everyone wins. Teachers can rest assured that “classroom time spent on either oral or silent reading is time
well spent” (Anderson et al., 1985, p. 54). Students have opportunity to select and read items of their own
choosing, teachers can assess and address one-on-one reading needs, and gains are made in reading
achievement (Anderson et al, 1985). After all, success in reading is a great motivator in and of itself
(Routman, 2003).
Reading Logs
In addition to assessing students’ reading habits and interests during independent reading time,
teachers can meet academic criteria and accountability by incorporating a writing component. This can be
done in the form of a reading log. Reading logs are a way to hold students accountable for the use of their
time during independent reading, yet choice is still the key to the students’ effective interactions with the
text and responses in the logs. After reading students can complete a reading log that addresses basic
questions such as 1) type of material read, 2) the main ideas of the piece or a summary, and, most
importantly, 3) what the student found to be meaningful or significant in the reading. In a survey study
conducted by Hurst (2005), the researcher found that “72% of the 547 middle and high school students
surveyed reported that reading for what interested them helped them understand and remember text” (p.
45). As an added bonus, these reading logs provide an excellent venue for the teacher to offer written
comments back to students, demonstrating that the teacher finds the students’ thoughts to be valid and
meaningful. Our experiences have been that as soon as these logs are returned to students, they eagerly
look for our written remarks to see how we have commented on their ideas.
Motivational Influence
Finally, teens should see their teachers as readers. Teachers should talk about what they are reading
with their students (Routman, 2003). English teachers at one of our schools post lists of books outside their
classroom doors they have recently read. When teachers read and talk about what they read students see
that reading is something they will take with them into adulthood, a skill and practice that has long-term
value for them on their path to becoming lifelong learners.
Conclusion
In conclusion, as high school teachers, there are many stresses and mandates that factor into our
teaching of students and potentially partition our daily encounters with students. Despite the constraints, it
is imperative that we pay attention to the distinctive voices, interests, and reading needs of our adolescent
students so that they can be better prepared to enter society as literate individuals. We can ask them their
opinions and value their responses. Their voices can be realized when we give value to their chosen
literacies. We can model ourselves as readers and present reading material as an appealing option to
address the questions that arise out of their interests. There is great power in choice; our students express
belief in themselves as readers when they are given choice. Sometimes they just need a bit of
encouragement and opportunity. Teachers have great potential for generating interest and reading
engagement by being current on adolescent literature, by promoting a classroom library, by implementing
classroom reading strategies such as literature circles where students have voice and choice, and by
providing in-class time for readers to read what they find interesting. It is by allowing adolescent readers
choices that they are encouraged to be literate for a lifetime.
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