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.

high school

I agree with Tammy - I found very little that was beneficial to me from this chapter. I think writers workshop is an elementary concept, we are trying to tweak it to the middle school level, but I hope the high school does not buy into and start doing this. I want my son prepared for college...prepared for what college english professors are going to want out of him quite honestly! It hit me while I was reading this chapter for some reason - I think at the middle school and high school levels our focus needs to be on getting students engaged through technology - that's what is going to peak their interest and even help them as they go in to college and beyond. I can see more benefit from that than there being such this overwhelming push of writer's workshop! Kelly - you engaged students last year to reading through the use of MP3 players...bet that was a great tool! How cool would it be for there to be a real push in the English depts for some new and innovative technology to get our kids engaged, become better readers, writers, etc... On a scale of 1 - 10... I would guess students would rank being able to use technology as a 10 in learning. Wonder where they would rank writer's workshop?

Chapter 9

Chapter 9 is on high school methods. Quite honestly, it offered little in new ideas (that are practically applicable to middle school). It's quite a challenge in itself to apply concepts to the middle school setting.

Chapter 6-Booktalking

Booktalks are something that I definitely need to improve on in my classroom. I have modeled a booktalk for my kids with a book I was reading at that time. After that, the students were very excited to share the books that they were reading. Booktalks are a great tool in the classroom because they grab the attention of the other readers in the room. The genre of the book might be something that at first they thought they would never be interested in, but after hearing the booktalk they realize that it might be a book for them. I do agree with Atwell when she says the booktalks should stay positive.

chapter 8 response..."Boys"

Yes...boys will be boys - they don't like to read as much as girls do!! It's harder to find the perfect read for them than it is for the girls in our classrooms. Of course, I am sure that it is because the majority of the books out there for middle-school aged students are pretty "girly."
I struggle, myself, with helping the boys in my classes find those just right books - but I will continue to work on it!

Chapter 8 Response

I would definitely agree with Atwell's comments in regards to the extreme importance of making a strong effort in instilling a passion for reading in our male readers. When I reflect on my classroom, very rarely will I have to refocus students during reading; however, when I do, they are always boys. I definitely need to improve on by individual reading conferences with my male students, teaching them to analyze their interests...leading them to find authors, genres, and themes they enjoy. I need to make more of an effort with this at the beginning of next year.

Chapter 7 Response

Atwell's discussion of letter-essays is a beneficial method of assessing student reading and comprehension in a critical thinking manner. While at the middle school, we are currently administering the Accelerated Reading program, but many students want (and should be able) to read non-A.R. novels. I currently give oral book report conferences with students who read non-A.R. books; but these letter-essays described by Atwell would be much more worthwhile for my students. They can anlayze a passage, react to the book's theme, problem, character development, plot, or author's style. Students can also tell about their experiences reading the novel, explain what surprised them, and pose wonderings. I think these letter-essays would be great to experiment with at the end of this school year in preparation for my reading program/goals next year.

Response to Chapter 8 - Boys

I complete agree with Atwell on her assessment of "Who are these guys? I don't recognize them." Our September 8th grade boys may come in scoffing at "some" books -after all, there is still gender bias in the publishing industry, ie; "girls are the ones who buy all the books so we're going to publish more books espcially for girls vs. boys". After a few weeks in our classroom, most of the gender bias falls away and books become fairly gender-less. I've had boys pick up "Twilight" and "Nineteen Minutes" and at first they may not be as receptive to reading, but after awhile, in a safe environment that encourages reading based on interest and not gender, they loosen up and are willing to try a number of books which may or may not be deemed feminine or masculine.
Wow! I am amazed that Nancie's boys read an average of 40 books per year (and that's at the low end, she states). Think about how many books that is - at least 1 a week for the entire year. I know that I don't have averages that high - I have some higher and many more lower than that, but what we've done is to create a passionate reading environment for boys and for girls - all done in 15 minutes a day! Kudos to my collegues, that's something to brag about.
Kelly

Guys! Guys! Guys!

While I agree that a lot of boys in the eighth grade do break the stereotype and are voracious readers of anything they can get their hands on. I've got a boy at home who is not interested in anything that has neither dinosaurs nor cars, there will be no reading it. I'm curious as to when that change occurs.

