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.

Response to Nancie Atwell’s The Reading Zone Chapter 6

Oh my goodness, my students LOVE booktalks! I have students that ask to do book talks that I can’t get to participate otherwise; it really is great! I believe that doing booktalks has also given my students incentive for reading because they like sharing. We have also accomplished this through literature circles, where they give mini-booktalks as well as prompted sharing.
I have started keeping new titles for our classroom library back so that I can ask specific students (tricking students just a bit, into reading something different, more at their ability level,…) to read the book so he/she can give a booktalk on it for their class. I have yet to find a student that does not just eat that up. I have students that have been nothing but…challenging and unmotivated with everything, that cannot wait to read so they can share. It sweetens the pot even more when a student is sharing and, unprovoked, refers to their book and glances at (their post it where they made a connection) to remind them of a great part of the book. Ahhh, the "sin" of applying reading strategies helpful in booktalks. J Booktalks, the best thing since…sliced bread!

Response to Chapter 5

In this chapter, Atwell discusses the importance of minimizing reading distractions when students are in the "reading zone." One of these distractions includes directing readers to "activate comprehension strategies" during reading. As I have so often stated in my blog reflections, I do agree with Atwell to a certain extent; however, there needs to be a balance. While I do believe students should experience a novel simply for the pure pleasure of the story, at other times, teaching students to apply comprehension strategies through text is necessary as well. That is our job...the expectation from our bosses and students' parents; and we owe it to our students to adequately prepare them for high school, college, and the work force.