Independent Reading Sample Plans
The EL Education Grades 3–8 Language Arts module lessons allocate time for launching and reviewing independent reading. The purpose of this section is to serve as a resource in launching and sustaining a strong independent reading program that emphasizes accountability. Lesson sequences that vary in length are included in the pages that follow. Many teachers already have robust independent reading plans in place: please view this document as a resource to enhance or extend your existing work. If you use the lesson sequences included in this document, consider which will work best given the time required by them and the needs of your students. For example, if you notice that many students need to practice logging reading in their independent reading journals, consider using “Research Reading Review: An Effective Independent Reading Journal Entry.”
Recommended Texts Each EL Education Language Arts module includes a list of recommended texts in a broad complexity range for each unit. These books can be used for independent research on a given topic, or students may choose them to read for pleasure during independent reading time at school and at home. They may also be used for small group instruction. Because these book choices have already been identified as aligned to the topic, they are a good starting place for helping students to select books and increase their volume of reading.
Other Resources Your library is an amazing and often underutilized asset to promote a volume of reading. There are a number of reading programs across the country that encourage classrooms to build libraries for convenient student reading choices. These classroom libraries play a positive role in developing lifelong readers. Yet they sometimes have limited choices for students. To support the individuality of each student, encourage students to access the thousands of titles and choices that can be found in the local and school libraries. School librarians are often an underutilized asset to promote a volume of reading for students. Contact your school librarian for support in this area, as he or she is often eager to help.
EL Education Curriculum 1 Independent Reading Sample Plans
Launching Independent Reading in Grades 3–8 Creating a plan for supporting students in independent reading is context-specific and varies greatly based on a school’s schedule and staffing model. If your current routines include reading connected to topics, or “research reading,” and they are working, it probably makes sense to stick with them, though you may find some interesting ideas in this document. If you do use the plans here, there are a number of choices to be made about what structures and routines will work best for you and your students. Recall the importance of an independent reading program that elevates both choice and research reading (with texts related to the module topic). The balance in that relationship is a hallmark of what’s provided in the sample plans.
Guiding Principles Students need to learn the skill of selecting, evaluating, and comparing books that interest them and that can be read independently. Teachers need to teach the skill of selecting, evaluating, and comparing texts and then check in to see how students are doing through a structure for independent reading. This skill aligns with CCSS ELA RL.9 and RL.10, but is equally important when students are selecting and evaluating informational texts. Because RL.10 specifically requires students to read a volume of complex texts at their given grade level, this standard is best taught through a structure for independent reading.
Students need accountability for their reading, both on a weekly basis and when they finish a book. This accountability comes from reading journals as well as from conversations with teachers and peers about what they are reading.
Social interactions energize independent reading. This is the principle behind book clubs for adults, and it is equally true—if not more so—for young readers. If possible, have students select independent reading books in pairs or trios, so they can talk about their books with other students. Also, if students begin to buzz about a particular book or series, look for that, build on it, nurture it—this will do more than anything else to get them actually reading.
Launching a successful independent reading program takes class time—to teach it, to check in, to motivate students, and for students to read. Struggling readers, in particular, need time at school to read. And many students of all reading abilities may not have a quiet space at home for reading or support from adults beyond the school community. For these lessons to be successful, find additional time in the school day (homeroom, DARE time) for students to read independently.
Logistical Considerations Launching Independent Reading: The launch of independent reading will vary by school and teacher. The plan that follows describes a series of lessons to launch it. This plan could be implemented as a stand-alone week of English Language Arts class or interspersed (a day at a time) into the curriculum. The Module Overview and Unit Overview documents signal to teachers the point in the module and unit by which the launch process needs to be completed. Pace and time the launch based on what works best for your students and school schedule.
NOTE: Refer to the “Conferring during Independent Reading” section for strategies to ensure students are reading books they can understand and enjoy. Extend students’ choices to include a wider range of reading materials than just books: magazines, newspapers, manuals, websites, etc. These materials possess the ability to spark students’ interest and grow their knowledge as much as—and sometimes more than—traditional young adult fiction, for instance.
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Maintaining Independent Reading: Within each EL Education module for Grades 3–8, teachers are given suggestions for when students should review recommended texts related to the module topic and select texts for independent reading. Lessons in the modules also include time during homework for students to read these texts independently. However, because the module lessons are just for one hour of literacy instruction per day, it is assumed that teachers will provide additional time to launch and support independent reading beyond that one-hour time frame. This could be done during an extended literacy block or at some other point in the school day. It is also assumed that students may read texts related to the module topics and other texts on topics of their choice.
