video responses

Well, well. What a pleasant surprise to spent 10 minutes watching entertaining and thought-provoking videos rather than a couple of hours reading from our texts (although I do enjoy them). The SNL skit was funny, scary, intimidating and challenging. If we were all honest with ourselves, we know that there's a good chance we will live out this very scenario in real life....maybe not with an entire class but at least with a few students. How do we deal with students that think "France" is the answer to every question we ask? How do we deal with students that only know that Indiana Jones fought with snakes and miss the whole point of the Nazis? What about the students that don't know even the basics such as what countries are in Europe....much less where Europe is on a map? I'm not sure that SNL intended for anything past a humorous skit with this, but if I were to take away some lessons from this video, here is what I've got:
-so much of teaching is helping students learn to think (a comment that Seinfeld made at the beginning of class) rather than memorizing information for a test
-sometimes the trash can is a good place to put tests
-despite grand ideas of challenging students with deep, philosophical discussions about literature, life, writing, etc. we are instead going to have to pull down the map and tell them where Europe is
-even if dates won't be on the test, keep that to yourself
-buy stock in aspirin or whatever your drug of choice is and do everything possible to make sure there is a good stash of it in your desk

Now, for "What Teachers Make." First, let me say that I am a fan of the stylistic approaches that Def Poetry makes (although some of them are ridiculously inappropriate). Somehow they are able to take ideas that might cross the line into ultra-cheeziness and present it well- as we saw with this video. I love the idea that he is more concerned with the difference he makes as a teacher than the money he makes (b/c we all know its crap). I loved the fact that when he talked about calling home during dinner time, it was to report something positive rather than something negative. Surely we all are going into teaching knowing that we are going to teeter the line of poverty to do so and surely we all hold on to the hope that what we do is going to make a difference. But in all honesty, sometimes writing papers, reading textbooks, and going through this phase of the process causes us to lose sight of what the future holds. So this video was a good reminder that in the end, it will be worth it. It sounds cheezy and those of you who know me know that I hate the "cheese factor," but its true and its what I cling to when I get tired of all the work.

Creative Titles are Difficult: Video Response

I enjoyed both of these videos. In the SNL skit, I think that it demonstrates what not to do as a teacher. Is it weird that I was thinking Where is the opener? They are so lost because he didn't have an opener! Granted it is an SNL skit - there is a such thing as limited time, being funny, and getting to the point. I enjoyed how it showed that students are waiting for the teacher to give the right answer instead of trying to use their prior knowledge to come up with answers (even if they may be wrong). Another part that made me think a bit more was when the girl just kept on saying "You said we didn't need to know dates." I've had teachers say this to me before and when they started talking about a date I almost tuned them out. Our words have huge impacts on our students - especially if we say something that allows them to not have to do something. Maybe we should be more conscious about what we say our students need to know vs. what they don't need to know. Why are we closing doors to learning? What if a student really does enjoy learning dates? If we aren't testing over it, does that mean that we should tell a student they don't need to know it? Lastly, did anybody like the question that the girl asked in the very last part? She wanted to know more about what the teacher originally wanted to talk about. I may just read too much in this skit, but even though it seemed like the class was going no where, there was a student who was finally interested to know how it all tied together. I see that as a light to what seemed to be a difficult class period.

The second video is also enjoyable because it allows me to be reminded that there are so many rewards to being a teacher. His dramatic quality doesn't bother me; I actually appreciate it because it shows his passion for what he does. I'm not even a teacher yet, but if he is still loving his job then it truly shows that there are so many rewards to it that we haven't even experienced and those who don't have our job will never be able to.

My take on the videos

For Stan's ever-insightful and hilarious response to the videos, please see Stacy's post entitled, "Week 4/5: Response to the Videos." Once again, there will not be a separate post by Stan for the videos.

