Gallagher and Christenbury are amazing. I want to meet them. I love Chapter 8 from Deeper Reading because I feel that deeper reflection is what I strive for in my classroom and imagine my students being able to do. I want them to be able to enjoy the books that they read and even if they do not necessarily like it, that they are able to see value in it. I think that by using the strategies that Gallagher points out, it can expand our students thinking about their reading much further than if we told them that they are reading it because it is a classic or because it is required. When we show them how it can connect to their own lives, they are more inclined to invest themselves in the topic or subject being discussed.
I personally enjoyed the Circles of Reflection on pg. 157. I think it is important to not only focus on the student's own life, but to bring his/her attention to the people and settings around them. Each circle gives them a different opportunity to focus on things that are surrounding them but it also moves them towards the point of thinking about their community, nation and humankind. I feel that sometimes I don't really have an impact on the world - I am just one person, you know? But if I am pushed to consider aspects of my community, country, or humankind in general, I feel that my significance in the world is greater than if I just reflected on my own life - even if I just have reflections about my world, I become more aware of what's happening and that makes me a better citizen.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Good ol' Gallagher
Okay, so I, like everyone else, really appreciate the examples that Gallagher gave us for responding to a student's question about why we have the read something. I might just type that list up, laminate it, and keep it handy for when my students ask me that question.
I was also really pleased to see the seven activities that were "proven effective in getting students to see why literature matters." I'm anxious to try some of those out and see if they really do help students understand why literature matters. I think my favorite of these activities was "The Hunt for the Author's Purpose." It seems like deeper comprehension and relevancy will come when the students understand WHY a certain piece was written.
The theme notebooks seem like a really great idea to get students more involved in their reading. They also seem like they would help students understand that themes and issues in literature, even classic pieces, are still applicable to modern times.
I was also really pleased to see the seven activities that were "proven effective in getting students to see why literature matters." I'm anxious to try some of those out and see if they really do help students understand why literature matters. I think my favorite of these activities was "The Hunt for the Author's Purpose." It seems like deeper comprehension and relevancy will come when the students understand WHY a certain piece was written.
The theme notebooks seem like a really great idea to get students more involved in their reading. They also seem like they would help students understand that themes and issues in literature, even classic pieces, are still applicable to modern times.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Chapter 8 the Great
There was a lot of interesting stuff in chapter 8. The first thing that caught my eye was Gallagher's response to a student's question "Why do have to read this book?" If one of my student's would have asked me that question I'm not really sure what I would say. After looking over ways to respond though, I have a better idea. Instead of just saying something like "because", I can something like "It's a great book and it teaches you about ----". I can say something that makes sense and is true. It will get the students curious or excited about the book instead of bored or uninterested.
Gallagher also listed many good activities but my favorite was the theme notebook on page 160. It's a great way to show students that issues in books happen in real life as well. It also gives them a little freedom because they can pick an issue that they are most interested in, and write about topics that relate. They also have to do some research to complete the notebook - they need 10 different sources. They then take the real world and pull examples that relate to the topic they have picked. Gallagher did this with his class after reading To Kill a Mockingbird, but I think that you could do it with most books, which is always good
Gallagher also listed many good activities but my favorite was the theme notebook on page 160. It's a great way to show students that issues in books happen in real life as well. It also gives them a little freedom because they can pick an issue that they are most interested in, and write about topics that relate. They also have to do some research to complete the notebook - they need 10 different sources. They then take the real world and pull examples that relate to the topic they have picked. Gallagher did this with his class after reading To Kill a Mockingbird, but I think that you could do it with most books, which is always good
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
No Longer "Because I Said So"
I love the way that Gallagher opened this chapter with real reasons for reading specific works in class. It is ineveitable that students will ask the infamous question "Why do we have to read this?" and with the great answers that Gallagher provided us, we will never have to think of an answer. It is important for students to recognize that there really are multiple and relevant reasons that they read certain works. Not only are these works classics and because we say so, but also because reading them will give them a better understanding of their lives, their vocabulary, and preparation into another step of their life. Making the connection between these works and students' lives is what will make them actually want to read and get involved in the material.
Other than the beginning, I also really enjoyed the "Strategies to Encourage Reflection." These are seven activities that can easily be incorporated into the lessons. This book is exceptional in giving multiple ways and ideas to incorporate activities into the classroom. This chapter, as well as 4's ideas for effective reading bring some really fun and interesting activities into the classroom that students will most likely enjoy because they are above average. The idea of the Theme Notebooks was probably my favorite idea. I would love to incorporate this into my classroom....as with the other ideas present throughout this chapter and entire book.
Other than the beginning, I also really enjoyed the "Strategies to Encourage Reflection." These are seven activities that can easily be incorporated into the lessons. This book is exceptional in giving multiple ways and ideas to incorporate activities into the classroom. This chapter, as well as 4's ideas for effective reading bring some really fun and interesting activities into the classroom that students will most likely enjoy because they are above average. The idea of the Theme Notebooks was probably my favorite idea. I would love to incorporate this into my classroom....as with the other ideas present throughout this chapter and entire book.
