Joining you from NYC

Greetings to everyone at Sinking Springs Elementary School from NYC!

My name is Val.  I am a stay-at-home mom of two boys:  Simon and Ethan.  Today marks the 64th day of our reading streak.  I was so excited when Mrs. Hartman found me (via my blog) and invited us to share in your Reading Promise Project.

I came across Alice Ozma's book at our school book fair last spring.  I knew right away it was something I wanted to read.  Once I read it, I couldn't stop thinking about it, talking about it and being inspired by it.  After discussing the idea with my boys, we decided we'd try a little reading streak of our own.

Our summer reading streak began the first day of summer vacation (June 29) and was scheduled to end the last day of our break (September 5).  So technically, we're almost finished...

...Except, none of us want to stop.  We intend to keep reading and are currently figuring out how we will keep our streak going during the busy school year.

And now that we are part of your project, we feel all the more motivated.  I'll definitely be checking in with y'all throughout the school year.

If you'd like to hear about the books we've read so far, here's the list and links:

• The Boxcar Children
• From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
• Holes
• Sarah, Plain and Tall
• Charlotte's Web
• Schooled
• The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

I could wax for a while about how great I think reading aloud with our kids is.  But I think I'll refrain (this time).  Instead,  let me share what my boys have to say.

Ethan is almost 7 years old.  His favorite books in kindergarten were the Piggy and Gerald series by Mo Willems.  He continued working his way through all sorts of picture books in first grade, determined to catch up to his big brother (his hero and arch nemesis).  Next week, he will begin second grade.  His current reading project is the Boxcar children series.

Ethan likes me to read aloud to him because I read the books that are above his reading level... he figures that will help him catch up to Simon a little faster (strange competitive little kid... I swear I had nothing to do with that!).

Simon is 9 years old.  He'll be a 4th grader in just 6 days.  He's wild about basketball, creating detailed Lego structures and reading Manga.  He tells me he wants to be the 2nd best Anime-guy (?) in the world when he grows up.

Si was not a strong reader for the longest time.  He recognized only a few words going into 1st grade.  Per Simon, he entered 2nd grade at the lowest reading levels in the class.  But he loved to listen.  When I started reading chapter books to him (@ kindergarten), he would stay riveted for as long as I would read.  When he began reading chapter books (mid-year second grade) for himself, he started with the books we'd read aloud together.

Today Simon reads non-stop.  Of course, all the graphic novels he can get his hands on.  But just about anything else I bring home as well.  Nonetheless, Si loves it when I read to him.  He says it's great because I can always explain vocabulary and concepts to him as we go along.  He calls me the ultimate dictionary.

But he also says reading aloud is special because we get to spend time together... I'll take that any day.

Day 4: Defining Our Promise

So I got too excited (imagine that?) and told my class about our Reading Promise Project already! Actually, I told them on the second day of school. I couldn't help it!

Last Thursday, our class was discussing our hopes and dreams, so I shared my biggest dream for my students this school year with the class: To help inspire my students to develop a love of reading by challenging our class to try to read together every day of our school year (184 days total) without missing a day. Obviously, I then had to explain all about Alice Ozma's reading streak with her father, my inspiration behind this idea. The class was awestruck at how many days Alice and her father were able to read together. Some had especially high aspirations for our class ("We can read every day for a century!!"), others weren't sure we could make it a month. I let the idea simmer with them for a bit and didn't bring it up again for a couple of days...which ended up being less than a whole week.

Today we talked about our reading promise together again. We started to discuss some more specifics of our expectations. Our answers haven't been completely decided upon yet, but here are some of the questions we started to consider. What will happen if I'm absent one day? What should we do if a student is absent? How long should we read each day to have it count? What obstacles do you anticipate happening this year that we'll need to plan for and overcome? 

Here is what we decided...

• A lot of varying amounts of time were thrown around when we brought this up. (My favorite answer to this one was an enthusiastic "all day!!!") But taking all of the students' ideas for times into consideration, along with the constraints of our schedule, we came up with the range of 15-20 minutes of reading aloud together.