Communicating with Parents about Independent Reading: Consider how you will communicate with parents about independent reading, as their support will be important. Although it can be difficult to have students get a reading record signed every night, consider sending home completed reading journals (after four check-ins—so every two to four weeks) for parent signatures. Also determine how to routinely follow up with parents whose students are not completing the assigned independent reading.
Student Goal-Setting and Accountability: You will need to decide what sorts of goals you want students to set for their reading and how often (weekly or twice weekly) you will check in with students about their reading. The following launch sequence includes twice-weekly check- ins on progress as the independent reading routines are getting established. Based on students’ needs, you could continue that pattern or scale back to weekly check-ins. (Some teachers wish to have students record their reading every day; you could supplement the materials included here with such a record.)
Publishing Book Reviews for Authentic Audiences: Students benefit from having an authentic audience (beyond their teacher) with whom to share their learning and opinions about the books they read. Peers are a great audience. Having students share reviews with one another has the additional benefit of adding to the “buzz” about books their classmates might like. Consider the various options for “publishing” reviews, and select the one that works for your classroom (e.g., simple reviews on index cards to post on a bulletin board, a class book blog, Goodreads, or student-prepared book talks). Having students write or deliver oral reviews of their books has the added benefit of addressing standards related to written argument (W.1) or public speaking (SL.4).
Conferring during Independent Reading: Conferring one-on-one with students about what they are reading serves both instructional and accountability purposes. A conversation with you about reading will create more accountability for a student about her reading than a reading journal she turns in. Conferring is a rich teaching practice and allows you to build strong relationships with students as readers and as people. The heart of conferring is simply to ask students, “How’s it going?” “What are you learning?” and “What are you figuring out as a reader?”
While students are reading silently in class, circulate to observe and confer. Notice patterns in the types of books students are choosing and in how well they are sustaining engagement with their chosen book. Confer with students to ensure that they are reading books they can understand and enjoy. Conferring can include the following:
■ Asking a student to read a paragraph or two aloud, noting any miscues (if there are a lot, the book might be too hard)
EL Education Curriculum 3 Independent Reading Sample Plans
■ Asking a student to talk about what is happening in that excerpt, stating simply: “Tell me more!” ■ Helping students use “fix-up” strategies when they get confused (e.g., rereading, visualizing, using context clues to determine unknown vocabulary) ■ Asking students what they like or don’t like about a book and why (push them to cite evidence) ■ Suggesting titles that the student might find interesting and appropriate
Lesson: Launch Independent Reading
(25 minutes)
Materials Texts (see the Recommended Text List)
Agenda Book frenzy: Display various texts for students to peruse. Ideally, these texts would include some of the titles from the Recommended Texts List with diverse cultures and backgrounds represented. Consider conducting brief teacher book talks on those titles related to the module.
Give students time to browse the texts. Make this fun!
Encourage students to select a few titles and “test-drive” them. Test-driving involves reading the first few pages of each book to determine which one they would like to continue reading. Help students understand that for the text to be worth continuing, students should be able to read the text with good fluency and understanding. If none of them work, students can repeat this process, but they should not do this more than twice.
Consider allowing partner selections, but keep in mind that each student needs his or her own copy of the text.
Once students have chosen their texts, invite them to start reading silently.
Circulate to discuss texts with students, being aware of the following:
■ With texts that appear “too easy” for a student, understand the following: — Vocabulary and knowledge can still grow with simple texts.
— If reading is happening and the student is enjoying it, then that is a success.
— If the student becomes increasingly interested in the topic, he or she will likely read more complex texts about it to satisfy a curiosity to know more
■ If a student develops a pattern over a period of time of reading only less challenging texts guide the student toward other texts on a topic you know he or she likes or is related to what he or she is currently reading, rather than telling the student to change texts. ■ With texts that appear “too hard” for a student, understand the following: — A student does not have one reading level, but has many depending on the topic and his or her knowledge of it.
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— For example: A student may have deep knowledge about baseball and will be able to read more complex texts on this topic. The same student may have less knowledge about boats and will not be able to read texts on this topic that are as complex when first learning about the topic.
■ When checking in with students, simply ask the student about his or her book: — If it sounds like he or she is getting something out of the book, the student should continue reading it.
— If he or she cannot easily talk about the book, ask him or her to read a short section aloud. If the student cannot read with a degree of fluency, support him or her in finding a new text on the same topic. Only do so if the student cannot read with adequate fluency and he or she does not seem to be getting anything out of the book.
