Independent Reading in Fourth Grade

There are so many important things for us to cover this year, but one of the most critical is helping students to build a love of reading!  Teachers work to ignite this spark for students (or, more appropriately, to help them to ignite that spark themselves), and we have several ways of helping students along.  First, throughout the year, you’ll see different ways in which I’ll work to match students with appropriately-leveled books. This is something that, as time goes on, your student will learn to do for himself or herself to a certain extent.  Another focus is on building independent reading skills.  When we have independent reading time in class, everyone is reading a book that’s right for them and we have discussed (and will continue to discuss) some of the many strategies that successful readers use.

Several parents have inquired about a nightly reading log, so I want to take a moment to share my philosophy about reading logs.   I don’t use formal reading logs for students for a few reasons:  First, it turns the reading into a chore.  I’d rather a student enthusiastically read for 20 minutes a day and enjoy it than “force” themselves to read for 30 minutes because they need to reach that exact amount of time for the reading log.  If the end goal is for students to LOVE to read, then it should not be tracked as a homework assignment.  (That said, it IS a homework assignment.  More on that in a moment.)  Second, knowing that parents have busy lives, I understand that there may be some nights when kids read a lot, and some nights when there may be less reading.  I’d hate to put parents into a position in which they feel that they need to lie on a reading log to avoid their child getting penalized for a tough family schedule that was outside the child’s control.  You have enough to juggle, particularly because I’m aware that some of my homework assignments (particularly the computer-based activities) may take more time than conventional worksheets.  (I hope you feel that the payoff is worthwhile!)

By now, half of you are probably cheering for a year without reading logs, and half of you are appalled that I’m letting your fourth grader “off the look” when it comes to nightly reading.  Let me assure you: I’m not.  My expectation is that students read each night, hopefully about 30-40 minutes.  That’s in line with all fourth grade classrooms.  What’s different is that I’m asking them to be accountable to you, as the people in charge at home who see the whole picture (in terms of what they’re reading, how they’re feeling about the experience, what else is going on, etc.) as opposed to making them accountable to me (where I am disconnected from what’s happening after school).  If you’re feeling that your fourth grader is reading each night and is benefiting from the experience, that’s terrific!  But if you find that your child’s “willful” reading lasts only five minutes before you need to push more, or if your child has to be poked and prodded to read a book, or if you have any other concerns, I hope you’ll reach out to me so we can talk more.  But to summarize: Your child should normally be reading about 30-40 minutes each night, and I ask that you help to ensure this happens on a regular basis).  But I’m just an email away if you have questions or concerns.

A few side notes:  (1) As I write this, I’m realizing that I haven’t discussed this enough with the students.  I’ll fix that tomorrow!  (2) As the year progresses, there may be specific reading challenges in which I send home a log, but those will be the exceptions, not the norm. (3) When we meet for our fall parent-teacher conferences, I’ll have completed our first reading assessment with your child, and I’ll be able to give you his or her independent reading level (which can guide you and you and your child choose books at the library or bookstore).  If you’re interested in knowing sooner, I’ll have the results by Halloween time, and again, I’m just an email away!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions!

Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss