Finding Your Sweet Spot

My students' jaws dropped when I told them they didn't have to sit in their seats during reading workshop.  They were hesitant to even sit on the floor the first time.  Now that they have found their sweet spots for reading, it is like they have marked their territory.  They have taken ownership of their reading spots. I told them about my favorite spots for reading.  I acted out how I stand at the stove while cooking and reading with my Kindle since I can turn the pages with the flick of a finger.  I told them that if I am upstairs I sit in a chair that belonged to one of my very best friends. They enjoy when I tell them about my reading life.  The next day I had them stop and sketch the sweet spot they found at home and they shared how many of the parents wanted them to sit at the table and read.  They said it was fun telling their parents that they were wrong and that if they wanted to be successful readers they needed to feel comfortable when reading!  Ha!   

 I used an anchor chart I got from Pinterest to use as a talking point for the lesson.  As you can see in the picture, I used correction tape to add a new idea onto the poster--this one was thought up by the students and they asked if I could add it on! They are proud of their new freedom with reading.  A group of girls came over to me during RW one day and asked if they could bring in a blanket or pillow if it was small enough to fit in their cubbies.  I am so proud of how my readers are planning for their reading lives.

 

Here are some photos of my students in their sweet spots.  I captured the idea of turning the chairs over from a Pinterest post.

 

 

This next sweet spot belongs to one of my special needs students. He is most successful when he makes his boundaries known to others.  He likes spatial boundaries to feel safe and protected. He chose his sweet spot and we labled it with his name and taped it off.  He has 2 other areas in the room for his writing area and his personal meeting space for minilessons and read alouds.