Response to Nancie Atwell’s The Reading Zone, Chapter 5.

If teaching reading strategies and implementing those expectations (practice) “distracts them from the pleasures of the reading zone” then I may have to take that risk at first then incorporate the enjoyment of reading. I don’t believe that teaching strategies does that. Of course there are students who would rather do nothing, all day, but those are the students that in “the reading zone” most likely (from many of my own observations) just stare at the pages of their book, or the clock, and have no real recollection/comprehension of what they’ve read right after they’ve read it. YES, I want students to enjoy reading and find reading enjoyable, but, as a teacher, no, as a person who loves reading and realizes how important it is to EVERYTHING, it is important (and part of my job) to implement strategies that improve student comprehension and reading skills. Atwell quotes research from 1987 (p.52/53) but the strategies approach wasn’t in heavy practice until the 1990s, so, the research quoted seems to meet the needs of the topic for the author, not true research as applied in the classrooms in the ‘90s and since. While I am not someone who only reads novels to my students then gives them a chapter quiz and moves on, I do feel that creative teaching and usage of the strategies is so important; my students are evidence of that. True, not all of them liked having to do anything at first, but once they were used to applying the strategies, I saw an amazing growth in them AND they began making those applications ON THEIR OWN as they read “in the zone”. Allowing students to make application on their terms, set their own goals, helps to keep them “in the zone” when they do read. Additionally, it uniquely allows students to own their reading AND learning experiences by steering the direction in which they go (in learning applications).

Chapter 4 Response

The most essential piece of information I gathered from chapter 4 involved Atwell's comment, "To make reading easy for students, the bottom-line requirement is an inviting classroom library, organized so it's simple for chidren to find good books and return them" (37). Atwell goes on to say that she shelves over 1,200 books alphabetically by authors' last names in bookcases labeled in inviting categories. While I'm happy to say that my classroom library has increased due to the $500 all Communication Arts teachers received to buy new books, my library is miniscule compared to Atwell's (I think I probably have 150-200 books???). How awesome would it be to have 1,000 books in one's classroom library, along with shelves?! While I think we are making great strides in developing students' passion for reading through the building of classroom libraries, it would be nice if more monetary resources from outside funds could assist us in our quest to buy new books.

Chapter 3 Response

While chapter 3 included some key points involving students' right to choose their own books, one practical idea that both classrooms and libraries could implement includes each grade level having its own "books-we-love" case or stand (Atwell 33). This simple idea would interest a great multitude of students who get a little intimidated when traveling to a library with hundreds of books to choose from. Maybe creating a "books-we-love" poster in the library might also help guide students in selecting books.

Chapter 2 Response

One of the most beneficial pieces of information from chapter 2 was the "top ten school conditions" that Atwell's students stated made them most engaged during reading. While I'm happy to see that I am implementing some of these conditions, I know that I could improve. Two particular conditions I could improve on involve "comfort during in-class reading time" and "individuals' conversations with the teacher about their reading". I try to provide a comfortable classroom during reading by dimming the lights and playing soft music in the background; however, my room is sincerely only large enough for one bean bag chair and one body pillow. I wish I could provide more comfy furniture to create more of a relaxing environment. In regards to the conversations surrounding students' books, I need to improve. I feel like so often my time during S.S.R. (reading zone, essentially) involves taking attendance, catching students up on missing assignments if they were absent, and conferencing over other classroom assignments.

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.

Response to Nancie Atwell's The Reading Zone Chapter 4

I do not believe that all children learn to read (better) simply by reading. In an ideal world, students would learn the read well and to love reading just by reading a book, however, if that is the only model utilized in teaching reading, a lot of children will be left behind. I still believe that incorporating a lot of different methods for teaching reading is valuable in the process of growing as a reader. One of those is providing relaxing reading time, and plenty of it. However, I believe that direct instruction and practice of specific reading comprehension skills is vital.
I am not a fan of using novel sets in the classroom UNLESS it’s used to create “family” reading and for group discussion and teaching skills. Novels can provide ongoing rich text to reference that EVERYONE is familiar with. However, I believe novels are best when coupled with choice reading, or the workshop model. I believe it’s vital to allow each reader their choice, as well as monitor growth and differentiation; this is hard to do when everyone’s reading the same novel. However, great literature and reading enjoyment as a classroom family can be absent from students’ experiences in reading if novels are completely removed. As a student, I would not have picked up some of the rich literature I was introduced to if I had not had the opportunity in classes where we read novels. In addition, reading as a class allowed for wonderful “book club-type” discussions. I remember, even kids I wouldn’t have suspected reading the required text, engaging in debate and intelligent conversation about the novels we read as a class. So, as in every good thing, finding a balance of the best things seems to work best. Incorporating readers’ choice, discussion time, plenty of reading in “the zone”, direct instruction and practice of skills, and ample reading materials to meet various needs and interests will provide for a successful reading classroom forum.

Response to Nancie Atwell’s The Reading Zone, Chapter 3

I’m all for student choice and student involvement in setting classroom expectations. However, in the book’s reference to “The Reader’s Bill of Rights”, I think it would be difficult to manage this with students (sometimes too common) that are just trying to get out of doing anything. Okay, I already know what the response is, question asked, question answered: If I take that opportunity to conference, check status, and engage those “less-than-ideal” students, problem solved, right? So, with those students, what are the thoughts (within this model of thinking) about imposing “musts” on them during one-on-ones, if the particular students isn’t trying or growing? How about this: incorporate the choice model AND include direct instruction with skill sets so that both are a part of the classroom?
I love the idea of a reading survey; I think it’s a great way to get to know your students and make them feel involved in their education. Often times, throughout the school year, I’ll pole the class for suggestions on activities, titles to purchase, topics,…I’ve noticed that in the beginning there were those “less-than-ideal” students who gave answers they knew were unrealistic, like “Talk all day,” or “No work at all,”…I got frustrated at first then decided to meet them head on. I started responding with “Okay, here’s what we’ll do, activities that require sharing,” or skill review in the form of games (rather than work). It was fun, messing with them like that, but in turn, I noticed those “less-than-ideal” students started giving “real” ideas for classroom involvement. Happy accident I guess.
There are things I’ve tried within the Reader’s Workshop model thinking it wouldn’t work and wasn’t realistic but it ended up working really well. There were other things that didn’t work as well. I have realized that, at some point, I will have to figure out the most difficult part of the model, giving students the run of their learning, administering and tracking actual learning that’s taking place.