Join us in the Slice of Life story challenge. Every day for the month of March, bloggers all over the globe are writing their slices and sharing them on the Two Writing Teachers blog.
Today I was planning a different slice. There is a story about one young man that is bubbling up to the surface. I started to write about him, but this is what popped up instead.
If all else fails, in this class, we are readers.
All you need to do to get our attention is to read aloud to us. We may shout out responses and drive you batty, but we will be reacting to the words in this book. If you try to stop at a cliffhanger we will demand more. We will beg for one more chapter.
We might take some time settling in to independent reading. We may take precious minutes at the beginning of our reading time to adjust ourselves and look for a book and adjust ourselves again and look for another book and adjust ourselves again. We may drive you nuts by asking yet again for help finding just the right book. We might give a little cheer that the book we have been waiting for is finally available. But once the silence descends on the room, it is magical and we all feel it. If you hear whispering, it is usually something we just have to share in our book. If a noisy class walks by in the hallway, we will ask to shut the door. If the group at your table gets too loud, we will shush them.
We refer to things we have experienced together: the stuffed elephant that we have nicknamed Stella, and sometimes she is Ruby; the endless connections to the world of Rump, even when there is not a very logical connection to it; the pain that Rob experienced in The Tiger Rising and the way we all cried at the end of the book. We ask to make a reading salad like we did in the beginning of the year. We ask, “Are you going to meet with us today?” because we can’t wait to talk about the book our group is reading. We groan when you say “Find a good place to stop and write down your end page.” And sometimes, we beg for more time. More time to spend in the world of our books.
No matter how bonkers we are that day, you can rely on our calm and this reading space. We have worked to build our stamina. We have worked to improve fluency and comprehension. We have listened to your insistent advice that we need to choose a book at our own level. We are making progress. We are thinking deeply.
We are reading.
Hooray! I love the magic that happens when a room is filled with readers. I like how you capture the tension between settling in and feeling the calm that descends as kids sink into stories.
Wow! I love this slice and this peek into your classroom of readers. Kudos to you for creating this fabulous environment: “But once the silence descends on the room, it is magical and we all feel it.”
I love the way you wrote this and completely agree! Reading aloud is hands down my favorite time of day with the class because of the way they listen and the characters become almost like new member of the classroom. It is such a powerful way to build a community. This was a fantastic post!