I thoroughly enjoy doing Running Records with my students. I love spending time with them just talking about their reading life. I love listening to them read, noting the fluency and rate and pondering what it tells me about the amount of reading they are doing. I love listening to them walk their way through their retell of the selection. I love how unique each one’s approach to a retell can be, love how strengths and needs really shine in that short conversation. I love the compliments I can pay my readers, real compliments that reflect something they just did as a reader.
I love the chance to help them formulate their next goal. The goal that will take them into this next reading level. This level they have been waiting for, at times begging for (so cute). This new, higher reading level that will challenge them to kick it up a notch, ask them dig in and use all those strategies we do as readers to gain understanding.
And children love them too! So it’s Win-Win! Children love your undivided attention. They love to “move up a level”. And they love to hear you tell them all the things they did well and the areas they need to work on next.
Running Records take a lot of time but when it comes to getting bang for your buck, a Running Record can’t be beat! Happy reading!
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