Lesson: Research Reading Review: An Effective Independent Reading Journal Entry
(15 minutes)
Materials Model reading journal entry (selected and copied from a student independent reading journal; one for display) Effective Reading Journal Entry anchor chart (new; co-created with students) Independent reading journal (one per student) Sticky notes (two colors; one of each per student)
Agenda Distribute and display a model reading journal entry. Tell students that this is a successful model of a reading journal entry.
Post and review the following directions:
1. With your partner, read the model reading journal entry aloud. 2. Discuss what makes this a successful model. Refocus whole group and use a total participation technique to select students to share out.
As students share out, capture their responses on the Effective Reading Journal Entry anchor chart. Responses should include author, title, pages read, summary of the pages read, prompt, and response to prompt.
Invite students to take out their independent reading journals and distribute sticky notes.
Invite students to do the following:
■ Use the criteria on the anchor chart to self-assess their most recent reading journal entry. ■ Add two sticky notes to their journal entry: one thing they did well and one thing to do better next time.
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Lesson: Research Reading Review: Book Talk
(10 minutes)
Materials Reading book (teacher copy only) Research reading text (one per student)
Agenda Invite students to move into pairs or triads and to label themselves A, B, and C.
Display and read aloud the following sentence frame:
“I am reading ______, which is about ______. I would/would not recommend it to a friend because ______.” Model an example for students using your own reading book (one appropriate to share with students). (Example: “I am reading Through the Looking-Glass, which is about a girl called Alice, whom you might recognize from the story Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I would recommend it to a friend because it is funny. Alice meets a lot of strange and interesting characters when she climbs through the mirror, and many of them say and do very funny things.”)
Tell students to retrieve their research reading texts, and give them 2 minutes to think about how they would complete the sentence frame.
Refocus whole group.
Allocate 2 minutes for each student to share with his or her partner or triad.
Refocus whole group. Give students specific, positive praise on their book talks. (Example: “I heard many of you giving your classmates thoughtful reasons about whether you recommend your book or not.”)
Lesson: Research Reading Review: Connections to the Module
(10 minutes)
Materials Research reading text (one per student)
Agenda Tell students they will now participate in Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face to make connections between their research reading texts and the module. Remind students that they used this protocol in Module 1.
1. Invite students to retrieve their research reading texts. 2. Invite students to find a partner, to label themselves A and B, and to turn back-to-back. 3. Provide the prompt, and give students a minute of think time: “What connections have you made between your research reading text and the module?”
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4. Invite students to turn face-to-face. 5. Invite partner B to share first. Tell them to introduce their text first, and then their answer to the prompt. 6. Invite partner A to do the same. 7. Invite students to thank each other. 8. Students repeat with a new partner. 9. Repeat until students have shared with three different people.
Lesson: Research Reading Review: Something Interesting
(5 minutes)
Materials Research reading text (one per student)
Agenda Invite students to move into pairs or triads and to label themselves A, B, and C.
Tell students to retrieve their research reading texts and to identify one of the following in their texts that they found particularly interesting:
■ Fact ■ Paragraph ■ Image Refocus whole group.
Allocate 1 minute for each student to read aloud (or show) their partner or triad the fact, paragraph, or image they chose and to explain why they found it particularly interesting.
Refocus whole group. Give students specific, positive praise on their conversations. (Example: “I saw a lot of you referring back to your text to describe what you found particularly interesting.”)
EL Education Curriculum 7 Independent Reading Sample Plans
Lesson: Research Reading Review: New Vocabulary
(5 minutes)
Materials Sticky notes (one per student) Research reading text (one per student) Vocabulary log (one per student)
Agenda Distribute sticky notes.
Tell students to retrieve their research reading texts and vocabulary logs and to choose and underline a new vocabulary word they learned from their independent reading. (Note: Words from independent reading should have a star or symbol next to them.)
Tell students to locate that word in their independent reading texts and to mark it with a sticky note.
Play music, and invite students to take their research reading texts, vocabulary logs, and something to write with and to move around the room in a particular way to the music (e.g., moving like a particular animal, such as a frog).
After 15 seconds, stop the music, and invite students to pair up with the person closest to them to share their word, the meaning, and the sentence of text it was found in.
Invite students to record the new word they learn from their partner in their vocabulary logs.
Repeat this process until students have shared with three different students.
Ask students to return to their seats.
Refocus whole group. Give students specific, positive praise on their conversations. (Example: “I saw a lot of you listening carefully to your partners and asking questions to find out more.”)
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