• The students decided that I should be the one to read to them everyday, but we also talked about the potential problem of what will happen if I am absent one day. I loved the students' creative answers to this question! Some possible solutions included: having me phone in to read aloud to the class, allowing it to still count if the substitute takes over the reading for the day, doubling up on reading together once I'm back, or having the students take over the reading aloud for that day.

• We did decide that we won't count it against us if a student is absent. It's already happened to us this school year and it's hard to control, though I loved the students suggestion of having absent students continue our streak by reading from wherever they are outside of school that day!

• One of the first obstacles students thought of was field trips. We know for sure we will have two full day field trips this year. We decided that I should bring our book along with us and read to the class on the bus or during lunch. (Even though we usually get back from field trips with plenty of time to spare, I like these options much better. How fun would be to huddle together in the Pennsylvania State Capitol's lunch room, sharing a reading moment?)

• Another obstacle...snow days?! Do we count those against us? Do we have to find a creative way to still read together when school is cancelled? We ended up deciding that snow days don't count against us, since we make them up later in the school year. But, I did love one students' idea of emailing all the parents a reading of the chapters we'd miss that day so that the kids could still keep up with the book from home.

While our rules are still a work in progress, I loved the students' creative ideas! They are what the reading streak will be all about. They build excitement and enthusiasm for the process and experience.

Have any other classrooms or families out there decided on the rules for your reading promise? If so, do share!

Happy Reading!
Mrs. Hartman

Day 1 (They Just Don't Know It Yet!)

Today was the first day of our 2012-2013 school year at Central York School District. I welcomed 24 smiling faces into my classroom this morning. My heart sighed a little every time a student chose to share that they love to read as a fact about themselves during one of our getting to know you activities this morning.

Although the students may have no idea what they're in for yet, our reading streak began today. I decided not to introduce the idea to them quite yet. (I thought they needed at least a day to get used to my over eager enthusiasm in general first.)

I'm anxious to hear what the students have to say about the Reading Promise challenge once I do bring it up to them. I plan on working with them to create our "rules" and expectations together and to see what they're hopes and dreams are for the experience. After seeing all of the energy and excitement they showed already on the first day, I'm confident that they will be up for the experience! Any other classrooms begin a Reading Promise today?

I'll keep you posted!
Mrs. Hartman

Part of Our Classroom Library...Can't wait to see students' curled up here enjoying a great book!

Hopes & Dreams

At the beginning of every school year, I always spend the first few days with my fourth grade students discussing our hopes and dreams for the year. This idea is based on the Responsive Classroom approach to developing a positive learning environment with students. We read some books together (More Than Anything Else by Marie Bradby is one of my favorites for this!) and students think about the hopes and dreams that they have for the upcoming year. It is a great conversation for helping children to think about their goals and what actions will help to achieve them.

If you are joining us here and reading this post, hopefully it is because you are interested in taking on the challenge of starting a Reading Promise streak of your own. One of the first things to consider when creating a Reading Promise are the hopes and dreams of the members participating. Why are you embarking on this journey? Your ideas might be different from your child's ideas. That's ok! Discuss both! What do you hope to gain from this experience? Is this an opportunity to read more books, spend more time together, try out different genres, become better readers, discuss reading together more? When you envision yourself a month from now, six months from now, a year or more from now, what do you hope that you have accomplished? Ideally, think of how long you want to try to continue your streak. Alice and her father originally only planned on 100 days. Setting small, achievable goals will help to build confidence and enthusiasm.

Maybe you want to spend the first few days of your streak talking about this with your children, students, friends, etc. and reading books based around this theme. If you're looking for some ideas of books that match this idea, Responsive Classroom has a list of suggested books that they've found related to inspiring hopes and dreams. They also have a Hopes and Dreams Pinterest board devoted to the same topic. Check out their lists and see what you think. You may even have some ideas of your own. If you do, please share!!

