Kaleigh Baker, OFLA Executive Vice-President
Spanish Teacher, Butler High School

With the final weeks of the school year approaching, we are entering that time where classes are constantly interrupted with various forms of testing, field days, and the general disengagement that comes with the last month of school. It becomes increasingly difficult to gain the attention of our students and even harder still to maintain it!

To simplify my life these last few weeks of school, I try to read a book with my students in each of my levels. I really like any of the Fluency Matters options as they can be purchased with the e-course that includes a variety of activities that now integrate with Google Classroom! When a student is absent for any reason, it is as easy as saying, “Read chapter 3 and answer the comprehension questions”. There is always room to add extension/cultural activities as you go, but my students seem to like the relaxed atmosphere that reading a book provides and the consistency that they can expect in the chaos of the last few weeks of school. There are so many different readers out there – from the incorporation of actual historical events, to pure fiction based on an interesting topic to our students today – that you are sure to find something that your students will be able to engage in!

If you teach multiple levels or are a department of one in your district, using a reader will greatly simplify your lesson plans, and you can focus on catching up on all of your miscellaneous tasks that seem to build up at the end of the year!