The Most Important Thing

Sometimes I feel like the Apostle Paul when he repeats himself.  "Again I say rejoice."  There are several things I've said so many times that I can begin a sentence and my children finish it.  For example, 

Me:  The most important thing a reader does is...

Kids:  ...understand.

We say this one a lot.  In fact, it's so worth saying and believing that we made a classroom book about it.  (I believe I saw this at a Regie Routman workshop.  She's my hero.)  I took pictures of all my kids reading to themselves.  Then I met with them individually and asked for three things that good readers do.  I supplied the first and last line on each page, but the middle three ideas belong to them.

I didn't think posting 26 pages of this book was worthy of my time or yours, but I wanted to include some of the other thoughts they came up with.  Here are a few.  So, what do good readers do?

They don't distract other people.

They go back and reread.

They don't spend their time looking around when they don't know a word.

They get a book lickity-split.

They look for chunks.

They use their pointer finger.

They can talk about the book.

They use their strategies.

They read fluently.

They go back and read again if they read like a robot.

They love to read.

They read like peanut butter and jelly.

They read the whole time.

They keep their nose in the book.

They go back if they make a mistake.

They don't guess.
They get stuck in a book.

They read every day they need to breathe.


(I think they've been listening.)