Yesterday, during one of the nErDcamp sessions on reaching struggling readers, a teacher from Falmouth High School used an analogy to describe to students what it is like when you finally find the right book and consequently, become a reader.  "It's like falling in love.  You look, you wait and then it just happens."  

What a terrific way to explain it to students.  I truly believe that when a student says they hate to read, it's because they haven't found the right book.  So many students I have worked with this past semester have made this claim to me.  While some of them did find the right book and now are on their way to their own reading lives, I haven't reached all of them...yet.

We are extremely fortunate our district superintendent trusted us as teachers to implement a customized reading block that can can change the culture of reading at our high school.  The initial charge was to improve test scores and improve kids' reading skills.  A colleague and me knew that to create a skill-based program and group kids by ability was a recipe for disaster.  As it is, kids are ability-grouped in their English classes and not passing the state assessment.   In order to improve our students reading skills, the first thing we needed to tackle was to change the culture of reading at BHS.  We relied on the work of Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher to help us with the research and foundation the program would be built upon. 

We based our program on the following tenets:

1. Students need high-interest, contemporary reading materials.
   
2. Students need choice on what they read.
   
3. Students need time to read.

We spent a week creating documents, a curriculum and a resource website.  We trained the teachers and then held our breath.    Actually, I probably prayed too. Students spent 45 minutes, four days a week in a reading CLB.

We have just finished the first semester.  Looking at it both quantitatively and anecdotally, we were successful.  So many students told us that they are reading more now than they ever have. Some have confessed, they had not read a book in years and now have read two or three.  Teachers see the value.  Most students see the value.  Hopefully the value will also show itself in test scores.  But I will be most proud that the ultimate value is in that we will be helping to produce many, many lifelong readers.  That will be the lasting legacy.

Many have asked what this program looks like and what happens during that time.

CLB Reading - Mon. Tues. Thurs. Fri. 10:15 - 11:00 a.m.  

10:15 - 10:20: SAT Question of the day on the LCD projector
10:20 - 10:30: Book talks by teacher, paperwork, etc..
10:30 - 11:00: Independent reading by students.
Teachers spend the reading time conferring with students, working on finding books for struggling readers, tracking student progress or reading themselves.

Is it perfect?  Nope.  But we are working out the bugs and trying to improve as we go.  

Each grade level has 5-6 reading CLB groups with one teacher leader that uses the time to work with especially struggling readers, doing book talks, checking in with teachers and collecting data.

As one of the teacher leaders, I can tell you that I am busy every minute of the 45 minutes.  I check in with all my teachers, work with kids, download books to iPads and generally put out small fires.  I LOVE it.  I feel like we are making a difference.

We aren't doing anything ground-breaking and other schools have done this for years -- way before us.  But our teacher-leader model may be something that could add to others' programs.

Reading is just like anything else.  To become a better basketball player, you must play basketball.  To become a better reader, you must read.  It's deceptively simple and politically complicated in the landscape of school.  

Kudos to Biddeford for allowing us to help kids fall in love with reading.

Today was nErDcamp Northern New England.  My friend and colleague Susan Dee and her awesome planning committee put on tremendously valuable professional development in the form of a literacy-based edcamp.  

The best part.....it was right at my high school.  The nErDcamp NNE took advantage of our recent $34 million dollar renovation and held it at Biddeford High School.  It was great to hear all the comments about what a beautiful school it is.  We haven't heard that in a long, long time.  

This was my first edcamp and I give it two thumbs up.  Picture an hour-long professional learning community where you can share, ask questions and just talk about the particular topic you signed up for.  The schedule is built at the beginning of the day, based on whatever the group needs/wants.  There is a volunteer facilitator who may or may not be the expert on 
that particular group's topic.

So no one has to prepare a presentation, or stress about handouts, or feel like you have to be "on" and entertain/inform an audience for an hour.

It's so low stress that I facilitated a group session about using Google Apps for Education for feedback and assessment.  While I may have shared a few things, I got way more out of someone who shared how he uses Google forms for assignment submission.

Whoa!  Mind blown. Seriously.  While I thought I was pretty nifty with forms, he totally rocks the forms for education.  Of course, I stole everything he showed me -- with permission of course.  He is an eighth grade English teacher from Southern Maine named Chris Pirkl.  Go follow him on Twitter!

I also attended sessions on Flipboard, strategies for helping high school-level struggling readers and eBooks.  I always consider a PD event a success if I can walk away with at least three new things/strategies/idea to try in my classroom.  I got three and then some!

Hats off to the organizing committee and to my friend Susan Dee.  Thanks for getting me involved.  Give an edcamp a try -- so totally worth it.  It also earns me a voucher day to take a day off of school.  AND -- I won a door prize.  (There were TONS - worth attending for just the goodies)  Double yay!