Sunday Status: Igniting a Passion for Reading by Steven L. Layne

Sunday Status is a look at my current read. I share one line from the page I'm currently reading and what I'm thinking about the book so far.

Igniting a Passion for Reading 

Steven L. Layne

Scholastic, Inc., 2009

Source:  Scholastic Book Fairs

"In other words, don't just assume that because kids can read, they will read.  The skill and the will are two very different things; we need to acknowledge that fact, and then we need to teach as if we understand that fact to be true (66)." 

I always like to start out my summer with a professional development read.  I also like it to be somewhat of an easy read as it is my summer and I'd rather not be wading through data and graphs and numbers and numbers and blah, blah, blah.  This is not one of those difficult reads, but a nice and easy read with lots of inspiring ideas.

Layne's number one goal here is to get teachers to understand that we have to find ways to get kids to want to read, and the same thing won't work for every kid.  He advocates for read-alouds, choice, time to read, goals, and much more.  I just finished the chapter on read-alouds and have been convinced that I should find a way to incorporate this into my 48 minute periods.  I'll figure it out and make it work--even if I have to only read one or two days a week.  

This book speaks to me because this has been my goal since I started teaching 6th Grade Literature.  I've been teaching for six years, but my first three years gave me a modge podge of courses to teach and I never felt like I quite owned them.  Now I've had a chance to mold my class into one I feel like I can be proud of.  I'll be trying to incorporate a few of his ideas into my classroom next year because the teacher who doesn't grow has little hope in inspiring her students to grow.