Reading Stamina

Each Friday we do something in class called Reading Stamina. We talked about how when we exercise, we have to build our muscles so we can get stronger and our Reading Stamina is a way for us to build our reading muscles. The students get their bag of books, pick a spot in the room, and start reading. Meanwhile, I've got a timer that I use to time them. Our goal is to stay focused on our reading for as long as possible without getting distracted or distracting others. The first time we tried this (last Friday) I made a deal with the kids. I told them if we could make it at least 5 minutes, then I'd give them a couple extra minutes recess. They convinced me they could go longer, but I told them 5 minutes was a good starting place... especially since it was our first challenge! WELL, they made it 9 minutes and 57 seconds! Blew my socks OFF! They were really looking forward to the challenge yesterday and beating their time. Unfortunately we only made it 7 minutes and 30 seconds. They were bummed, but I told them I knew we could do better next week! I did make it more challenging this week by trying to distract them. I played with their hair, tried swatting at them, and dropping markers/notepads on the floor. No one even looked up at my distractions... I'm going to have to get more creative! Here are some pictures of us reading!

This is something you guys can practice at home too! Set up your own Reading Stamina Challenges. See who can go longer... you or your child?