The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy May 14, 2011 Stamina Revisited


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The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy
May 14, 2011
Stamina Revisited

We are not made for the mountains, for sunrises, or for the other beautiful attractions in life - those are simply intended to be moments of inspiration. We are made for the valley and the ordinary things of life, and that is where we have to prove our stamina and strength.

                                              Oswald Chambers



This week I've been thinking about reading stamina, and looking at different perspectives on what it takes to help students develop it. In my research I stumbled across an inquiry project by Karen Selby, a middle-school science teacher in Illinois. Karen observed her students in the lab, and quickly noticed some gender differences when it came to science stamina. Boys tended to be enthusiastic about participating in experiments, but avoided some of the reflective tasks after completing assignments. Girls were more likely to worry about completing the task and doing it correctly. Sometimes these different strengths and weaknesses actually complemented each other when students worked in mixed-gender teams.

What struck me in reading the article was the list of attributes for scientific stamina - confidence, persistence, and resilience. Aren't these the same qualities required for reading stamina? I realized when I think of building stamina with young readers, too often I focus on matching a text to a child. Reading stamina as I think of it is all about knowing children well enough to link each of them to the texts that will sustain their interest, and won't be so challenging they get discouraged.

I'm wondering now if we shouldn't be looking at the levels of confidence, persistence, and resilience in students who struggle to maintain interest in texts. Could that child be nervous about trying a new author or genre, just as she is shy on the playground? Does his inability to sustain attention through a whole book mirror the way he starts projects, but rarely finishes them? Are there gender patterns when it comes to difficulties with reading stamina? And most important, does developing more confidence or resilience in other areas support the development of reading stamina?

Confidence, persistence, and resilience. Who has it in your class? Who doesn't? Do you see any links to their reading stamina? It's an intriguing way to think about an ongoing issue.

This week we've posted resources to help you glide into a happy finish for the school year. Plus more as always - enjoy!

Brenda Power
Editor, Choice Literacy

Free for All

If you are interested in reading more about Scientific Stamina, you may enjoy Karen Selby's write-up of her inquiry project:

http://bit.ly/llsE7z

From the Choice Literacy Archives, our newsletter readers share their favorite literacy keepsakes to send home at the end of the year with students:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/1187.cfm

If you have a literacy leadership role in your school or district, you might enjoy our new round-up of advice from literacy leaders on closing out the school year:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/1516.cfm

Teacher and Author Sharon Draper had the chance to thank her favorite teacher personally at a large professional gathering. Here is her eloquent reminiscence on what she learned in 5th grade, and the poem of appreciation she crafted:

http://bit.ly/lLjDhZ

There is nothing more devastating to morale in a school community than the layoffs of promising young teachers. In Ten Commandments of a Pink-Slipped Teacher, Heather Wolpert-Gawron shares some poignant wisdom as she prepares to leave her classroom:

http://bit.ly/f1Sft2

Join us in Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Michigan (just a short drive from Detroit) for Choice Literacy Workshops on July 25-27. Topics include the Literacy Principal, Middle School Reading Workshops, Matching Readers and Books, and Literacy Coaching. For full workshop descriptions and registration information, click on this link:

http://bit.ly/lh6SlG

For Members Only

We've posted a new cluster on Helping Students Build Reading Stamina with contributions from Terry Thompson, Franki Sibberson, Katie DiCesare, Clare Landrigan, and Tammy Mulligan:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1513.cfm

Stella Villalba found creating some new reading stations and changing the materials in others helped the English language learners in her grades 1-2 classroom build fluency:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1515.cfm

As the school year draws to a close, many literacy coaches are mulling over how to evaluate their work. In Coaching Monkey, Heather Rader presents advice for surveying colleagues about your coaching. The article includes Heather's latest end-of-year coaching survey, as well as her reflections on why each question is included:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1514.cfm

We continue our video series on Heather's Sponge Summary Lesson. In this week's installment, the class works together to cull down a reading selection to key points:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1517.cfm

Video Updates: We are reposting many videos in new formats and players (with higher resolution and full-screen options). As we make these improvements, we'll announce them in the newsletter. Here is an updated video you may want to revisit -

Franki Sibberson finds her intermediate students become more excited about revision when they have new tools to work with:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1518.cfm

That's all for this week!