9 Strategies to Try to Minimize Fake Reading

Students who “fake” read may do so for a variety of reasons. Maybe they don’t really like their book, but have trouble finding one they do like. Maybe they have difficulty with sitting quietly and sustaining focus, even for just the five, ten, or fifteen minutes you are asking. Maybe they are not a confident reader, and their struggles to read outweigh their desire to read. Whatever the reason for the “fake” reading, here’s 9 things you can try to help combat the issue.

5 Things You Can Do When Students Can’t Find An Independent Reading Book

Right from the start of the school year, I work to create a culture of reading. I am fortunate that the sixth graders coming to me have had independent reading as a part of their reading instruction since kindergarten, so I usually don’t how much work to do in convincing them of the importance of independent reading or in establishing expectations for behavior during this period of class.

But there are usually a handful of students each year that just aren’t into reading and need to be won over. These are the students that can’t find a book they are interested in, even after you’ve already talked with them and tried to help them find books. These are the students who are constantly browsing the bookshelf for a new book when they should be reading. 

Here's five things you can do when students say they can't find a book they want to read. Or better yet, five things you can do to prevent students from ever saying that they can't find a book for independent reading.

What Independent Reading Looks Like In My Middle School ELA Classroom

Hands down, my favorite part of class is our independent reading time. ⁠We read at the end of our class period (doing it at the start of class just never worked for me) for 10 minutes daily, and there's just so many things I love about it.⁠

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I love helping students select a book that's just right for them. ⁠I love watching students become totally engrossed in what they are reading and not want to pack up to go to their next class. ⁠I love hearing students share about what happening to the character in their book. ⁠I love seeing a student pick up a new book based on a peer's recommendation. I love letting students have a break from the noise of learning and just sit in quiet.⁠ I love the chance for the students (and for myself) to turn off for a few minutes. I love getting to model a love of reading for students by reading right alongside them.⁠ 

How I Structure My Middle School English Language Arts Class

I have a 90 minute period of English Language Arts daily with my sixth grade students. And before I break down what the structure of that period looks like, I want to acknowledge that seeing my students for 90 minutes daily all year long is something most ELA teachers can only dream of. Most middle school ELA teachers are working with 45-60 minutes, some even less. Some schools are on block schedules where teachers see students every other day or for only half of the year. And there's schools where reading and writing are broken up into two separate classes. 

While I don't know the pain of trying to jam it all into a 38 minute period, I have taught class periods of shorter lengths and could offer ideas about how to make things work with less time. But that is for another blog post. This one is just about what works for me in my current situation. I'll start with the parts of class that are always the same, the beginning and end of class.

9 Ways to Maintain Students' Enthusiasm for Independent Reading All Year Long

Key to a successful independent reading program is constantly exposing students to new books and celebrating students' reading.  It can be easy to want to do everything all at once, but I would recommend trying out one or two idea at a time. Sometimes what works for one group of students will not work with another group of students. Over time you will settle into what works in your classroom and is sustainable for you. Some of the ways I do this are through one time "special events," but most are established at the start of the year and built into our weekly classroom routines.