Photos courtesy of the North Bellmore School District
First graders are building their reading stamina at Newbridge Road Elementary School in the North Bellmore School District. Teacher Jennifer Campbell said that being able to read continuously is an important part of their literacy development, and recently her students hit the 10-minute milestone.
To prepare for independent reading time, children go book shopping at the classroom library, which includes a variety of fiction and nonfiction books, as well as multiple genres. Each student fills up a book bin and brings it with them when they find a comfortable spot to read.
First graders, from left, Kalel Sitzman, Leland De Jesus and Fizza Jafri filled their book bins with stories they are excited to read.
While independent reading, Ms. Campbell goes around the room and has reading conferences with every student. She asks them questions about the book to assess their reading comprehension abilities. This gives her information for targeted reading instruction and also strengthens the student-teacher bond through natural conversations.
As they reach different milestones, more space is colored in on the reading stamina meter. Ms. Campbell said that while the goal is 20 minutes of continuous reading, she is hoping that her class exceeds that this year.
Michaela Miskiewicz colored in the next number on the reading stamina meter to show that her class has reached the 10-minute milestone.
Principal Amanda Licci added that increased reading stamina for students also creates more time for teachers for targeted instruction. While children are independently reading, the teacher can do one-on-one and small group conferences, focusing on a variety of literacy skills.
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