Chapter 6 Response

Booktalks are definitely an activity I'm excited to implement in my classroom...what a great method to instilling a passion for reading in our students. I love the fact that Atwell gave distinct categories of booktalks: new titles I loved, new titles I haven't read yet, a worthy author, a worthy series, oldies but goodies, titles related by topic or theme, top picks for the weekend, and fast reads. As Atwell states, "By briefing kids about the great stories that are still waiting for them, booktalks help students select, reject, develop criteria, look forward to the next title, and become the kinds of readers who can determine the course of a literary lifetime" (73). Booktalks are an excellent tool to supplement S.S.R./The Reading Zone.

Like Tammy (and Atwell ) I also enjoy more of a casual, at home feel in the classroom. I would love to have tables instead of these big, burly desks!!! The kids love my bean bags and chairs - they actually rush to be the first one to get them when it's time for independent reading!! I will continue to make my room a "comfy, inviting" room! I love how Tricia's room has the Christmas lights hung around the ceiling!!! Might have to steal that idea!!!
I like Atwell's idea of the letter-essays...I think it would be another good way to allow kids to share their experiences from the book and hold them accountable - besides just using the status checks. This is an idea I will definitely keep in mind to use next year!
I was happy to see Atwell give ideas for some open-ended questions to ask to students when I "chatted" with them! I will use these as well...it will make my time with them more valuable for me and them!

Booktalking - chapter 6 response

I am just this year starting to dabble with book talks. Gina came in and modeled for my class what a book talk might look like and my students had mixed reviews...however, I can see the benefit of them! I actually plan to introduce book talks at the beginning of the year next year, so that they become a part of our classroom structure and routine. I think it might help students as well (starting them from the beginning of the year.)
I like the idea of the student's keeping a list of books - maybe in their notebooks - of titles they might wish to read, once they've heard the booktalks.
I am also hoping that next year, when I implement more book-talks, to create some sort of the "books we love" display. I think this is also a great idea.

response to chapter 5

I first want to say that I actually laughed out loud when I read the sentence in the first paragraph stating, "the first is how easy it is to be seduced by new methods, especially when they arrive wrapped in research." Isn't that irony right there?!?!?
Anyway...I brought out of this chapter a couple of things - how important it is to model and then have kids make those three very important linkages to the text...text to one-self, text-to-another-text, and text-to world. I believe this is important - one of the reasons I said about an earlier chapter that I didn't agree with not doing double sided journal entries or dialectic journals - these kinds of linkages are promoted through these strategies!
The next thing that struck me is the idea of giving kids the tasks through independent reading time actually takes them out of the zone...I agree whole-heartedly...I've stopped doing this!
I may tell them to see if they can, through their independent reading book, use some sort of skill or identify a skill we have studied - but not as an assignment on sticky notes! We are always talking about what strategies they need to use during reading - the independent reading time can be a time for that if it "fits" for the student - but is not mandatory. To go along with that ... Atwell's friend that told her once kids master and assimilate the strategies, they would become automatic...I agreed with.
I also believe that Atwell's statement about understanding the meaning of about 90% of the words in a book - proves that it's important for us to continue to do vocab in some way...kids are losing out on some important stuff that we learned as kids and were just fine learning! Helping students find their "just right" books is also important for this purpose.
It amazes me that so much seems to have needed to change for kids to learn...but we all learned just fine...didn't we??? Were our teachers so bad?!?!?

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 is interesting to me because I have had students, boys and girls, who believed that they did not like reading because they were not good readers. One of the survey questions I gave at the beginning of the school year asked how the student felt about reading. If the response was negative, we needed to figure out why. Our first conferences in reader's workshop revolved around that survey question. Common responses were "Reading is boring", "I don't like being told what to read", and "It's too hard". Atwell talks about getting to the root of the problem and putting aside myths and stereotypes. “Anyone’s achievement, male or female, is driven by interest.” (page 96) I think we do a really good job getting kids motivated by finding books that interest them. We do this by having conversations with kids about books, sharing through book talks, and constantly keeping our eyes and ears open for new books to recommend.

Also, this chapter reminded me that Ralph Fletcher has a book about boy WRITERS that is very interesting. If you are having trouble motivating your boy writers, this is an excellent resource. I have a copy that I would gladly loan!