This is one of those things, methods, that came around in the classroom at my field experience. Writing in first vs. thrid person. My instructor had given the students the options of a R.A.F.T (sort of like a choose-your-own-assignment) for "To kill a Mockingbord." One of the students had chosen to write the newspaper editorial p.o.v. by one of the characters, addressing manners to female readers, and had written her paper using 1st person. The teacher asked me to read it and see if it read correctly. I did, it did, and I told the teacher. She said, "but she used a lot of first person." I explained that I thought that since it was an newspaper editorial addressing readers, the author would be addressing the reader's in first person. Sure it could have been written in 3rd, but that would have taken the importance of the arguement. Anyone reading this agree?

Response to the videos from Emily

I have to say I was not entertained or enthused by the skit with Jerry S about the history class. I see the whole thing as a very bad example of type. What I mean by type is that in works authors create a character that resembles a type, or a characteristic. Within that skit, there was only the one type. In class rooms, we are going to be having a wide variety of students in out class, and this was not depicted. However, I am quite biased, I have never like SNL or it's equivalents.

As for the other skit that I watched I could not help but be reminded of a brief article I once read a long, long time ago. It brought up the question "What do you do?" implying what is it that you do for a living, your occupation. The writer of that article went off much like the guy went off in the video. The author wrote that she does a lot of things and then provided to go into different aspects of her life. She then made the point at the end that a person isn't solely defined by what it is that they do as an occupation, but should be defined by what it is that they do with their whole life. The guy in the video made this point, just with a twist. People shouldn't be defined by what it is that they make in money, but what it is that they make happen in their lives and in other's lives. Also, he made that point that just because he may not make as much as a lawyer, it does not mean that his job is any less important, maybe even that it might be more important.

To bring the two together, I get a small feeling that the first skit with Jerry S. was written from the view point of those that the guy in the second skit is fighting since the author of the first has such a bleak outlook on teaching and students. It is almost as if the second is a reaction to the first.

Week 4/5: Reflection on the Videos

So I just watched the two videos and can already completely relate to them. First, the SNL skit- I am really surprised that I have not seen that one yet! I love SNL and enjoy the fact that they even do teacher skits. The feeling of giving up when students don’t pay attention or ask what they are to do is something that we have all gone through. In fact, at my field experience this week, my students were asked to do a simple worksheet about their opinions while the other students were scheduling for next year’s classes. This worksheet was very simple, it just discussed personal experiences with growing up, conscience, and compassion, but the students were very reluctant to fill it out. There were no right or wrong answers, the students just didn’t want to try. Then, like the video, when one person said something, they all agreed and wrote down the same answer. The only problem is, this was a PERSONAL OPINION handout and copying defeats the whole purpose. I felt like Jerry at the end, I just wanted to grab my bottle of aspirin and let them do their own thing until the bell rang! But I continued to try and pull information out of them. Sometimes, at the end of the day, giving up seems like the best way to do things, but it is really never the answer.

Then I watched the Taylor Mali video. I really enjoyed this too! I agree with everything he has to say because he mentioned both serious and funny things. He mentions that doesn’t let kids go to the bathroom simply because they are bored…we, as teachers, know that that is the actual reason they want to leave the room. But he also gets passionate about what he is saying. He makes students read, write, spell, and everything else, but all the lawyer thinks about is the teaching making MONEY. I love the way he interpreted this question because I never would have thought about it. The ending—AMAZING! We don’t make money or bonuses, we make a difference and that is the most important thing that we can make. After dealing with the at-risk students at Central, I want to make a difference. Even if it is just getting slightly, a little bit through to one of the kids….that’s what I want to do in my 30 hours in the classroom.

Also- I am wondering why i am always the first one to comment on the blog after class?? Stan- don't answer this...

Think Aloud

I thought that this process was interesting and cannot wait to use it in my classroom. I unfamiliar with it before tonight, so it really opened my eyes. It is a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom, as well as have students get involved in the reading. If there were students who missed this exercise, you really missed out and should have one of us that was present tell you about it. It is definitely something that you will want to use in your classroom. I am interested to see the way Priscilla uses it in her in-class lesson.

Think Alouds and You Tube

Here's the update for last night:

1. Elizabeth read her minutes from JANUARY 28!

2. Stacy read minutes.

3. We had a thorough discussion of assessment, and we came up with more questions than answers. See my blog post, and make sure you understand the difference between formative and summative assessment.

4. We experienced a think aloud with a poem. This could be used with any kind of prose as well. I suggested to Jessica that you might want to create a worksheet with the text on the left and lines on the right.

5. We discussed in-class lessons. These are mini-lessons. I recommend pulling a lesson from the reading. I also recommended readwritethink.org. Each person will need to meet with me the week before your lesson. See syllabus.

6. I-search is due Monday, February 25-Friday, February 29. Ask the class to explain on Monday.

7. If you have any questions, let me know.

8. Please watch "What it feels like to be a teacher." And then watch "What Teachers Make" (be aware of some bad language). Can't wait to hear what you think, and I'd like for you to make some connections to your own teaching.

Christenbury Ch. 5

I think I might be the last to write about this reading...can you tell I'm a procrastinator? (Note that there's only an hour from the post date to the time class is supposed to start.)

I agree with all the enthusiasm everyone's given this chapter - the use of YA and graphic novels, tips on drama and poetry, and the reader response standpoint. I think the only thing I have to add is that when I was in high school, English classes were divided into "American Lit" and "English Lit", and so I tend to think of my own classroom that way. I just remember leaving these two classes with no more ideas about "America" or "England" than I had when I went in. Yes, all the books were by American authors, but I didn't know where they fit in to the culture or the country - they were haphazardly thrown together with no background information. I don't want to provide too much historical info if it's not relevant, but I think most of the time, it IS, especially since the issues of the past rarely stay in the past. There's the connection - students see the historical significance and respond to that issue as well as the text itself. As much as I love books, I love ideas more, and "experiencing" a text seems pretty useless to me if the student can't apply it to issues in his/her own world.

As many of you have already stated that it is a great relief to know that we do not have to know everything about Language Arts or being a teacher before we actually enter a classroom. I think one of the best qualities I can learn as a future teacher is that my learning will never be finished. Right now I look forward to being educated in my classroom by my future students. AFter I have been teaching for a few years I may not feel the same way. The great thing about continuely learning how to do your job better makes it more interesting and keeps a person as relevant as they can be to the students.
Christenbury points something out that I know is very practical for middle school aged students with literature. The 3 things that she describes that literature is good for students is very important. It is important if we want students to develop voice and opinions and to be creative we have to allow students to escape in the reading of literature, find themselves, and live vicariously other lives to help develop their imigination and thought process. I know many people understand when you find a good book or story and you can jump into and just get lost, it puts you in another world, that is a great opportunity we can provide for our students with literature.
Lastly, I thought Chrstenbury's point on using theatre/drama in the classroom is a great way to get students involved and moving around. Middle School Language Art majors have to take a theatre class and if anyone knows me I would not choose to take a theatre class if my life depended on it. So since I was forced to take it I've come to understand that it is a great way to in away develop the story so students can see it and maybe make more connections to it.
That's all I have.

Gallagher 2 and 3 - Framing a text

I'm making separate posts for the two books because I find it easier to navigate others' posts when they are separated and I know what I'm looking for.

So Gallagher has some great things to say about reading a novel as a class. His points about building scaffolding and easing into an intimidating work are straightforward (and remember, every book is intimidating to a 15 year old who hates to read). I completely agree with having specific reasons that you're teaching a certain book so you can always answer, "When are we ever going to use this?" I will probably use his framing strategies to introduce individual lessons. I'd like to add one for the online forum, stolen from Dr. Nugent, MCL professor here at Missouri State: Have each student write a keyword from the text on the board (character names, places, items, plot, etc.), with no repeats. Go around the classroom and have each student explain his/her word, making sure to call out the words in chronological order so the summary makes sense. Usually this produces a really good summary, and students love to write on the board.

Ch 5

I really enjoyed the chapter on teaching literature in Christenbury's book. I was pleased to see that she included a section on teaching YA literature, as that is what I'm doing my I-Search on, and even more pleased to see that she included a section on graphic novels. As much as I can appreciate and enjoy the classics, it annoys me to no end when people seem to have a prejudice against newer forms of literature. There's some exciting stuff happening in both the YA and the graphic novel fields, and I think that kids would benefit immensely from exposure to these materials in the classroom.

I also appreciated the discussion of censorship in the classroom and the helpful tips on how to handle it. I am very much opposed to most forms of censorship and I hate to think that it even exists in the classroom, but unfortunately it is very much a reality.

Issues On Thy Mind

Skimming along the same lines Stan wrote in "Big Bucks...", I think there are more issues involved in our future as teachers than just money. Sure, teachers have to shell out a lot of dough to teach their students without getting reimbursed but there is definitely a bigger picture to foresee. What will the future hold for us as teachers if we keep on the same path we're on presently?

Recently, I've heard talk about teachers pay being a direct result of MAP test scores. This idea is ridiculous! Students work at their own pace and learn in their own style. If one student decides they are going to spend a night on the town boozing it up while their still underage before the MAP test the next day, why should the teacher suffer?

The unions teachers join, like the NEA and others, are useless as well because all they can do is talk about what is wrong with the world of teaching without actually doing anything about it. Let me ask you a question: what is the one thing that shows the power of a union? The answer is that they have the right to go on strike. However, since teachers are part of the Federal government's line of public workers, if they strike, they get canned. The power of a teacher's union is kaput.

Then, there is the old faithful of has-been school problems: NCLB. Every time I hear that phrase, I have to laugh because I think of President Bush's last State of the Union where he addressed the only accomplishment his eight years have made: the NCLB. Schools are shutting down in New York because of the greatness of the NCLB. Kids from those "bad" schools have to go to another "bad" school and wait for it to get shutdown too! The worse thing is that the most illiterate person in the free world assumes that 100 % of children will read and work at the same level by 2012. The president can't even speak properly to the Queen of England, let alone eat a pretzel, and yet we're following his rule like Pavlov's dogs.

I concur with a Professor I currently have that states we are going the wrong way with education. I believe that if no one makes a stand, the quotable freedom teachers now have in their classroom will be no more. I can see a future where there are two teachers in every class who watch the other for signs of failure. I can see a future where every school across the nation teaches the same book at the same time every year. I see a horrible future for us as teachers if we stay on this path.

Right now, teachers are stuck writing mundane paperwork and lesson plans for administrators who have no right to expect the same results from every teacher/student. Right now, politicians are writing bills that take a little sliver of the teacher's freedom to "teach" in their own fashion because they think it's the right thing to do (though they have never been a teacher or, some, to college). Right now, Lisa, a seventh grader, is upset because her teachers are not taking care of her the way she needs them too. Her teachers are too engrossed in teaching certain things in a timeline and not veering off at any stop. Right now, Lisa is falling behind. Now she's failing... and the government thinks it's your fault.

I believe we need to get rid of Federal funding for schools altogether and provide more supplies locally. Education should be a local ambition. Parents and anyone else who makes a vocal concern about the school system should not rely on the schools to do all the work while they throw out the excuse that they are too busy to help. Everyone needs to be involved. If we can get the government to mind their own business and let each school fend for itself with helpers in the community who understand what it means to be a teacher, then our tomorrow as teachers will be quite promising indeed.

Fact: there is no way to judge the amount of actual teaching someone has been given in order to decide appropriate pay. Some students will never want to learn... period. Some students are handicapped in a form of learning; perhaps they cannot write.

Fact: a union's only power is a strike. If teachers can't go on strike, see if the students will strike for you. Say, "Class, the MAP is tomorrow but you don't have to take it. Don't show up." Of course, do not say it in those words. What will happen? The MAP will be irregular but is it really so significant? No.

Fact: the goal of 100 % from the NCLB is never going to happen. Some students are blind or are affected by ADHD. They may not care that the government wants them all to be identical in a society that vocally favors difference.

Fact: if we new teachers don't step up and say something to change this, the future I have prescribed will come. It takes many people to change things for the better but only one to change things for the worse. Don't be that one person. Do not be like the president. Stand up and change the system. Save Lisa.

I like my freedom because, without it, I would not have been able to write this.

I want to keep my freedom when I teach... don't you?

Reading Time

Christenbury's idea about giving reading time to the classroom every week really struck me during this weeks reading. In my high school they never gave us time for private reading, or even for reading the assigned books we had. I always thought, even when was a high school student, maybe especially when I was a high school student, that students should be allowed time in class to read their assignments, at least that way the teacher can be more assured the students are actually doing what we want them to be doing, rather than looking up sparknotes or cliffnotes and just getting the basic plot summaries from the literature.

I had always planned on giving reading time to students, and these ideas are good platforms for successful classroom reading time. Personally, I've always thought that English teachers' main job is to cultivate a love of literature in our students, and what better way than to allow them their own choices in reading material (as long as it remains appropriate)? I believe whatever they're readin is good, as long as they are reading.

Deeper Reading: Chapter 5

I like how Gallagher used baseball to talk about reading. On page 3 I like how she compared the way her young daughters viewed the game of baseball to the way her students read. She says they were "able to read the game on a superficial, surface level, but they were unable to see the deeper, richer meaning of the game. They were unaware of the craft, the complexities, and the nuances of the game of baseball". She then goes on to say this is much like her students; they don't see past the surface of the reading. I think that this is so true, and as teachers we need to work to change this. I want my students to look past the surface and into the deeper meaning of the text.

Deeper Reading 2&3

I love how Gallagher brings the fact to the surface that teachers are the "headsets" that frame the literature for the students. This concept is so much more effective than cold reading. I could have done a lot better in comprehension in high school if this theory would have been put to the test sooner. Even now, I think the resources I've learned in some of the last few classes I've taken should have been given in the beginning of my degree program to prepare me for some of the first classes I took early on. I would have been a lot more productive in reading if I had read this book at the start of college, for instance, because it gives not only the teacher helpful hints to exercise but also the student. It makes sense -warming our students up to an assignment will train them to read for deeper discussions. Gallagher is right on. We all ask "what's in it for me?" This is a subconscience feeling initialized with an assignment. It's not a selfish focus. It's an automatic response we face in every situation. Student's need to know what they're going to get out of the assignment and it's our job to let them know. Not only that, but what we want them to take away from it. And, that is exacty what framing will do. It will make the literature reading, or the assignment at hand "real" for the student.

Priscilla

I-Search

For my I-search paper, I've chosen to research methods of teaching the nove Animal Farm by George Orwell. When I was in high school, I read the novel 1984 by the same author and connected immediately with it. Being a high school student in the aftermath of the Columbine High School massacre meant that many students around the U.S. were under surveillence and high schools were under lock down. Everywhere I looked I saw school cops and surveillence cameras set up in the halls. When I read George Orwell's dystopia about a society that was under surveillence and under complete authoitarian control I immediately connected to it. To me, I was Winston Smith constantly looking over my shoulder while I tried to get away with having an indeppendent thought. That is why I have chosen to research an Orwell book that I haven't read. Animal Farm is listed in the Springfield schools curriculum and I respect Orwell's ability to connect to many kinds of reader.

It is my hope that I will discover a way to connect the allegory to the lives of my students. Sop far I have found a variety of sources on the subject. It is my hope that while reading this novel, my students will become interested in the actual history of the rise of communism. Since I know that Orwell is an extraordinarily entertaining writer, I know that many students will probably connect to his style in the way i did with 1984. I think that I will offer 1984 as an optional text in my class and find students who feel like I did when I was in high school.

