"What are you trying and applying today?"

A simple question to ask students before independent reading time

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

Over the past 23 years, I have seen the pendulum swing with literacy instruction.

• An initial focus on meaning and relevance when teaching readers and writers

• State standards and annual testing starting to limit what could be taught

• Subsequent curriculum programs to ensure “fidelity” to standards and tests¹

What I’ve learned as a teacher and leader over this time is there may never be one “right” approach to how we teach readers and writers.

That said, one belief that I have not wavered on is time and support for independent reading and writing.

I know others don’t share this belief. Independent reading in particular has too often been pushed out of the literacy block. It’s too bad. Beyond the obvious benefits of student choice and empowerment, independent reading can actually strengthen students’ development of foundational reading skills such as phonics instruction.²

I understand the concerns that independent reading time is sometimes confused with sustained silent reading (SSR) or “leisure reading” (aghast - kids get time to just read!).

But this isn’t an issue with independent reading; the problem is that it’s not properly understood or implemented in classrooms.

In hopes of independent reading being a main element in every classroom, I offer a simple question you can ask students:

“What are you trying and applying today?”

This is adapted from Linda Rief’s third question when she conducted a status-of-the-class during her writing block.

1. What are you writing?

2. Where are you at in the writing process?

3. What are you working on?

(These three questions are my best guess as to what I remember her sharing at a conference session I attended. Also, the “try and apply” phrase comes from Regie Routman’s excellent professional development series.)

You could follow the same routine just before independent reading time.

1. What are you reading?

2. What page are you on?

3. What are you trying and applying today?

Going around the room, every student would share the book they are reading, the progress they are making, and the previously-taught skill or strategy they are using.

A host of benefits come to mind from this regular process for supporting independent reading, such as:

• Students prompted to be more metacognitive when reading independently.

• Students become aware of what peers are reading.

• Students empowered to apply what they’ve learned to texts of their choice.

• Students expected to be independent, which builds trust and confidence.

Of course, this question falls short if readers aren’t supported with access to excellent texts, accountability, conferring, and opportunities for self-assessment as readers.

To close, one way to reframe independent reading and differentiate it from SSR and similar practices is to think of it as intentional reading: allocated time for students to apply what they’ve learned to books they can and want to read.³

What questions do you ask readers before independent reading time? How would you revise the suggested routine for your students? Share your wisdom in the comments.

1. I recently wrote a short digital book on how teachers and leaders can “resist the script” with five critical questions for adapting, adopting, or developing a student-centered literacy curriculum. You can find it on Amazon or as a downloadable PDF to print here. (Note: If you already bought it on Amazon, let me know and I will send you the PDF for free.)

2. For more information on this topic, check out Trusting Readers: Powerful Practices for Independent Reading by Jennifer Scoggin and Hannah Schneewind. You can connect with Jennifer and Hannah on Twitter at @trustingreaders.

3. I’m currently planning to host a book study this fall around the professional resource Teaching Readers (Not Reading): Moving Beyond Skills and Strategies to Reader-Focused Instruction by Peter Afflerbach. Look for more information in this space soon.