Fall 2010 IATE Conference

Just a quick post to let interested parties know that I'll be giving a presentation at the 2010 Fall IATE conference.

My session is called, "Making Book Clubs Click for Struggling Adolescent Readers: Blending Technology and Tradition in Secondary Literature Circles."

I'll be telling about my experience setting up the online/in-person book clubs I used in my Reading I (now called Strategic Reading) classes with struggling freshman readers.

Here's a link to the conference preview: http://sites.google.com/site/iateconference/sesssion-information/%E2%80%9Cmakingbookclubsclickforstrugglingadolescentreadersblendingtechnologyandtraditioninsecondaryliteraturecircles%E2%80%9D-jennifermurphymetamoratownshiphs

I'll also be presenting a session at our local county inservice on adolescent literacy instruction and content area reading strategies this coming October.

What's New

Well it has been a loooooooong time since I've posted, but I've been busy cooking up new ideas for my high school reading class (now called "Strategic Reading") as well as developing the curriculum for my new advanced elective reading class for juniors and seniors: "Collegiate Reading."

We (teachers, admin) felt that now that we had the struggling readers somewhat covered (and good 'ole "Tier 2" in place if you are familiar with Illinois' RTI model), we needed to branch out and meet another need that was becoming apparent: advanced readers. Since implementing the reading-oriented classes for freshmen and sophomores over the last few years, more and more students are trying to get into these classes even though they are not struggling. Their motivation is that the MTHS reading classes are known as fun, relaxing classes where you can improve your reading skills and not to the detriment of a full load of difficult classes (very little outside of class homework). However, so many non-struggling readers are trying to get into the classes that they are currently (for the 2010-2011 school year) overflowing. Literally. In fact, we are going to have to go through the course rosters for Strategic Reading and remove about 1 out of every 5 enrolled students. The priority is of course struggling readers; it's sad that non-struggling readers--kids who just want a time and a place to read and to explore reading strategies--don't have an elective class where they can do this. Until now!

Starting this fall we will offer Collegiate Reading to juniors and seniors. The focus of this class will be three-fold: (1) advanced critical analysis ("deeper," more evaluative reading to prepare for college level analysis), (2) increasing reading speed, and (3) reading for pleasure. Two sections of the class were offered for this school year, one each semester. Both classes are brimming and will have to be capped now, in July, because they are already so full.

What does this tell me? WHY don't students have time to read on their own? WHY are they so desperate for a budgeted amount of time in which they can read what they want? I think we would all agree that as standardized testing pressures increase, and more and more "knowledge" is crammed into our curricula, more and more time is taken away from students to read for pleasure.

Many experts agree that reading widely and frequently is one of the best indicators of success on standardized tests, school grades, and performance in college. You'd think it would be a no-brainer that more classes like this would be implemented. Or maybe even a 20-minute "reading period" for all students, every day. I know at our school that would be very difficult to implement because of graduation requirements, personnel/staffing, etc., but it seems to me that this is what is needed.

"What I Do"

The special education department came to me today to say they are looking at using a new program for their reading instruction. I think they are tired of the "programmed" products they have used in the past, which are effective, but very boring for the kids. I was flattered that they want to know more about what I do in "my program" so they can possibly adapt and do something similar in "their program."

This got me thinking that I really do not have a well documented program. So I took some time today to write out all of the main components of my program: assessment, teacher read-aloud, self-selected reading, strategy instruction, and book clubs. It took quite a bit of time during my prep period, but it helped me see that I really do have a pretty well rounded, research-based program. Now I need to put all of this into a more formal document in case anyone else ever teaches "my" classes in the future.

Can a program really be captured in a document? What if it changes every year based on the interests, strengths, and weaknesses of the kids? Who knows, but I will try to put a cork on it for the time being. :-)

First Chapter Teasers

Just an update to an earlier post: my idea of reading just the first chapter aloud to my students in the hopes that they would want to continue on their own.

This does seem to be working! After I read a chapter, quite a few students are so interested in the book and want to read more. This creates a "problem," though: I only have one copy of the book and the school library only has one copy of the book and there are so many kids who want to read it.

Hopefully the kids who don't get their hands on the books right away will remember them when they are checked in. Some of the kids have expressed that it's a little frustrating to just hear the first chapter and no more: this discomfort is a great motivator to kids to read more....if we could only get copies of the books in their hands.

I am trying to buy more copies of the books I preview, but I can't afford it and maybe it's a good thing if they have to hunt for the book on their own. I just hope they do go and hunt for it...only time will tell.

So, two thumbs up for motivation; one thumb down for access.

Regarding Readicide (Gallagher, 2009)

I'm reading Readicide by Kelly Gallagher (2009) right now. It SO resonates with my own beliefs about what happens to kids' love of reading in schools. It happened to me. I was a voracious reader outside of school, but "fake read" every single novel assigned in high school (and probably college) because I resented being told what to think and being dragged along kicking and screaming through a chopped up, over-analyzed book that I didn't choose to read.

Here's a passage from Readicide that I just read a few mins ago.

"Chloe was turned off to reading by the ver teachers whose purpose was to turn her on to reading. Her love of reading, however, was squashed by the constant overteaching, the constant teacher-induced interruptions, the constant chopping up of great books. ... There are many Chloes out there--young, developing readers who are being led to readicide by the overteaching of books in our schools. How does overteaching books lead to readicide? Specifically, the overanalysis of books
- Prevents our students from experiencing the place where all serious readers want to be--the reading flow.
- Creates instruction that values the trivial at the expense of the meaningful.
- Spills over and damages our students' chances of developing recreational reading habits."

I agree, BUT, how in the heck do we make sure they DO get the historical, societal, literary, etc., elements out of it that they're expected to for their "American education" that builds a united American citizenship with common background and body of knowledge? How DO we teach vocabulary and writing along with a novel without chopping it up some? How are they doing this in China? Japan? Wherever else where they whomp our test scores? Are they even?

I am hoping this book answers these questions so I will know how to do this. I'll bet it doesn't (they so often don't, do they?), but I'll give you the $5 million answer if they do.

They LOVE it!

It's been a while since I've posted, but we are now right in the middle of a "Book Club" unit. I have done literature circles before with average to lackluster interest from students, so this time I revamped everything: new books, new name "Book Clubs" instead of "Literature Circles," new rules, etc.

I didn't know what to expect, but the students are absolutely devouring the books this year! Not sure if it's the group of kids or the groundwork I've laid throughout the year (or the fact that it's my 3rd year teaching this class now and I'm getting more of the bugs worked out and hitting my stride).

Whatever the case, the students are 100% engaged for the entire period, and they are READING, and not only are they not complaining, but they are raving about their books. They're having spontaneous authentic discussions about character, plot, author's intent; they're making text to text, text to self, and text to world connections; they're summarizing, paraphrasing, figuring out the meaning of new words in context, making predictions and inferences, drawing conclusions...all spontaneously!

This year's books are Monster (Myers), Stargirl (Spinelli), Gym Candy (Deuker), Wolf Rider (Avi), Tears of a Tiger (Draper), and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (Sheldon). The biggest hits of the year are 3 new ones I added to the repertoire: Gym Candy, Tears, and Wolf Rider.

I couldn't be prouder of them. Some of these kids came into the class as proud "nonreaders" and now no longer say they hate reading. They have changed their phrase to "I hate reading things I'm not interested in." WOW, WOW, WOW!

THIS is why I became a teacher!!!