chapter 5

Tina and Aaron I totally love the ice breaker cartoon. This type of humor will also help our students to relax when getting to know us, as their new teacher, and allow them to express their personality a little easier with a little help from our comic relief side. That would be a great way to open a class. I was very in tune to Christenbury's notions of literature being the pleasureable thing to students, opening them up to a new world of literature. It was very helpful to have her explain the four types of literary criticism: Historical, biographical, New Criticism, and reader response. I'm going to try to include all of these into my curriculum with my students to give them the ultimate experience of lit. That would be ideal, I think. Christenbury does hit the nail on the head -I sometimes don't feel that I have learned all of the information necessary to teach other people how to write, which is where I feel my main focus for teaching will be sometimes because it's the most creative aspect of English that I love. But, I know I will eventually be where I need to be with the experience in the class. Several teachers have told me that they gained most of their knowledge in the class. So keep plugging, eh! I agree that the reader response is most useful at times because it pushes students to look for personal relationships. I'm going to use a lot of this type of criticism in my class.

Priscilla

Reading Day, Independent Reading, and Silent Sustained Reading

Elizabeth and Stan got me to thinking. Here's some research about silent-sustained reading, which could also be called "quiet reading time:"

The Importance of SSR

SSR first was proposed over forty years ago by Lyman C. Hunt, Jr. of the University of Vermont in the 1960s (Trelease 2001). Robert and Marlene McCracken, reading experts, formulated the following recommendations to structure SSR programs:

1. Children should read aloud to themselves for a limited amount of time.
2. Each student should select his own book magazine or newspaper.
3. The teacher or parent must read also in order to lead by example. This cannot be stressed too strongly.
4. No reports are required of the student. No records are kept (Trelease 2001; McCracken, 1971).

In 1985, Anderson et al. released a national report, Becoming a Nation of Readers recommending that SSR be implemented into all American classrooms. The report explained that priority needed to be given to independent reading, for the more time students spent reading the greater their reading proficiency (Kirby 2003). Anderson et al. (1985) states “independent reading is more effective in developing reading ability than the skill and drill workbooks and practice sheets normally associated with a basal reading program” (75–76). Originally SSR called for a school-wide daily reading time for teachers and students in which reading material was not monitored nor were students evaluated on their reading. Manning-Dowd (1985) reviewed research on SSR and concluded that SSR has a positive effect on reading comprehension and reading attitudes at all grade levels.

Pilgreen (2000) explains the importance of SSR, and explains eight crucial features needed to set up and properly maintain a sustained silent reading program in an educational setting. They include:

1. Access. Students need access to traditional and nontraditional reading materials—books, magazines, newspapers, and other reading materials—in the classroom and at home.
2. Appeal. Students need to be surrounded with appealing and provocative reading material that they want to read.
3. Conducive environment. Students should have a comfortable place in which to read.
4. Encouragement. Teachers and students need a variety of ways to share and discuss what they are reading.
5. Staff training. SSR is not a passive process; teachers must be motivated “to learn strategies for linking students with books, highlighting the importance of having all of the participating adults ‘buy into’ the concept of free reading” (14).
6. Non-accountability. SSR involves no required tasks or follow-up language work. Learners read without the concern of having to write a book report or make a presentation.
7. Follow-up activities. Are carefully designed to keep students excited and engaged readers.
8. Distributed time to read. Students need time to read. Setting up independent reading on a daily basis is most effective so that reading becomes a habit and not just an academic exercise.

Trelease (2001) explains that the benefits of SSR are many and vary:

but in its simplest form SSR allows a person to read long enough and far enough so the act of reading becomes automatic . . . Because it is supposed to be informal and free of grades, SSR also can provide students with a new perspective on reading—as a form of recreation (chapter 5, 2).

Although there is no magic cure for students in high school, “it can result in positive attitudinal changes toward the library, voluntary reading, assigned reading, and the importance of reading. This affects the amount students read and thus their facility with the process” (chapter 5, 2). Anderson, Wilson, and Fielding (1988) studied 155 fifth graders who kept activity logs of their out-of-school activities. They found that among all the ways children spend their time outside of school, reading books is the best predictor of several measures of reading achievement, including gains in reading achievement between second and fifth grade.