One-to-One

I like the letter-essay idea. Nancie gives the expectations (in her invitation), and then models (planning page). Kids are provided examples (openers), and continue to see her modeling critical thinking as she responds to their letters. Requiring them every three weeks seems like a reasonable request, but I think it might be difficult to write back to every student that often. Are any of you requiring students to write letters? If so, do you write back and how often? I’m glad I’m not the only one who had to “learn how to chat”, as she says. I used to think that I had to record everything we talked about every time we talked, but the records seemed pointless until I understood the purpose in conferencing (well, that and a lot of practice). We constantly have those informal conferences (as they walk in the door or we pass them in the hallways), but there is great value in having deeper conversations that help us assess learning, track growth, and set goals.

Response to Nancie Atwell’s The Reading Zone Chapter 10

Like Atwell, I too team reading and writing. Of course, it began as a practical solution but has shown to aid students in no longer compartmentalizing their learning. Some days I end up breaking blocks up the way Atwell describes, the first half is writing and the second reading, but most days, I combine the two. I started doing that more when I noticed the benefit it was to my students and it just so happens to work nicely for me too. :) The new practical challenge I must tackle is assessing learning. We all know our students, but there really needs to be a form of measuring that’s not only subjective and informal, but evidentiary. So far, the only thing I find helpful that also provides some type of evidence (though still subjective in nature) is keeping anecdotal notes on conferencing and observations.

Response to Nancie Atwell’s The Reading Zone Chapter 8

Girls are made from sugar and spice and everything nice while boys are made from snakes and snails and puppy tails. This chapter is so funny! Atwell claims her boys do not fit the stereotypical reader. I was reading on page 95 and could think of at least one specific story about a male student for all of the generalizations given. Of course, not all boys fit the generalizations but it sure was funny to make all of those connections! I cannot believe I’m admitting this, but I actually banned one of my boys from checking out any more of the Ripley’s Believe it or Not and The Guinness Book of Records. Isn’t that horrible?!?!?!? I just saw that he was just looking at the gross pictures and reading nothing for a whole semester. That being said, we were able to find him some nice books that connected to his interest in music and (gasp) girls (they have some pictures too :)).
I have noticed that book talks seem to have engaged boys more, in their reading. Maybe this is bringing out a practical purpose for them? I’ve also noticed that since we’ve been using a “Books I Love” poster that we share on, boys seem more engaged, participants in supporting activities to the reading we do in the classroom. I’m not quite sure what the reason is, but it’s nice to see that they want to share now and borrow ideas from one another.

Response to Nancie Atwell’s The Reading Zone Chapter 7

Like Nancie Atwell, I enjoy more of a casual, at home feel in the classroom. It pains me every day to look at the sterile desks that take up so much unnecessary space in my classroom. I would much rather have big, comfy chairs, dark wood round tables, and of course, bean bags, blankets, and pillows. The right setting creates an environment that envelope those inside and draws them in. Poetry aside, while classroom setting can seem superficial, it is important to me. Maybe that’s because I’m a visual learner and am stimulated that way. Even if I love the food at a restaurant, I will avoid eating there if the atmosphere is not warm and inviting. In my years of teaching, I have observed students, polled them, and played around a lot with classroom settings. In doing that, I put to rest my fear that I was “decorating” the classroom to my liking, not my students’. Students seem to prefer and excel in classroom settings that provide a warm, home-like setting. Of course, we work with what we have available to make the best learning environment; money, space, and practicality sometimes interferes.
When reading about Atwell’s letter essays, it reminded me of all the great reflecting, writing, and sharing that takes place in our classroom with a novel we just finished up. While we enjoy reading our personal choice books, it has been an invaluable experience traveling through a book together. Students have encouraged, shared, held each other accountable, and felt a sense of “team” reading this book as a family. It has opened up great opportunities (some accidental) for constructive debate on characters and the conflict(s) in the book; because they all read it, they had common ground. While reading this book, we took many opportunities to incorporate writing as a literary tool. It’s really helped to bridge the gap students sometimes feel between content areas.
Lastly, reading about checking students and knowing your readers, it brought to mind the status checks I do with my students in the classroom. Status checks take many forms in the classroom, one of which resembles Atwell’s roaming method. While it has served as a nice way for me to keep up with how students are doing, one thing has concerned me. When I’m checking student status (with 28 kiddos) or conferencing while students are reading, or in the zone, I am not reading. I think it’s important that they see me reading too, practicing what I preach. Just a thought, I haven’t yet figured out how to conquer that yet.