Developing Reading Plans to Support Independent Reading

In this lesson, students brainstorm texts that they have read recently and map their choices using a Graphic Map to rate and make notes about them. Students then look for patterns connecting the texts that they enjoyed the most and those they enjoyed the least. Once they've analyzed their past readings, students complete a reading plan by first listing categories of books they want to read. They then use booklists, book reviews, and other resources to create a wish list of books they hope to read in the future.

Featured Resources

Graphic Map: Students can use this online tool to visually organize books they have read.

From Theory to Practice

One of the greatest challenges of an independent reading program is keeping students reading. Katz et. al (2005) explain the predicament teachers frequently face:

"They are frustrated when students linger aimlessly at the bookshelf or book bins. They lose patience when a student finishes one book and loudly proclaims, ‘I'm done. I need another book.' Teachers find themselves becoming reading police, observing their students to catch someone who is not reading. And students don't seem to be accountable for their time, causing some parents and administrators to challenge teachers by suggesting that the students are ‘just sitting there reading'" (1)

Independent reading should be grounded in student choice, but without support in the process of selecting books, students can easily flounder. Regie Routman outlines key characteristics of scaffolded independent reading, including "Student chooses any book to read with teacher's guidance" and "Student reads ‘just-right' books." (85). By having students create reading plans, teachers can provide students with the guidance they need, pointing students toward the "just-right" books, as Routman suggests, and challenging them to try new genres and authors.

Further Reading

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
• 2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
• 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• 11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

Materials and Technology

Level-appropriate texts from a variety of genres, booklists, and similar resources