The Importance of Recreational Reading

Research has demonstrated time and time again, that consistent exposure to high-quality literature will expand a child’s world and be reflected in their vocabulary (Kambarian 2001; Robbins and Ehri 1994). Students who engage in reading on a daily basis may demonstrate a carry over effect and increase their knowledge across the board in all academic areas (Kambarian 2001). Trelease (2001) explains that when the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) compared the reading skills of 210,000 students from thirty-two countries it found the highest scores (regardless of income level) among children who were read to by their teachers and children who read the most pages for daily pleasure (chapter 5, 1).

Krashen (2003; 1993) argues that there is consistent evidence that those who have more access to books read more and students who have more time for recreational reading demonstrate more academic gains in reading than “comparison students” (2003, 16) and that a lack of reading practice results in a decline in reading ability (1993). Free voluntary reading improves vocabulary, reading comprehension, grammar, and writing among first-language acquirers as well as among second-language acquirers (Cho and Krashen 2001). Cho and Krashen explain that:

reading itself appears to be the most powerful motivator for encouraging additional reading: those who participate in sustained silent reading (SSR) programs show clear increases in the amount of free reading they do outside of school (Pilgreen and Krashen, 1993) and the effect appears to last years after the SSR program ends (Greaney and Clarke 1975). (2001, 170).

This underscores the pedagogical importance of allowing students to have the following:

• the ability to choose from a wide variety of reading material,
• time to read in-class on a daily basis (sixty minutes maximum),
• timely, supportive, and interactive feedback from teachers,
• teachers who will employ motivational strategies that excite students about books, and
• teachers who will ensure that students are provided with reading material appropriately challenging for their reading level.

Notice that all of the above is quite independent of AR. AR offers a quick and easy instantaneous record keeping component for teachers which make their lives easier. In fact, “many districts have corrupted what was designed as essentially a bookkeeping system, converted it to part of the reading program, and encouraged students to read for points tied to report card grades” (Pavonetti, Brimmer, and Cipielewski 2002/2003, 309).

Classroom Application

Sustained Silent Reading (SSR). Students read for a limited (10-15 minutes) on self-selected material with no changing of reading materials permitted during that time. The teacher models voluntary reading at the same time. No reports are required and no records are kept.

Modified Silent Sustained Reading. One example of a modified USSR is called WEB (Wonderfully Exciting Books), allowing the students to self select their reading material and read for a designated time period each day. (Routman, 1991) Upon finishing the book, the student has a peer conference (with specific questions) and completes a project to share with the class. The teacher also confers with the student. The student uses a WEB recording sheet to log the process.

Reading Workshop. Reading Workshop (Atwell, 1987; Reif, 1992) is a very structured approach to free voluntary reading based on three principles: time, ownership and response. Students are given time daily in the classroom for silent, independent reading. Unlike USSR, it is not a limited 10-15 minute block of time. Reading Workshop lasts a minimum of 30 minutes. Ownership allows students to choose titles. In response to their reading, students make a connection between reading and writing through the use of dialogue journals.

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In my own classroom, my preferred way to incorporate "reading time" was through reading workshop (Atwell, 1987; Reif, 1992). We would have at least 30 minutes of reading time at least two or three times a week, if not more, and this was also part of a reading/writing workshop classroom, so students chose whether they read or wrote.

In my experience, silent sustained reading only works if the teacher reads his or her own book with the students. If the teacher is too busy to read (moving around the room, talking, doing other things), then the students don't see SSR as valued time. They tend to goof off. If I read, the students ALWAYS read. These times were some of the most joyful of my career. All of those years I tried to get students to be quiet and they wouldn't! To be in a room with 30-35 sophomores and seniors reading is one of my greatest memories. What more could I ask for?

I felt like this turned them into real readers--hopefully, life-long readers. Few of them had read a book that they chose since sixth grade!

Stan asked about literature circles. There is so much info, but here's a brief description.

Monday Evening Classes Meet on Wednesday, Feb. 20

You may have received an email about this, but Monday evening classes are scheduled to meet on Wednesday evening.

