So about that blog I started...

I really need to make a better habit out of this blogging business! Do you ever feel like sometimes you have all these grandiose plans and some of them just fizzle out? I don't want that to happen in this case.

It's raining outside. Oh how joyous that is. Here in drought-stricken California, we'll take ever drop we can get! Plus, nothing seems to calm the kids quite like a nice rainy, gray day. I recently had a project funded by donorschoose.org. I asked for comfy floor pillows and bean bag chairs for my class. I'm teaching two reading intervention periods this year, and I am trying every tool in the book to get these kids engaged in their reading. Sitting on these comfy pillows and bean bags is so much better than the rigid desks for some of them. They race in each day to claim their floor seats.

I've read a lot over the past few months on teaching reading and reading intervention with middle schoolers. One thing that really stuck out was from Nancie Atwell when she talked about the importance of helping kids get in to that "reading zone." This notion is super important. Kids need to be conscious of the fact that the mental state they are in while reading is not the same as their normal mental state. They also need to realize that silence can be essential to getting in to this zone. And comfort during reading time is also key. If you haven't read The Reading Zone, I really recommend you take a look.

I've come to the conclusion that the most important thing I can do for all my students is to push them to be better readers by the end of the year. Yes, our other curriculum matters. Yes, being a solid writer is also important. But I just really feel that the READING skill - fluency, comprehension, and just the love of reading, is the most essential for my students' future success.