Discussing your hopes and dreams related to the Reading Promise challenge will help you and your promise members to establish some goals. In turn, having some clear goals will help to keep you focused and on track with what your promise.

The hopes and dreams discussion also makes a great segue into giving children the some ownership in their learning to help create rules that will help them to achieve everyone's hopes and dreams (which, coincidentally, will be one of next steps in the Reading Promise process that we discuss).

What are your hopes and dreams for your Reading Promise? Share them with us! Can't wait to hear how these promises will inspire each of your families and classrooms.

Happy Reading!
Mrs. Hartman

Calling All Classrooms!

It's that time of year again! The Back to School season has already begun for many of you, or if you're like myself, it is quickly approaching. (Tomorrow already?! Really?!)

This year, why not participate in a project to promote literacy skills, encourage the value of reading, and prepare your students to be 21st century learners by connecting them to a global network of peers?

Creating a reading promise with your classroom this year focuses around something that you probably already do with your students on a daily basis any way-- read! The only difference is that by making a conscious effort to start the conversation and commit to a reading promise with your class, you are putting a spotlight on the value of reading for your students. Seeing how long you can make your streak last will help to build motivation and enthusiasm for reading together. Your students will become aware of the reading taking place in your classroom, and hopefully, look forward to the challenge of continuing their streak.

One of the best parts about this project? You can make the rules to fit your reading promise and your learners. There is no right or wrong way to read with your students. As you start bring up the discussion about your reading promise (Look for an upcoming post with more details about this!), develop the rules that suit your preferences. You can decide if 5 minutes is enough to count for reading together, or if 10 would be better. Maybe even more. What types of materials will count toward your reading streak- chapter books, pictures books, text books, magazines, articles? Up to you! Who will do the reading if you are absent from school? Will it count if a substitute reads to the class or will you use some more creative means to keep the streak alive-- Skype, audio recordings, etc.? You decide!

Whatever rules work for your reading promise, work for the project. Are you reading together? If the answer is yes, then you are good to go!

As classrooms start to join our Reading Promise community, the stories and ideas that are shared on this blog will serve to inspire and motivate others. It is also my hope that as students become excited about their classroom reading streaks, that enthusiasm and interest will spread to their homes and allow them to begin additional, longer lasting reading promises with their families. 

If you are interested in joining us on this journey and making a promise to commit to reading with your class every day, sign up using the Google form to connect with us. Have your class become Guest Bloggers and post about their streak stories or favorite books they've enjoyed along the way.

I hope to hear from all of you soon and learn about your literary journeys.

Happy Reading!
Mrs. Hartman

Day 1: The Official Start to Our Streak

Today marks my family's official start to our personal Reading Promise reading streak. Unofficially, I've been reading to my son since before he was born this past March, but I figured now that I'm really kicking this Reading Promise Project into full gear, it's time to walk the walk and talk the talk at home and start keeping track of our reading experiences together.

I knew right from the start that reading was going to be an important part of his life. I'm a theme kind of girl, and I was stuck for months trying to figure out the best theme for my little bundle's nursery, until one day, it hit me. I love books. My husband loves books. I want my son to love books. Why not...books?!

Thanks to my parents (Love you, Mom & Dad!!), I have such fond memories of reading as a child and I hope to share those experiences with my son as he grows up. So, to begin his journey into life, I decorated his nursery with books in mind. My husband and I scoured used book stores for old favorites, then found cherished illustrations to frame and hang around his room. His stuffed animals are a collection of beloved children's book characters. He has a wide collection of books already, organized on the bookshelves in his room, and a special reading corner, complete with a tiny (adorable!) reading chair. Even his crib sheets feature The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Curious George! I love watching friends and family enter his room and reminisce or connect with a favorite illustration they find hanging on his walls.

