Read widely and read often to create a classroom environment where independent reading thrives. Independent reading is more than just drop everything and read
- it is a gateway to writing, critical thinking, discussion, and deeper learning. The author, an accomplished middle and high school English teacher and founder of Project LIT Community, believes in the power of independent reading to both turn around the reading attitudes of students and help them achieve huge gains in all areas of literacy, learning, and civic engagement. Many teachers have pushed aside independent reading in favor of curriculum content and skills - or because of pressure to stay true to a traditional literary canon. Instead of looking at it as either/or, this book shows teachers how to make independent reading yes, and.
The Read and WRAP (write, reflect, analyze, participate) framework helps teachers cultivate meaningful learning experiences with daily dedication of independent reading time, followed by writing, reflection, conversation, and community-building lessons and activities. With thoughtful, student-centered structures and strategies to sustain independent reading success, this book provides detailed insights on transforming the principles of access, choice, time, and community into actions; shows how to support student interests and varied reading levels; offers ready-to-go activities to initiate Read and WRAP routines at the start of the school year, keep momentum going, and finish the year strong to ensure continued literacy growth; demonstrates how to leverage student feedback to fine-tune the Read and WRAP routines; discusses options for incorporating independent and whole-class novels into the curriculum; and offers a game plan to level up
IR, including how to launch and lead a Project LIT chapter. Choosing what we read is critically important, and this book offers the tools teachers need to guide students along the path to true literacy.