Response to article

I, like the others, agree with what Atwell says. The first part that I got to that really struck me and made me question our STAR and AR tests was when she said we shouldn't ever tell kids they aren't smart or trustworthy when it comes to choosing the books that are right for them. The STAR test I guess is a tool that is supposed to be used to help kids pick books within their reading levels...but I have seen kids read beyond their reading levels and do really well on the AR tests - which leads me to believe that the student probably did that well because they truly enjoyed the book and really got in to it...leading to increased understanding of the story! The problem with AR is that it limits the kids to what books they can read, unless we as teachers create tests for those books that do not have AR tests for them. It's hard to do that with lack of time and other obligations. I don't like that it is limited...if a student really likes a book - then I want them reading it!!
I have to agree with Kelly, Mikki, and Jamie about the novels. This is something that I have struggled with this year but I keep coming back to seeing my son in high school and what I want for him as he heads off to college in a couple of years. I want him reading novels. I want him exposed to the classics that I believe professors will expect him to have read. I want him learning the strategies of reading a novel so that he is prepared! I strongly believe that we need to expose our students to some classic novels that they might not otherwise select. I have had students actually tell me after reading a novel that they were really glad we read it because they probably wouldn't have read it otherwise. I can use Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry as a great example of this. Not only is it a great novel, but one that students can really learn from. Historical fiction is not a popular choice with my students usually.
So if I want this for my son, I should want that for my students too...right!? I see the importance of mixing it up and not always doing a novel and making sure that we are teaching the concepts - not the novel.
In the part where she talks about what we shouldn't do - worksheets, book reports, etc... The only one I took exception to was the double sided journal entries - only because this helps students make connections to the text! This is always good...kind of like annotating.
I love the way Atwell suggests setting up the classroom! My kids love my beanbags and pillows. I want to continue getting some stuff to set my room up so it is comfy for them when they are reading.