Even though he's only five and a half months old, his first few months have already been filled with so many cherished moments together, centered around books. As a new mom, I had no clue what to do once I entered the world of mommyhood the day I brought him home from the hospital, but one of the first moments we shared together was our reading of I Love You Through and Through. At just 9 weeks old, he started to watch my face as I read How Do Dinosaurs Love Their Dogs to him while cuddled up in his rocking chair and smiled and cooed at me when I was finished. (My heart melted.) Just after he turned 3 months old, I watched him "turn the page" in Blueberries for Sal as we read. He's going to learn quickly that he can win me over easily by doing anything at all reading-related. It's my weakness...

I can't wait to watch so many more of these reading moments develop over our years together through our promise to read. Ok...deep breath...let our official reading streak...BEGIN!

Happy Reading!
Mrs. Hartman

The Beginning

This past spring, I found out about the book, The Reading Promise, by Alice Ozma from a colleague. I'm not even sure if she knows she was the catalyst behind my discovery of this book. She had added it to her online wishlist and her post had popped up on one of my social media feeds. As soon as I read the description on Amazon, I knew I had to read more. Just the brief summary reminded me of shared reading memories I experienced with my parents when I was younger. Reading and story telling always held a special place in my family. Within a day of receiving the book in the mail, I devoured it, consumed it, loved it.

There were so many things that I loved about this book. Being the ever-zealous teacher, as I was reading, my mind was spinning with thoughts of 'How can I recreate the enthusiasm and love for reading that this special father-daughter duo had with the families of my students?' I have so many cherished memories of reading as a child and the enthusiasm and passion I have for reading is something that I constantly try to instill in my fourth graders. After all, I believe that half the battle of getting your child to become a better reader is helping them to grow a love and appreciation for books. It is something I've already started to share with my recently-born son while reading to him in the special reading corner of his children's book-themed nursery. (Can you tell I'm a bit book crazy yet?)

Once I had finished The Reading Promise, I decided that I wanted to pass along Alice and her father's reading promise to the students at Sinking Springs Elementary. At first, I was thinking of a way to inspire my classroom of fourth graders to create reading promises, then I thought, 'Why stop with just my class, why not try to get as many families at our school to create reading promises of their own?' So after speaking with our principal, Mrs. Miller, and recruiting a few other equally enthusiastic colleagues, I decided to propose the idea of creating a school-wide parent/child book club for the 2012-2013 school year, based on the premise of Ozma's book, The Reading Promise.


It is my hope that by sharing this book with the families of Sinking Springs, along with strategies and activities for reading with children, I will be able to help inspire and educate families on how to start their own reading promises and streaks at home.

The purpose of this blog is to connect all of the families who decide to take on the challenge of the reading promise, and all of the visitors who pop in to check out our blog, so that parents and children can reflect on their experiences, share their successes and challenges, and above all, discuss great books with one another.

Happy Reading!
- Mrs. Hartman

The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma

When Alice was in fourth grade, she and her father-- a beloved elementary school librarian-- made a promise to read aloud together for 100 consecutive nights. Upon reaching their goal, they celebrated over pancakes, but it was clear that neither wanted to let go of what had become their reading ritual. They decided to continue what they came to call "The Streak" for as long as they possibly could.

From Frank L. Baum to Dickens to J.K. Rowling to Shakespeare, Alice's father read to her every night without fail until they day she entered college, a remarkable eight years later. In this deeply affecting memoir, Alice tells the story of her relationship with the extraordinary man who raised her. From her dad's steadying hand on the back of her wobbly bike to his one-man crusade to keep reading in schools, Alice weaves a series of deftly written, often hilarious vignettes about the words they shared and the spaces in between.
           - Summary from the back of The Reading Promise

This book was a bestseller for The LA Times, Barnes and Noble, American Booksellers’ Association, and IndieBound. It was in the Amazon Top 5 Movers and Shakers and cracked the top 100 books. GoodReads.com voters said it was one of the top five  memoirs/autobiographies of the year. It has been featured on The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, CBS Sunday Morning,  NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon, Fox and Friends, The Today Show, and in publications ranging from The Washington Post to Wired to Marie Claire.

For more information about this book, visit The Reading Promise's website (where some of this information is from) to read more about the book, the author, and book suggestions for starting your own streak.