So, I will see you at 6:30 on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, at Greenwood High School.

See you then.

Chapter 5...very helpful!

So...I'm starting to love this book! I totally agree with what Elizabeth said...I think Christenbury reads my mind! It is crazy how she seems to know exactly how we, as soon to be teachers, are feeling. I loved the first couple pages of this chapter because they are definitly reassuring! I mean lets face it we are all somewhat freaking out that the time has come for us to actually get in front of students in a classroom and hope they can take us seriously and find something beneficial in what we say! ok..well I know I am, but Christenbury really puts those fears at ease by saying that we really don't have to know it all before we enter the classroom, and that it is completely fine, and also necessary, to keep learning as we go!
I also thought it was very interesting when she talked about schools of criticism and why we should care. I have to admit, when i took ENG 235 with Jane Hoogestraat I was not overwhelmed with a passion on the subject of schools of literary criticism, and didnt really see why it affected me or my teaching. But after reading what Christenbury has to say about it I really see why it is important to know which way you tend to analyze literature and maybe to make sure to not always do the same thing. I think it is important to look at the historical background of a work sometimes, but other times I think a reader response type of approach might be better because it allows students to relate to and take what they want out of the literature. I loved how she gave examples of class discussions and how the different ways those discussions were lead affected the comments that students made.
All in all, she gives a lot of really great and useful tips in this chapter of how to tackle many different forms of literature. I am definitly thinking I'm not going to be selling this book back! Its a keeper! :)

Billy Collins

http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/001.html

This poem only represents my feelings I had towards what my teachers did to poetry, but to the literature as well. We all need to make sure we aren't beating the beauty out of what we are reading by examining it too closely in one form or another.

Yes, I expect you to follow the link and read the poem. Don't be so lazy!

~Stan

MTJ CH.5

I think it would be awesome to start a class off with a comic, like the one to the left, just to break the kids out of their shells. It will get them talking, get them laughing and ready to pay attention. Plus, it will make them easier to see us as someone they can relate to. And if they don;t think it's funny, oh well. You will be a dweeb.

So, I thought this chapter was very informative. I loved the fact that someone who was once the president of NCTE once felt that she didn't know enough when she entered the profession. I mean, really, can you ever know enough that some kid isn't going to ask you a question you don't know the answer to? I think we will all run into that at some time or another.

When discussing the theories, I find that most of my teachers used a combination of all four, although they may not have specifically addressed them by their formal names, i.e. New Criticism. I did observe that Christenbury made the rookie mistake of showing the film after the reading. The key is to get students interested with the visual aspect, stimulate their brains, and prepare them for what lies ahead. It often seems like cheating when we use movies, but some students need that stimulation, especially in our day and age of information, video games and the tube.

While reading this, I came up with a couple of different ways I think I will address students readings and literature. I will reserve these for my in-class lesson. Wait with baited breath!

On the use of the graphic novel, are we really going to be able to use the graphic novel in our classroom? Would it be feasible? Allowed? Do we really have that much freedom? How would we get enough copies for the entire class? This option doesn't seem likely wihtout the support of the school purchasing a specific graphic novel. Like the idea, just think it is unlikely.

I really enjoyed the censorship section, and the how-to get yourself into, and out of, trouble. This might come in handy for Kendra. (See her earlier post on trouble-making in her future class.)

I have one issue with Christenbury's view of "quiet reading" in class. When I was in school, this was torture to me. I went to class for the interaction, and it seemed like this was an excuse for teacher's to catch-up on grading and other things. I hated quiet reading in the classroom. Anyone else (those three of you who have visited the blog), feel the same way? (Okay, it's four now. Hi! David! Good to hear from you!)

And...one last thing. Can anybody give a better explanation of literary circles? We didn't do this way back in the early 90's, at least not in my school, and Christenbury doesn't fully explain. Not enough for dense me anyway!

~Stan (thinking.. I wonder if I pushed everyone else's posts off the page with my ramblings?")