Who will dance? Who will sing?

I want to tell you about one of my students. D. entered my Gr. 4/5 classroom in September. Although old enough to be in Grade 6, she is reading several years below grade level.

D.  started the year as a “what else can I do during silent reading” reader. She looked around the room. She ate snacks. She cleaned her desk. She poked her buddies. It was clearly not a fun time for her, and I have to say a little painful for me to watch.

I did notice one day when she found an “Arthur” book on the shelf. She read it cover to cover. I found another “Arthur” book in my stock of books. I passed it to her and said that I noticed how much she enjoyed the series. I told her it was hers to take home and keep. I helped her find some Arthur books in the library, but although she picked one up, she put it down and took a different book instead. During silent reading, she went back to her pattern of mainly avoiding reading.

I decided to pull her into reading through audiobooks. Everyday during silent reading, I would let her sit at my computer and listen. Most of the sites that I showed her had text and pictures as well. She’d sit at the computer, immersed in the story, ignoring the rest of us.

Last week when I asked her to confer with me, she grabbed “Stephanie’s Ponytail” a Robert Munsch book. She read, and I listened and laughed. As we were discussing the book, I asked what she had learned about herself as a reader. She said that she liked funny picture books, and we decided that she could look for more Robert Munsch books in the library.

During reading a few days later, we were discussing genre and the kids started making book recommendations for each other. D. surprised me. She asked the kids for titles that she might like. She talked about herself as a reader and asked for   books that had talking animals in them. They hopped up and pulled 4 different books from the shelves for her.

This week, she started reading books, really reading, and has read to herself for half an hour each day. She got out a Mr. Gumm book from the library and read 3 chapters the very first day. When we were doing research in science, she chose her own book about polar bears. She studied the book and made notes for over half an hour.  D. even read a picture book to the class.

D. is a reader now. And yet, on any scale that would test this child, there would be very little growth to measure. She is far below grade level and she still reads at about the same rate as she did in September. She has language needs that are going to dog her through any formal testing.

How then do we measure growth? If it is true that assessment is a motion picture, and not a snapshot, then you need to stay and watch the whole movie. D.’s progress, and that of students like her, is magnificent, but you won’t see it on a piece of paper. You need to spend some time with real students and their stories. You will hear it if you step into their classrooms.

This November, I am celebrating picture book month. This is the genre that sparked D.’s awakening as a reader. I am singing and dancing because D. is reading. You can celebrate with us too. Just visit D. and ask her to read to you. I hope you like Mr. Gumm.

* I wrote this post back in November, but it's only now that I have created a blog where I could publish it.