Simple Starts

Introduction: Let's do this. It's simple to start. 1. Make Room for Reading! Simple Starting Points to Get You Going Starting Point 1.1: Nurture the Love of Books and Reading Starting Point 1.2: Find and Fiercely Protect Scheduled Time for Daily Independent Reading 2. Create Spaces That Help Readers Flourish Starting Point 2.1: Arrange Workspaces with Flexibility in Mind Starting Point 2.2: Build Community by Creating a Classroom Gathering Place Starting Point 2.3: Prepare an Accessible, Appealing Space for Your Library Starting Point 2.4: Use Anchor Charts to Strengthen Learning 3. Bring Out the Best in Your Readers Starting Point 3.1: Build Positive Relationships with and Among Your Students Starting Point 3.2: Teach Expectations with Patience and Consistency 4. Provide Choice to Build Engaged and Joyful Readers Starting Point 4.1: Give Kids Choice About What, Where, and How They Read Starting Point 4.2: Cultivate Engaged, Joyful Reading Habits for All Starting Point 4.3: Stand Back and Observe 5. Build Efficient Classroom Library Routines Starting Point 5.1: Teach Students to Treat Books with Respect and Care Starting Point 5.2: Establish When the Library Is Open for Business and When It Is Not Starting Point 5.3: Teach Students to Find What They're Looking For 6. Teach Purposeful Strategies for Finding Great Books Starting Point 6.1: Deepen Your Own Understanding of the Choices Readers Make Starting Point 6.2: Help Students Develop Skills for Finding Books They Can Read Starting Point 6.3: Help Students Develop Skills for Finding Books They Want to Read 7. Deliver Clean, Focused Whole-Group Instruction Starting Point 7.1: Use a Minilesson Format for Whole Group Instruction Starting Point 7.2: Gather Your Class for a Few Minutes of Strategic Reflection 8. Provide Smart, Purposeful Small-Group Instruction Starting Point 8.1: Make Small-Group Work an Extension of Your Teaching, Not Something Separate Starting Point 8.2: Keep the Group Size Small and the Time Frame Short Starting Point 8.3: Create Flexible and Fluid Groups Starting Point 8.4: Stick to One Powerful Teaching Point That Can Transfer to Independent Reading Starting Point 8.5: Spend Most of the Time Listening to Students Read Starting Point 8.6: Give the Rest of the Students Authentic Tasks 9. Leverage the Power of Conferring: Get to Know and Support Your Readers Starting Point 9.1: Recognize and Commit to the Power of One-to-One Conferences Starting Point 9.2: Set an Inviting and Respectful Tone Starting Point 9.3: Follow a Predictable Format Starting Point 9.4: Create a Conferring Routine That Works 10. Talk About Reading: Support, Share, and Expand the Love of Reading Through Conversation Starting Point 10.1: Fine-Tune Your Teacher Language to Support Deeper Thinking and Conversation Starting Point 10.2: Make Turn-and-Talk a Classroom Staple Starting Point 10.3: Make Partner Conversation About Books and Reading a Daily Routine 11. Teach Comprehension Strategies Starting Point 11.1: Recognize Three Simple Truths About Effective Strategy Instruction Starting Point 11.2: Identify Specific Strategies Proficient Readers Use Starting Point 11.3: Use Annotation Tools to Help Strengthen Comprehension Starting Point 11.4: Keep Strategy Instruction in Perspective 12. Inform Your Teaching Through Daily Assessment Starting Point 12.1: Recognize that Formative Assessment Is the Key to Smart Instructional Decisions Starting Point 12.2: Adopt "What Next?" Thinking: Identify Strengths and Next Steps Starting Point 12.3: Harvest Formative Assessment Data from Tools You're Already Using Starting Point 12.4: Try New Assessment Tools Conclusion: Some Courage for the Journey