A wise teaching colleague once introduced me to the little-known concept of FTLOR (pronounced fit-lor). He said his students loved it, begged for it, were silent during it. Immediately, I was intrigued. What was this magical FTLOR he spoke of?
Basically, it was silent reading but repackaged into a catchy little acronym that lured those students in and kept them there. So of course, I did what any teacher would do, and I stole that idea and introduced it into my own classroom.
I already had silent reading operating in my own classroom, but I had abandoned it as a daily practice as the feedback I was receiving from my students told me that they simply weren't enjoying it. It was a chore, as opposed to something they looked forward to. Instead, they asked for me to read aloud to them from our class novel. I happily obliged. It was our own little escape into a world of adventure, intrigue and mystery each day that we all looked forward to.
But I wanted more for them than that.
I wanted them to open their minds to texts that they had chosen. And I wanted them to talk freely about what they were reading to their peers; to share recommendations and to ignore the recess bell because they had been so deeply drawn into another realm.
The next morning, I confidently wrote 'FTLOR: BEGINS TOMORROW' in red capital letters on our whiteboard. The students knew to look here as they entered the classroom each morning and I was prepared for the inquisition once their eyes locked onto this foreign term.
As predicted, I was bombarded with cries of, "What's...futlor? Fatlor? Fetlor? Ms B. How do you say that?!"
It was unfair to make them wait, so I slowly revealed that it was something they'd not experienced before. It was something that would change them almost instantly. It was something that they had complete control over. Eyes widened in collective amazement. Then the whispers began as they speculated on what it could possibly mean.
"I hope it's about reading," one girl mused. "Yeah, that'd be cool," agreed another.
Could they read my mind?
In response, I simply asked them to bring in something they wanted to read tomorrow. It could be a surfing magazine, a newspaper article, a joke book, a graphic novel, song lyrics...they became visibly excited as they asked whether it was also OK to 'just bring in a regular book'.
FTLOR is For The Love Of Reading. This message is what greeted my students the next morning. "Yes!" Squealed one. "I knew it!" Remarkably, every single student had remembered to bring in their reading material; some clutching it to their chest as they entered the classroom.
So I sat with them on the floor and explained that we were just going to read, for the love of it. No levelled books, no comprehension questions. Just you, your book and a cozy spot in or out of our room. "You, too?" One boy challenged. "Me, too."
"Wow. No other teacher has ever read when we read. Don't you have lessons to prepare?"
"Of course. But I also have a book I want to finish."
And then we sat. And we read. And it was marvellous.
Children who 'didn't like reading' were totally absorbed in Minecraft manuals. Others who 'couldn't read' had their heads buried in a book about dinosaur species. I could barely enjoy my own book because I was so pleased with the transformation before me.
When FTLOR time was over (much to their disgust), I asked them to reflect. Why were you all reading?
Because, you didn't make us get any old book from the bookshelf. We were allowed to read whatever we wanted. You were reading, too. It has a cool name!
I promised that we would do it again, every day, until they tired of it. They assured me that they never would. Apparently, it was a game changer.
And just like that, through a simple rebranding and a little participation on my part, my classroom had transformed into a place where reading was a pleasure.
The next time you are faced with a similar push back, perhaps this is worth a try? Why not join in on the task you're asking your child to complete? Why not reframe it so that it becomes more attractive? And most importantly, give choice. Many of my students mistakenly believed that reading meant they need to engage with a book. Not true! Reading what interests them is how to nurture a love of reading in children that has the power to open the doors to the exploration of new genres, new authors and new experiences.
Do you FTLOR?
Comments