What's a "Just Right" book, anyway?
Getting lost in books
Focused independent reading
Getting lost in books
Mrs. Fraser, our wonderful Literacy Tutor with Second Grade Readers
In the past three weeks, we have been busy launching Reader's Workshop in our class and establishing purpose for life as a second grade reader. As part of this unit of "laying foundations" for literacy, one day, I brought in three shirts (I think what follows will remind you of a certain fairy tale you might know, The Three Little Bears). I brought in one of my dad's shirts and put it on, dramatically and theatrically asking students to help me figure out why this shirt just isn't right for me!?!? They thought I had turned totally looney, exclaiming emphatically IT'S TOO BIG!!! Then, I put on one of my old baby doll's shirts (my pinky finger was pretty much the only body part that fit into it) and students scoffed (and laughed) as they proclaimed IT'S TOO SMALL!!! Last, I slid on one of my tried-and-true favorite tees from Block Island and was met by 16 relieved sighs of "ahhhhh, it fits you just right."
It was in this manner that I showed our second graders that just like we wear clothes that fit us just right, we need to select books that are just right for us. But what does it mean to be just right? We came up with some user-friendly guidelines that you might find helpful in assisting your child with book selection at home.
1. The 5-Finger Test: Open up to any page in a prospective book choice and read it. Hold up one finger for each word you cannot solve on your own. 0-1 fingers=too easy, 2-3=just right, 4-5=too hard.
2. Enjoyed a preview of the book: interesting topic, author, series, etc.
3. Reading it feels good: smooth, fluent reading with expression
4. Might be teacher recommended
Our second graders need to be reading for at least 20 minutes every night!! We are working on building our stamina, or our ability to sustain focus for extended periods of time each day at school. This hard work needs to be paralleled at home so we can all "get lost" in our books and live the life of joyful readers.
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