Chapter 1 Response

Chapter 1 seemed to be very similar to the Atwell article that prefaced the start of the book study. One particular comment from Atwell really spoke to me: "It can take a physical effort to cross the boundary. And then they're fully themselves again. They yammer at me and one another about books, overstuff their backpacks, forget to put away the beanbags, and slam out the room to their next class" (Atwell 12). Atwell is referring to students being completely transmitted into "another world" during daily reading zone opportunities, which is something I most certainly notice when we transition from S.S.R. (same thing as reading zone) to our Writer's Notebooks during class. I often have to remember that sometimes it takes students a little time to switch gears...and this requires patience on my part.