2015 Focus: Book Talk!

Last week we started building book talk into our independent reading time! 

To get started, my literacy coach and I did a mini lesson together. We modeled what good book talk looked like and what not so great book talk looked like. The kids shared the things they noticed, what we were talking about, how we were talking etc. Then they got started! Our actual independent reading time was pretty short the first day. They were definitely enjoying the chance to get up and chat. So we met back together and discussed the good things I noticed and heard when they were getting together.

Each day we discuss the procedures. Things like: be sure to spend some time reading first, go to someone near to you, tell them you want to share some thing about your book, share, walk back. 

Can you tell some of the things we have been struggling with? ;)

And honestly, its mostly for this one sweet boy who takes tiny steps over to a friend, hides behind a book while he mumbles something and then slowly walks back. It is so precious. He wants to share but is almost too shy to do it! 

Day 3 we ended up making an anchor chart with some book talk starter sentences.

We had to talk about the fact that we are not getting together to read the page, but share something interesting, or something they learned. The sentence starters have helped with that some! 

There was lots of chatting the first week, because it was a novelty, but the kids quickly settled back into the routine. I of course have to remind one or two kids to get back to reading, but for the most part they have figured it out. Some share often, others don't. Some kids have their "go to" chat partner, while others like to visit 2-3 other people. Its interesting to see who they decide to talk with. I have been able to start conferencing again, which is nice. I spend a good week just wandering around and monitoring. 

So now it is on to my other goal of gathering good data in my conferences for our strategy groups! It's starting to come together now that mid year testing is over, but it has a ways to go! 

Another aspect that I have finally introduced is using post it notes to start recording our thinking. We did it whole group in our reading mini lesson the other day when we were practicing asking questions during a story. 

I want to do it a couple more times together before I let them take it to their independent reading time. I just loved the questions they asked with the book Hondo and Fabian, and then our follow up discussion the next day was so interesting and we searched for clues in the text and pictures! (and we ended up doing a lot of inferring!)

If you want to catch up on my Independent reading focus check the label 2015 focus for the old posts! :)