A Rainy Day Read-In

Oh, the weather outside was frightful!

And, it was so dark and delightful!

So, what to do indeed?

Let Us Read! Let Us Read! Let Us Read!

This Wednesday, in about a 24 hour period, we got between 2-5 inches of rain across our area. The skies were dark and the rain was pouring.  It even sounded like there was an occasional clap of thunder. So, I dug out my basket of these great little book lights.

Right before Christmas, I found these on the clearance rack in the drugstore.  I mean a serious clearance.  They were around $1.50 each.  I grabbed them all!  Since then, they've been sitting in my closet just waiting for a day like this past Wednesday.

It was one of those days you just wish you could stay home in your comfy clothes with a good book.  Rainy, dark, and gloomy.  A perfect day to get lost in a story!  So, I moved my guided reading plans to the next day and we had an impromptu read-in!

Now, my love of reading is only matched by some of my friends' dread of reading.  However, these little lights, comfy floor pillows, and a dark room worked some kind of magic on them.  They read.  Not only did they read, they read with STAMINA!  25-30 minutes of nonstop reading! I didn't have to redirect one single friend.  They even thanked me for letting them read when we were done!  They wanted to know if we could do it again next time it rains.

WHO WERE THESE CHILDREN?!!!!  :-)

All kidding aside, it was amazing how something just a little different from the regular routing can motivate.  I sat and read with one friend who NEVER wants to read.  I was really amazed at how well it all went.

When time was up, we closed by telling a little about the books we were reading.  The retellings, comments, and thoughts my friends shared were some of the best this year.  This came not from reading in the dark, but from having extended reading time.  It is one of my big frustrations this year.  I know scheduling is hard, but I so wish my friends had more independent reading time in theirs.

You can't get better at reading if you don't read.  And, you need reading that goes beyond a quick 10 minutes at the end of a period.  You need reading time that allows you to get lost in your book.  Time enough to get involved in the plot and interested to know what is going to happen next.  With choppy five and ten minute reading times this type of engagement is difficult to achieve.

I know we ask our friends to read at home and even keep reading logs, but there is something to be said about being in a room with your classmates and everyone is engaged in a good book.

So, the next time it rains (or just close the shades if it doesn't) turn off the lights, grab some flashlights, and have a read-in!  It really is fun for all!  And, it absolutely is instructional time well spent!