Chapter Eight...LOVE IT!
I love the idea of getting kids away from what the book referred to as "stock" answer about a literary work. I love how the chapter talked about going beyond just reading the work and discussing the plot, characters, the author, etc. and really diving in and exploring concepts, ideas and themes that the students see in their lives now. Concepts, ideas, and themes that will give connection to what a student might consider an out-dated work, in which they have no interest. (I love the example of some of the things that the book related with 1984 pg.155-156).
There is a sentence on pg. 157 that says, "In asking our students to reflect, we want to push them beyond the self." I think that this one sentence can go as a generally rule in our classroom for what we want from our students, not just what we want when they are reflecting. I think that we have to teach our students to go beyond just summarizing, and really help them get to the point to where they are CONNECTING to literary works.
This chapter also brought up the idea of Theme Notebooks. I love this idea and I am trying to incorporate it into my unit plan. I think that when students can have evidence of a connection of a theme of a literary work that their not interested in to a medium and events that they are interested in, we are just giving them even more of a chance to be successful in our classroom.
This has honestly been one of my favorite chapters we have read for the sheer fact that it gives me ideas for some many things that I want to incorporate in my classroom!!!!
There is a sentence on pg. 157 that says, "In asking our students to reflect, we want to push them beyond the self." I think that this one sentence can go as a generally rule in our classroom for what we want from our students, not just what we want when they are reflecting. I think that we have to teach our students to go beyond just summarizing, and really help them get to the point to where they are CONNECTING to literary works.
This chapter also brought up the idea of Theme Notebooks. I love this idea and I am trying to incorporate it into my unit plan. I think that when students can have evidence of a connection of a theme of a literary work that their not interested in to a medium and events that they are interested in, we are just giving them even more of a chance to be successful in our classroom.
This has honestly been one of my favorite chapters we have read for the sheer fact that it gives me ideas for some many things that I want to incorporate in my classroom!!!!
Chapter 8 got me so excited...
...about my conceptual unit plan and mini-lessons I could conduct during my unit. There are many examples that I bookmarked in Chapter 8 that could extend the course of the 20 days we are going to write a schedule for. Back in Chapter 6, I liked the "trouble slips" idea, then splitting the kids into groups to discuss their difficulties with the text.
In 8, I really liked the mini-lessons covering "why" we read, or should read. These can be broken down, and multiple texts can be used, to drive the point home. Political speeches made by George W. Bush could serve for "Reading builds a mature vocabulary." Students could discuss the misuse of language, the perceptions it gives the audience, when a person errors in their "vocabulatory" words. They just won't sound as "intelligified" as Mr. Bush.
P.S. Vocabulatory and Intelligified are not words, ...I think.
~Stan
I've read, I've posted, I've commented. I'll leave the blogging to all of you now. Later.
In 8, I really liked the mini-lessons covering "why" we read, or should read. These can be broken down, and multiple texts can be used, to drive the point home. Political speeches made by George W. Bush could serve for "Reading builds a mature vocabulary." Students could discuss the misuse of language, the perceptions it gives the audience, when a person errors in their "vocabulatory" words. They just won't sound as "intelligified" as Mr. Bush.
P.S. Vocabulatory and Intelligified are not words, ...I think.
~Stan
I've read, I've posted, I've commented. I'll leave the blogging to all of you now. Later.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Chapter 8
I can appreciate that Gallagher began this chapter with a discussion of how to justify book choices to students. It's inevitable that kids are going to go through their "why are we reading this" stage. In fact, kids aren't the only ones. I'm sure there are plenty of adults who wonder why their kids are reading the books that they are, and maybe even a few who wonder why their kids have to read (fictional) books for school in the first place--why aren't they learning something practical? The English field isn't as cut-and-dried as math, science, or even the social sciences, and many otherwise educated people feel that reading fiction serves no practical purpose. I like that Gallagher used 1984 (one of my favorite novels) as an example of how to justify literary choices to students (and presumably their parents, the administration, the community, etc..)
I also felt that some of his ideas were personally helpful to me because of having to plan the conceptual unit. Some of his "anchor question" for example were helpful in thinking about conceptual questions for the unit plan. I also liked the rather quirky idea of doing a casting call: deciding who should play certain characters of a book in the hypothetical movie version. This allows students to think critically about the characters and use their imaginations, and it also allows them to make a personal connection with the book by imagining people they know portraying their characters. I was unsure about that idea at first, but the more I think about it, the more I like it.
I also felt that some of his ideas were personally helpful to me because of having to plan the conceptual unit. Some of his "anchor question" for example were helpful in thinking about conceptual questions for the unit plan. I also liked the rather quirky idea of doing a casting call: deciding who should play certain characters of a book in the hypothetical movie version. This allows students to think critically about the characters and use their imaginations, and it also allows them to make a personal connection with the book by imagining people they know portraying their characters. I was unsure about that idea at first, but the more I think about it, the more I like it.
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