Do you want your children to read more? Do you want them to enjoy reading and pursue it on their own? Here’s how to help them. Here’s how to become a book whisperer.
In The Book Whisperer, Donalyn Miller shares her initial struggles and eventual success with instilling a love of reading in her students. Her book is meant to support public school teachers, but much of it can be adapted and applied to homeschooling. She begins by identifying three types of readers that show up in her 6th grade classroom.
The Three Types of Readers
Miller dislikes the labels of struggling or reluctant readers, saying that those terms lack hope. And she says that even children who enjoy reading are not served well by typical reading curriculum. Briefly, here are her three broad categorizations of readers and suggestions for each.
Developing Readers: These are the children who don’t think they’re capable of becoming strong readers. Because they’ve been classified as ‘struggling’, they are usually given extra help with the mechanics of reading – vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. Yet, even with this extra help, they still spend 75% less time reading than their peers do. Miller contends that, in addition to help with the mechanics, these children need regular and sufficient reading experience for success.
Dormant Readers: These readers are labeled ‘reluctant’. They read well enough to progress in school but don’t willingly read for enjoyment. Miller strives to inspire and support their reading interests and help them discover that reading is enjoyable. More on that below.
Underground Readers: These are the students who really enjoy reading… the books that they choose, not necessarily the ones that are assigned. They view required school reading as a separate task from the reading they really want to do. It’s important to expose these students to a wide variety of choices but respect their preferences and look at how you can tailor your instructional goals to the material they’re reading.
How to Become a Book Whisperer
The subtitle of The Book Whisperer is “Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child”. Miller says she hasn’t met a child yet that she couldn’t turn into a reader. Here’s how she does it:
40 Books a Year: Miller asks her 6th graders to read 40 books during the school year. And guess what? Most of them do because they are allowed…
Choice: The students are allowed to choose the books they want to read. Miller encourages them to select from different genres but doesn’t require it.
Dedicated Reading Time: Miller dedicates the first 15 – 30 minutes of each class for reading.
Modeling: She reads while they read.
It’s evident that Miller cares deeply about developing lifelong readers. She’s not focused on worksheets, plot summaries, and needless busy work. She’s discussing the books with her students, giving them recommendations, and taking their suggestions as well.
In urging adults to be aware of the books that appeal to each individual student, Miller describes a student who had only read one book in the past that she enjoyed – The Day My Butt Went Psycho by Andy Griffiths. Miller borrowed the student’s copy of the book, read it, and they were able to laugh about it together. The student was then open to Miller’s recommendations for other titles, paving the way for more (ahem) sophisticated reading.
Too often children are pushed into reading ‘important’ books and discouraged from choosing what they like. We can always encourage books that we deem vital. But we do our children a disservice when we don’t allow them to follow their interests and read for enjoyment.
Are You a Reader?
Miller is an avid reader and it’s easy for her to model reading for her students. She acknowledges that many teachers, even those who teach reading, aren’t regular readers. So, what advice does she offer for the teacher (or homeschool parent) who doesn’t routinely read? Here are the bare bones of her reading improvement plan for adults:
- Set aside time to read each day.
- Read for joy. Read what you like, not what you think you should read.
- Get recommendations for books from others, including your kids.
- Read more books that are written for children. Rediscover the joy of these books and reconnect with what you like about reading. For more reasons to pick up children’s books, read this article.
A few final notes on how to become a book whisperer:
- Share what you enjoy about reading with your kids. Share what you love about a book. And share your reading difficulties. Couldn’t finish a book because it was too boring? Let your kids know it’s okay to ditch a book they don’t like.
- Don’t tie a bunch of needless work to reading. Endless assignments at the end of a book can drag a joyful reading experience down into the mud.
- Don’t rely on incentives to read. Encourage your children to read for the sake of reading.
The average adult reads four books a year. 25% don’t even read one. Keep that in mind when you look at how many books your child has read in the past year. In fact, you might share these facts with your children. Kids love to hear that they’re better than most adults.
Recognize the importance and the joy of reading. Be a reader. And raise a reader.
For more on how to encourage reading, go here.