I’ve struggled with the use of reading logs over the years. On one hand, I’ve found logs can hold valuable data about student reading habits. We also know that the more time spent with text, the better the reading achievement. The question I keep coming back to is, do logs encourage home reading or hinder reading for enjoyment? Does the focus become less on reading for fun and more on reading to a timer or recording a certain number of pages? When we read for enjoyment as adults, we don’t use a log. When I read something interesting, I like to talk about it. In fact, research on reading motivation shows that our students become motivated to read when they have time for social collaboration. Let students talk to each other about the text they are reading (Gambrell, 2011). While logs might have their place, especially when students use them to evaluate their reading habits, these alternatives might serve the purpose of making sure your students are reading at home. They also might be more motivating than filling out a traditional log.
This blog post called “Ten Ways to Ditch That Reading Log” (by Heather Marshall) has some great ideas including Sketch Quotes and Gallery Walks. Source: Gambrell, L.B. (2011). Seven rules of engagement. The Reading Teacher, 65(3), 172-178.
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Lisa McCarthyReading Specialist and workshop enthusiast. The key is to keep it fun! Archives
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