Chapters 1 and 2 + Effective Reading Instruction Reflection

I found the first and second chapters of, Creating Classrooms that work & Creating Enthusiastic, Independent Readers, and the article, "What I've Learned About Effective Reading Instruction," enlightening in that the texts provided me with a basic understanding of multiple factors that contribute to successful classrooms.  Specifically, I learned about the strategies implemented by the most effective teachers.  The article confirmed and complimented the textbook in that both sources outlined similar practices.

Both the textbook and the article claim that the following produce effective classrooms...

• ENGAGE students
• schedule time daily for independent reading
• teachers used time wisely providing adequate instruction and allotting sufficient time for practice, wasting very little time 
• student spent lots of time reading and writing
• students practiced reading and writing while working on other subjects such as science and social studies
• teachers explicitly instruct students on how to develop reading and writing skills
• teachers manage classroom well, very little disruption, disorder, distraction
• opportunities for conversation about what was read
• teachers ask questions with wide range of answers
• focus on problem solving 
• focus on both word meaning and phonetic development 
• teach reading and writing skill in a variety of ways with a variety of materials
• teachers encourage reflection and discussion with fellow classmates
• small group discussion
• teachers read aloud to students
• choose texts that appeal to everyone in the class
• cater to boys and girls and struggling readers
• teachers teach child how to self-check and self-regulate
• "Did I understand the main idea of that paragraph?"
• "What do I think will happen next?"
• "I wonder what emotions this character is feeling right now

Research suggests that these characteristics will produce results!

I LOVE both the Bookboard idea and the rotating book crate idea proposed in the textbook!  I found some photos that relate!

These bulletin boards engage and encourage students by letting them know that their opinion is important! 

I love the rotating book crate idea.  Teachers rotate crates from classroom to classroom.  Each teacher has each crate for 5 weeks--a limited time that provides an incentive for students to read books before they are unavailable! 

I thought the marketing technique for the rotating book crate idea was brilliant.  Can you think of any incentives similar to this one that would excite students and motivate them to read?

Also, how can teachers best work with administrators to decrease time spent adhering to strict curriculum requirements and increase time in their class devoted to the research supported strategies mentioned here?