In a reading workshop, students often read their own books at their own pace, books that they choose themselves. While there is space for this kind of independent reading in AP Lit, whole class novels are also important. Discussion surrounding … Continue reading
In my incremental movement toward a high school reading/writing workshop classroom, one piece I’ve struggled with is the classroom library. I see photos of Penny Kittle’s classroom library, and I get anxious to create the same for my students. I … Continue reading
I recently went through the books on my shelves in my office at school. There on the shelf, back behind a stack of assorted novels, was Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. It was not just any copy of this book. … Continue reading
I’ve been putting off this post, even at one point thought I could just not write it. But I must–this is the weak link in my classroom. I have umpteen ideas and plans about how to help my students become … Continue reading
For Better Social Skills, Scientists Recommend a Little Chekhov – NYTimes.com. This article from the NYT Blog was sent to me by three different people. So I guess I had to share. It’s interesting science. But what really struck me … Continue reading
We have been reading Penny Kittle’s Book Love and talking a lot about how we might set up our classes so as to encourage more reading. I know in my honors level 11th grade class, if the students only read the … Continue reading
There have been some dramatic moments for my daughter in 4th grade this year. Aside from her grade-stress meltdown that I wrote about, there was also the drama of the lost reading log. My daughter’s class is nearing the end … Continue reading
SparkNotes Nation | To Make a Prairie. Not much to say about this but “yep.”
I’m about two thirds through Penny Kittle’s latest, Book Love. This book helps me to identify the mismatch between what I hope for my students as readers and what is actually unfolding in my classroom. A lot that is good … Continue reading
This article, offering a psychological take on the problematic ending of Huck Finn, rolled up in google reader and made for an interesting distraction this afternoon. I have long agreed with the critical viewpoint that the ending of the novel … Continue reading
