Best Practice #1: Independent Reading Time in Class
This practice is designed to give students the opportunity to practice and engage with reading during class time. This practice occurs regularly and seeks to establish routine reading habits for students. It also involves choice, as students are allowed to pick the books that they would like to read during independent reading. Gallagher and Kittle are proponents of this method. They argue that "[w]e raise expectations for all readers by providing time to read and choice, and by conferring regularly with students to listen to their thinking" (Gallagher, Kittle, Pg.49). Giving students a genuine desire to read is a key part of English education, but it is also very difficult due to the personal nature of reading. A short period of consistent reading on a regular basis has the ability to develop positive habits for students to carry forward into the future. However, it is key to ensure that students are actively participating in this time. In my fieldwork, I have seen students abuse their free reading time very frequently. Finding ways to engage these students and prevent distractions is a crucial part of this reading strategy.
Best Practice #2: Spanish-English Paired Texts
This practice is designed to help MLLs who may struggle speaking and reading English with confidence. Essentially, paired texts provide MLLs with an article in their native language about a specific topic. Then, they receive a closely related article written in English about the same topic. The theory is that students feel more comfortable learning a new concept in their native language, so it is better for them to learn a concept before applying it to their English knowledge. Lesson samples for paired texts are featured on the ReadWorks.org website. The goal of ReadWorks is to improve literacy and English education across demographics and school districts. Speaking on Spanish-English Paired Texts, the website states that "[t]he Spanish passage in this pair will build students’ background knowledge so they can better understand the English passage about a similar topic" (ReadWorks.org). This pairing of new concepts with MLL students' first language and English is sure to make the learning process smoother. Therefore, this is an effective practice.
Best Practice #3: Book Clubs
Book clubs are an effective reading strategy for a variety of reasons. Gallagher and Kittle describe several throughout, 180 Days, such as: establishment of a set reading schedule, decrease in social isolation, strengthening of class discussions/community, and improved comprehension. Speaking on the effect of book clubs, Gallagher and Kittle noticed that "[s]tudents did not need teacher questions to explore big ideas in their books. They took the work of comprehension seriously" (Gallagher, Kittle, Pg. 54). They go into further detail of all of these elements, but perhaps the greatest benefit of book clubs is their ability to be customized. Different groups of students may benefit from different reading supports than others. Groups of particularly engaged groups may push themselves to do extra work because of how engaged they are with their texts. The communal aspect of a book club also incentivizes reading regularly, while the ability to frequently discuss with their peers encourages students to draw conclusions and think critically on their own. The ability of book clubs to encourage comprehension, engagement, and creativity, makes them a vital reading strategy to employ in the classroom.