Reading stamina is important, no question. The more time we spend reading, the more we learn about ourselves and the world around us. Knowing how to engage with books for sustained periods of time begins with our youngest readers and grows over the years. For some kids, this is easy and natural. For others, not so much. When you teach a primary grade filled with six and seven-year-olds, most of whom would rather be running around outside on the playground than reading, you might wonder if stamina is even possible. The good news? It is. 😊
1. CREATE A READING IDENTITY
I think one of the most important things we can do for children is to help them establish a reading identity. They need to believe they are readers, that reading is enjoyable, and that readers want to read. This starts on day one in our classroom and continues throughout the year. There are so many great picture books about reading that are perfect for 1st and 2nd grade students. Here are a few of my favorites. Hopefully your students will find themselves in one of these books.
- Reading Makes You Feel Good by Todd Parr
- Born to Read by Judy Sierra
- Wreck This Picture Book by Keri Smith
- The Best Place to Read by Debbie Bertram
- We Are In a Book! by Mo Willems
- Beatrice Doesn’t Want To by Laura Numeroff
- How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills
- Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don’t) by Barbara Bottner
- Wild About Books by Judy Sierra
- Books Do Not Have Wings by Brynne Barnes
2. VALUE READING TIME
Kids are pretty good at figuring out what we value and what we don’t. When time becomes short or our schedule gets pinched, what do we eliminate from the day? If it’s independent reading time, we risk sending the message that it’s not a priority. As much as possible, try to be consistent and predictable, making sure there’s time for students to read independently each day.
3. LIMIT DISTRACTIONS
For anyone who struggles to maintain focus, attention can easily be interrupted by distractions … even the tiniest ones. In my classroom, I find that even our small group work can be distracting to those sitting near us. For this reason, I usually begin independent reading time with quiet one-on-one conferences before moving to my guided reading instruction. Soft, instrumental background music can also create the white noise some students need to concentrate. If at all possible, try not to schedule independent reading during pull-out service times. The movement and hallway noises are distracting and (most importantly) it excludes any of the children who are leaving from an important part of the day.
4. DESIGN COZY READING SPACES
Where do you read at home? Most likely, it’s not in a hard chair at a table. Obviously, children will be reading throughout the day and often it’s done at their desks. But when we’re trying to increase reading stamina, we need to provide comfortable spots for children to settle into so they will want to linger a while. What your cozy spots look like will depend on your physical space, resources, and specific student needs, but beanbags, pillows, carpet squares, rockers, and soft lighting are easy ways to create comfort. TIP: My students pick out their own reading spots in the classroom and sit there each time we begin our independent reading. This predictable structure saves time each day so we can maximize time spent reading, not choosing places to read.
5. BUILD A DIVERSE LIBRARY
One of the issues keeping children from developing reading stamina is the lack of books kids want to read. Having access to a rich, diverse library is critical to building stamina. Time spent finding great books for your classroom library is never wasted and will pay off in big ways. Make sure there are plenty of genres, types, topics, and levels to choose from … fiction, nonfiction, tall tales, mysteries, how-to books, cookbooks, manuals, poems, magazines, books by a favorite author, a tub of books about sharks, easy readers, beginning chapter books … the list is endless. It’s also important to evaluate your library in terms of diversity. Are people of color, or those with special needs, honored in the collection? Can children see themselves, their friends, and their families represented in the library?
6. GIVE STUDENTS CHOICES
Allowing students to choose what they read is powerful. It creates ownership which increases engagement which impacts stamina. But what does that look like in a classroom of beginning readers? When my students shop for books each week, they fill their personal reading bins with books from our classroom library that they want to read. Several of their guided reading books are also in their book bins, so each day they have books on their instructional and independent levels they can practice rereading, plus books they chose based on their own interests. I define stamina as time spent actively engaged with books, so if a child spends ample time rereading familiar leveled books and then the remainder of the time looking at pictures of deadly insects in a National Geographic text, I consider that a win for stamina. We have to meet kids where they’re at and have a flexible definition of what it means to “read,” especially in the early grades.
7. DEFINE STAMINA
Kids need to know what stamina means, so early in the year we talk about it and start a growing chart of concrete examples. It’s very helpful for them to understand what stamina is and (often more helpful) what it isn’t. These are some examples from my class to help you get started, but different groups will notice different behaviors, so yours may end up looking different from mine. (See chart at top of post.)
8. MAKE AN ANALOGY
When kids believe they can do something, they usually do. Help them tap into other times in their lives when they’ve demonstrated stamina, such as being able to run longer and farther than they used to … holding their breath under water for a few more seconds than last week … enduring a long car ride … being better at waiting for a turn to talk … and so on. An attitude of persistence generally leads to increased stamina and many kids will be able to connect to a time when they’ve experienced that, especially as it relates to a sport or a hobby they love.
9. SET GOALS, PRACTICE, AND TRACK PROGRESS
No doubt you probably spend time talking about perseverance and the value of having a growth mindset with your students. Building reading stamina fits perfectly into those conversations. Set class stamina goals, keep track of the progress, and celebrate growth. What does that look like in a primary grade? Honestly, at the beginning of the year, I’m thrilled if we can start off with five (yep, just 5) minutes of uninterrupted, sustained independent reading. From there, you can build little by little, maybe increasing by 1-2 minutes per week. In no time, your students will be reading 15-20 minutes at a time. NOTE: Sometimes, I sit with individual students and make personal stamina goals if a special need dictates a more developmentally appropriate accommodation. I typically set class goals when we begin building stamina, but when I’m ready to help kids monitor their own progress, we use an individual graph like the one below. You can grab it HERE if you’d like to try one out.
10. GET EXPERT ADVICE FROM KIDS
I love any chance I can get to shine the spotlight on my students. Let them be the stamina experts! Some kids will come in to your classroom already demonstrating stamina … let them share any personal experiences that shaped their love for reading. You’ll also have students who don’t have a lot of stamina in the fall, but who quickly gain some. Let them speak to everyone about what’s working for them. Students make great teachers and children are very open to listening to tips and tricks from their peers … often more so than from us!
Happy teaching!
