My son sighed in exasperation and yelled across the table, “Why does my mom have to be a reading teacher?!” There it was. The dreaded phrase that I have come to loathe. The phrase that cuts right to my heart and punches me in the stomach. You see, I have a reluctant reader at home. A reader who once believed in the power and possibilities reading provides but now equates reading with work.
Tasked with countless reading quizzes, reading responses, and other artificial forms of accountability, he finds that reading has become a chore and one he avoids at all costs. Our kitchen table has become synonymous with his cries of frustration as I inevitably act like a reading teacher at home in hopes of boosting his confidence and bolstering his abilities.
I’ve always had difficulty with the idea of reading homework. The only way to improve reading abilities is to read: wide, voluminous reading of text. So when I see homework assignments devoid of reading but full of reading responses, I get just as frustrated as my son does.
As a literacy coach, I understand the need to teach skills like finding text evidence to support claims about reading, analyzing character traits and how they contribute to the theme of the text, and more. But as a mom, I understand just how difficult this is to accomplish at home no matter how many educational certifications you have. Focusing on reading responses connected to skills and standards at home means less time and mental energy to focus on reading for meaning and enjoyment. Students are often required to do it but have no tolerance for it, since reading was portrayed as work for far too long.
We must teach students how to read accurately, with fluency and high levels of comprehension. We must teach them strategies for critical thinking, model how to provide evidence for our thinking, and be prepared to demonstrate those skills to others (aka, high-stakes assessments). This kind of literate work takes energy, stamina, and a level of concentration that must be supported, guided, and nurtured, work best reserved for a knowledgeable teacher in the classroom. But far too often, this work is assigned to home.
But here’s the thing: Placing school-sanctioned requirements on what and how students read at home may give students the wrong impression about the role that reading can play in their lives and cause a great deal of frustration. But we can do something about that.
Enter unadulterated reading: pure reading without adult-mandated sanctions that encourages students to read what and how they want to read at home. They read books they want to read regardless of the curriculum or their reading level. They read books that pique their curiosity and push them out of their comfort zones. Students also have choices in how they read. They might read under the kitchen table or whisper-read in funny voices. They do not read with artificial accountability: no quizzes or reading responses here. Sound appealing? Here’s how you might give it a try.
Pure Reading
Introduce students to the term unadulterated and explain that it means something that is 100 percent pure without any added elements. Even young students can understand and might feel good about using such a big word! Then, define unadulterated reading: 100 percent pure reading without artificial elements from teachers or parents. Together, brainstorm what unadulterated reading might look like. How, where, when, and why would they read?
Welcome all responses and allow students to be creative. Maybe students will try a new genre? Read a new series? Read under the kitchen table? Read upside down? You’re probably getting the idea now: Unadulterated reading puts students in control and encourages them to think outside the box to make reading exciting and relevant. Appeal to students’ playful sides and see what they come up with.
Unadulterated reading should have no strings attached: Accountability does not promote community. But celebrating reading does. How? Students might take selfies with their books to share with fellow readers, create book talks and share them in person or on Flipgrid, or sketch their thinking as they read, focused on feelings and new learning over literal answers and evidence. They might even write reading responses but focus on thinking, not correction. Or, they might not do anything at all other than read and share their reading in the classroom the next day.
As a class, brainstorm the ways students could celebrate the reading they do at home. Be a facilitator and generate ideas from students. You can suggest, but let students ultimately decide their options. This is unadulterated reading, after all.
Plan to carve out a few minutes each day for students to share their reading lives. And yes, it must be every day. If students are expected to share daily and know their responses will be celebrated (even the silly ones such as reading under the bleachers at a sibling’s baseball game!), they will more readily build a reading habit at home. I have seen even the most reluctant reader begin reading at home simply so he could join in the conversation and have something to share. Encourage students to try the unadulterated reading practices their classmates share. You might even chart their ideas to celebrate.
If we do not engage students’ reading hearts, chances are, we will never fully capture their reading minds at school either. By making a simple shift to unadulterated reading homework, we can ensure fewer frustrating sessions at the kitchen table and help students foster a lifetime love of reading.
