the infamous "why?"

I was asked this week to explain the difference between a good teacher and a great teacher. Part of my answer was that a good teacher made students read and a great teacher made students love to read. A good teacher helps students understand what they are reading and a great teacher helps students connect what they read to how it is relevant for their lives now. As a result, I really appreciated what Gallagher had to say in chapter 8. Students must be content with the answer to "why?" in order for them to really engage with the text.

Two things I walked away from this chapter with:
1. Day 1 of a book is hugely important. This is where as teachers, we must "set up" our novel in a way that makes our students excited about reading it. Whether that is building anticipation about what the book might hold or how it connects to their world, we need to find a way to entice our students in order for them to journey through the book with us. And we are probably going to have to think outside of the box and think creatively about how to do this.

2. The last day of the book is equally important. I loved the last idea he gave about giving students the "final exam" question on day one so that they know what they need to be looking for. What was the author's purpose for writing; cite specific passages to support; how is this purpose relevant today? What a great final exam.....and if students know it ahead of time, they can read looking for the "bigger picture." And class discussions, projects, mini-lessons, etc. can all be geared towards setting students up to do well on the final.

I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you...

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.

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.

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

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.

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!!!!

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.