Dear Readers,
I have enjoyed getting to know all of you as readers over the past few weeks and have especially enjoyed hearing your thoughts about books and seeing your enthusiasm for reading. It is always so interesting to know how readers connect to the text, and where their minds take them when they read.
The other day, a student told me he had abandoned a book because he did not understand it. Truthfully, this happens to all readers at some point, especially when we do not select books that are just right for us. However, in this student's case, he had been enjoying the book, and read most of it with ease. His breakdown in understanding (comprehension) only occurred at a particular part in the book, not the entire book. Readers, when this happens, we use our Fix-Up Strategies to "fix" our comprehension when it breaks down.
As we discuss fix-up strategies in Reading Workshop, I am curious what strategies you use to fix comprehension. What do you do when you do not understand a part of a book? How do you know when your understanding is broken and how do you try to fix it?
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
What is a Reading Community?
Dear Readers,
As an avid reader, I often find myself finishing a great book or an interesting article, and desperately wanting to share my thoughts with someone. When I lived in New York City, I was lucky enough to have a group of friends who shared a passion for reading, so we formed a book club. While I am not in the same city as my book club anymore, I still reach out to my friends and family in Nashville, to discuss my wonderings and opinions about literature.
As a classroom of learners, we have created a community geared toward having a teachable spirit, so we may grow to become people of knowledge, wisdom, and ultimately character. One way we do this is by reading and forming ideas and connections that begin to shape us. In order to support this work, this blog will serve as a way to discuss various things when we are not in the class. Essentially, the blog will become a virtual classroom.
For example, I might post about a response about Thank You, Mr. Falker by explaining my connection to the character, Trish. I might say how much I relate to her overcoming an obstacle with the help of a teacher and how motivated I was to find out the author was the one who overcame her learning hurdle and became a published author. You will have the same chance to post your reactions, but also, to respond to what someone else might say. In this way, our posts become a conversation when we are away from the classroom.
As we begin this online blogging adventure, I challenge you to bring your working minds to the keyboard and let me know your thoughts and feelings about literature. We have so much to discover ...
So, join the community! Come on in, pull up to a computer, let me know your thoughts about literature and our blogging opportunity. Read my post and reply back to me.
As an avid reader, I often find myself finishing a great book or an interesting article, and desperately wanting to share my thoughts with someone. When I lived in New York City, I was lucky enough to have a group of friends who shared a passion for reading, so we formed a book club. While I am not in the same city as my book club anymore, I still reach out to my friends and family in Nashville, to discuss my wonderings and opinions about literature.
As a classroom of learners, we have created a community geared toward having a teachable spirit, so we may grow to become people of knowledge, wisdom, and ultimately character. One way we do this is by reading and forming ideas and connections that begin to shape us. In order to support this work, this blog will serve as a way to discuss various things when we are not in the class. Essentially, the blog will become a virtual classroom.
For example, I might post about a response about Thank You, Mr. Falker by explaining my connection to the character, Trish. I might say how much I relate to her overcoming an obstacle with the help of a teacher and how motivated I was to find out the author was the one who overcame her learning hurdle and became a published author. You will have the same chance to post your reactions, but also, to respond to what someone else might say. In this way, our posts become a conversation when we are away from the classroom.
As we begin this online blogging adventure, I challenge you to bring your working minds to the keyboard and let me know your thoughts and feelings about literature. We have so much to discover ...
So, join the community! Come on in, pull up to a computer, let me know your thoughts about literature and our blogging opportunity. Read my post and reply back to me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)