1. Meenoo Rami
Inquiry Into Practice
Empowering Adolescent Readers

2. Context:
•inquiry-driven, project-based,
partnership HS with The
Franklin Institute
•487 Students
•Grades 11 and 12
•Interested in authentic
reading and writing
experiences, thoughtful use of
tech, connected learning

3. Demographics:
•46% African-American, 36%
White, 9% Latino, 9% Asian,
4% Other
•57.1% Free and Reduced
Lunch
•8.2% IEP, 13.3% Gifted
•1.8% English Language
Learners

4. Research Questions:
•How does choice
reading help students
become authentic
readers?
•What does it look like
when students become
authentic readers?
•What are the risks in
implementing choice
reading program in a
high school English
classroom?

5. Problems being
addressed:
•fake-reading
•“readicide” - systematic
killing of the love reading,
often exacerbated by the
inane, mind-numbing
practices found in schools
(Gallagher 5).

6. Purpose of Research
•Explore my own question
of ownership of students’
reading lives
•Share my research and
practice with other teachers
•Continue to refine my
practice of teaching reading

7. Implementation of Choice
Reading:
•Pledge to end “fake reading”
•Modeling of reading life
•Setting up a classroom library
•Book Talks, Book Talks, Book
Talks
•40 book challenge -- focus on
genres
•Ongoing reading conferences

9. Observations/Findings:
•Ownership matters
•Exposure to variety of
books
•Connection between
reading and writing

10. Final Thoughts:
•Do the things that
scare you
•whole-class texts and
choice reading should
find a balance in your
classroom
•Share your reading
life; help your students
build their reading lives

11. Video from Students
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