom’s and children grocery shopped, read. In fact, once you could read and write, Sunset Magazine considered you a reader and sent you mail every day.

Reading is important; I’ve spent my life reading. I’ve traveled around the world and into space through books. My favorite genre is whichever book I have open at the time. Children’s Literature is my passion. Book clubbing is one of the best past times, especially if food is involved. In fact my friends of old are in a book club and we are about to embark on a beach trip to “read” and discuss our newest selection.

My “home-run” book story has helped every student find his or her own “home-run” reads. Every year, I have shared my, Father Bear Comes Home, and every year my students have brought in their “home-run” books. That’s the “diving board” into our Lit. Studies.

In “Growing Up Digital,” Tapscott’s insights into the new generations enthusiasm for the Net reminded me of my generation’s enthusiasm for reading, movies, TV, parties and our driving permits. The Net-Generation, as Tapscott describes, “are learning, playing, communicating, working, creating communities, and enforcing a social transformation.”
N-Geners are interactive “techies” who are always looking for a way to “work it” verses the TV Generation of “Baby Boomers” who started out looking for “how it works.” Reading development is tougher today, society moves too fast to invest their “non-working” free time into a book or even “home work.” Since I stepped into my own classroom, I have seen students being told to read, being forced to read, and threatened into reading. Homework is not any longer the vehicle for students to gain their future lifestyles or careers with. Yet, the Internet does create an enthusiasm for learning. Since I have been enrolled in these courses, I have used the computers in every subject. My students are using the newest technology in the classroom because I am giving them investigative sites to use as they learn from each other and books. I agree with Tapscott, in order to bridge the gap with this up and coming generation we must “live and learn with them.”

FTC Required Disclaimer: I receive these books from the publishers. I did not receive monetary compensation for these reviews. These reviews have been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)