The Colorful Apple

Status of the Class

By implementing status of the class, I was able to keep my students accountable without killing their love of reading. It was a hit in my classroom and student conversations about books were at an all time high.

I took a giant leap this year.  I ditched the reading logs.  Some may say I’m crazy, some may say it’s a genius move.  There are a lot of opinions on this topic!  I want my kids to read, but I want them to enjoy reading.

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Last year, my students (who would read all day long if I let them) told me that the book log was making them dislike reading.  It broke my heart!  They explained that they were so distracted by what they were going to write, that they couldn’t focus on their book.  I knew that I needed to make a change.

Enter Donalyn Miller’s Reading in the Wild.  She starts her year off with a Status of the Class roll call.  The students record the date and title of the book they are reading and then complete the sentence “I am at the part where…”  She then has the students go around the room and share their book title and one sentence summary.

By implementing status of the class, I was able to keep my students accountable without killing their love of reading. It was a hit in my classroom and student conversations about books were at an all time high.
To start the process, I have the students set up a chart in their notebooks.  They make 4 columns – date, book title, “I’m at the part where…” and page number.  As soon as they  walk into class each day, they pull out their notebook to record their reading from the night before.
By implementing status of the class, I was able to keep my students accountable without killing their love of reading. It was a hit in my classroom and student conversations about books were at an all time high.
I only want them to record their thoughts so that when it is their turn to share, they don’t get “stage fright,” so to speak.  It is also to make sure that they only share a one-sentence summary (and not the whole book!).
For myself, I created a weekly chart for each class (I have 3 reading classes).  I have the student name on the left and the days of the week going across the top.  As the students share their status, I jot down their book title and quick note about what they are reading.
By implementing status of the class, I was able to keep my students accountable without killing their love of reading. It was a hit in my classroom and student conversations about books were at an all time high.
If a student is still reading the same book, I simply draw an arrow so that I am not constantly re-writing the titles.  I also record if the students are absent or didn’t read for homework {they are quite honest about this}.
By implementing status of the class, I was able to keep my students accountable without killing their love of reading. It was a hit in my classroom and student conversations about books were at an all time high.
I keep the chart on a clipboard so it is easy for me to access and record notes quickly.  I also keep this chart handy when I have reading conferences with my students.  It’s a quick reference for me to jumpstart our conversation about books.
At the end of each week, the chart goes into a binder for each class.  This allows me to see each student’s reading history for the year.  Included in this binder is also a section for each student where I write down notes as I conference with them.
By implementing status of the class, I was able to keep my students accountable without killing their love of reading. It was a hit in my classroom and student conversations about books were at an all time high.

This system has been a huge game-changer in my classroom!  The students come into class and immediately write down their status of the class.  It then takes less than 8 minutes for 25 students to share.  They are enjoying reading and sharing reading with their classmates.

I had one student who finished reading a book but didn’t want to spoil the ending for his friend who was still immersed in it, so he had him go stand in the hall while he read his status.  Made me laugh!  I am hearing a lot more conversations about books among my students than I ever have.

It’s also a great system for me because I can quickly see if a student has been reading a book for a long time or if they are jumping from book to book.  As they share, I also comment on what they are reading or ask questions.  It’s a super-quick interchange, but gives me a lot of information.

By implementing status of the class, I was able to keep my students accountable without killing their love of reading. It was a hit in my classroom and student conversations about books were at an all time high.

Status Chart

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Comments

  2. Rachel says

    Do you use Status of the Class just for books they are reading at home? Are these different from the books they read in class? If they are the same, what is your system for bringing books back and forth? What if they forget a book? Thank you, I loved this post!

  3. Lindsay says

    Hi! Just to double check I understood this correctly: The kids come in, write down the book they're reading. Then every kid tells the whole class a one sentence summary and the title of the book every day? I just want to make sure I use this procedure correctly. This is a nice alternative to book logs/reading logs. I was going to do a rotating schedule for book talks, but this holds them accountable and engages one another with the books they are reading. I love the idea! Let me know. Thanks.

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