chapter 10 Practicalities

I will echo what Jamie said about keeping the "mini-lesson" to 5 - 15 minutes. I can't seem to do that at all. I have good intentions going in to the lesson to do that but it seems like things that I am teaching as a mini-lesson, that I expect the kids to know, they don't or just don't remember. So the lesson takes longer - because it's like I am teaching a new concept.
I like the idea of setting up the expectations for reading list at the beginning of the year. I think this way the students are involved with the rules/expectations and take ownership in that and they are posted and clear from the get-go.
I also like the rules for reading workshop list. I actually did a list with the kids this year for expectations while they were in "the zone." They actually created the list of expectations themselves - I just scribed for them and then we posted them.
The final thing about the chapter that I like is categorizing the books into three types for the kids. Letting them know from the beginning about the "holiday," "just right," and "challenge" books. This can help them to be aware of what their book is considered. I am still struggling with some of my students to pick those "just right" books. Several of my students like the "holiday" books.

Practicalities

Chapter 10 provided us with a basic Workshop model for an eighty-five minute block: daily poem (5-10 min.), mini-lesson (5-15 min.), independent writing and conferencing (30 min.), book-talks and read-alouds (10 min.), independent reading and conferencing (20 min.). The most problematic element I have with this model is keeping the mini-lesson at 5-15 minutes; this is an area I have improved in throughout the year. However, hopefully I will be even better next year.

High School

I have mixed feelings towards Atwell's chapter 9 "High School." In it, she states that secondary teachers have "become enmeshed in a pedagogical paradigm that, in combination with a national standards movement, conspires to deny our secondary students easy, pleasurable access to books." Unfortunately, this "national standards movement" is simply beyond our control and can cause us to simply reduce the amount of time our students spend reading for pleasure. Atwell goes on to explain that many high school students stop reading for pleasure "due to the demands" of a rigid English curriculum. As I've stated so often before in our blogs and department discussions, I believe there needs to be a balance. Secondary teachers must follow their curriculum and novel units in order to effectively prepare students for college, while also balancing some time to give students the opportunity to choose their own texts and read for pleasure.