Book Whisperer - Chapter 3

I have been loving the Book Whisperer! I have it for the Kindle on my iPhone and I was reading it during my free-time at camp last week {one benefit of having it on my phone was I could read it after lights out {I used to hide books in my desk and read during class}.

I teach Kindergarten so I can’t do exactly what Donalyn suggests in the book, but I love her suggestions. As a teacher one of the most important things I can do is instill a love of reading in my students

Book Boxes

I love my book boxes! My kiddos keep their books from Guided Reading as well as their Library book {they don’t let Kinder’s take home their Library books at my school – stupid!} and 2 “interesting” books. My kiddos use these boxes during our Workstation Time.

You can purchase these boxes from Really Good Stuff, or you can find them at Target for 2.50 a piece.

I couldn’t find them last year when I went to purchase them, and shipping is outrageous {to Alaska!} so I actually purchased ice cube holders at Wal-Mart. They work perfectly and were only $1.95 a piece.


Time For Reading

At the beginning of the school year my Kinder Kiddos don’t have a long attention span for anything, let alone reading independently. We start of talking about what the room should look like and sound like during reading time. We make Anchor Charts that we go over every day for the first 2 months. Then we practice getting our books, finding spots to read and actually reading. We start off with just 5 minutes on the timer and me walking around providing reinforcement and redirection. As they get more capable we increase the amount of time.

Along with reading from their Book Boxes I have my kiddos read in-between activities if they finish early – it’s so cute to see them on the rug, reading books together {it makes my teacher heart so happy!}


So. . . . .those are my thoughts on Chapter 3. What do you think.

Check out Swamp Frog First Gradersfor Heidi's thoughts on Chapter 3, and don’t forget to stop by Thinking about Teaching for more book study goodness!