Section 4

When most of us think about students responding to reading we think of book reports. Book reports, the thing we dreaded as students and the things students often look at as a waste of their time. The fourth and final section details the many ways that teachers can have students do in response to their reading. These suggestions sound much more meaningful and interesting than your common book report. There are a great variety of them so that students do not become bored with one way of responding.  This quote sums up the idea that offering children choices for responding to their reading is a better choice that requiring them to follow strict guidelines and book report formats.
"Responses need to be driven by the reader's  passion and not by a prescribed list of questions that becomes a blueprint for all responses."

There were some suggested response assignments that I especially liked.  Every response should be shared with a class ate, group, or whole class.
-pulling out a specific event or idea in the book and writing about it
-bringing artwork in by having the students draw pictures or cartoon strips that relate to their reading
-making an advertisement
-students recording themselves summarizing the story
-writing  a short sequel to the reading
-acting out a section of the book for the class

Teachers should always monitor student's responses to readings to make sure they are doing them meaningfully. Giving students choice to do whichever type of response fits their reading bests is a great thing, but they need to have close monitoring so that they do not get too relaxed set on one type of responding. 

Good Choice! is a great resource that I have enjoyed reading. It offers suggestions and ideas for the reading classroom that are very realistic and applicable to the classroom. Everything is practical. While offering these suggestions it does something that I like more than anything. It keeps the focus on the students. It continually reminds it's readers that everything in their reading classrooms has to be influenced by their students. What works with one group of students may not work with another. This makes it a great resource because it acknowledges that it's ideas are suggestions that can be tweaked to best fit student needs. I am going to hold onto it so that I can revisit it when I get into the reading classroom in the future. 

Sections 2 & 3 Of Good Choice!

These sections summed up how reading will be composed in the actual classroom. Teachers will have access to books in the classroom, but are they abundant and menaingful? Teachers will also have access to computers and Internet technology in the classroom, but do the students know how to properly use it?
Technology can be such a valuable tool in the classroom. Technology is the direction in which the world is moving. Students need to learn how to effectively use the internet for research and for supplementing their own learning. Many teachers feel that the students would not be responsible with computer time, but I think that after computer instruction, don't judge the students' integrity until after a student is off-task. However, I do agree with Stead about being prepared with specific tools in mind for literary instruction. This is not only safe, but it's effective and quicker.
Stead had great ideas about building a classroom library. As my peers have stated, it was an exciting read, and it motivated me to go to McKays. I have been collecting books from the used book store for a couple years now, but since I do not know what age group I will be teaching, I have a huge and random collection. According to Stead, that's not a bad thing. Variety and books out of comfort level are motivating and exciting for students. One thing that teachers do that we learn about is finding books on what student interests are. Stead, however, brings up an interesting point. Although it's fantastic that teachers may collect books in their library to meet student interests, students need to be exposed to other types of text. It can be magazines, travel journals, or brochures. Variety is key, and if a student is reading many different types of text, then the library has been successful. I think that teachers should find a method of organizing the library, either by authors or subjects, so that it resembles a public or school library. Not only can students easily find books they may like, but they can generalize locating books, which is a skill that is necessary in the technology driven world.
I really enjoyed this book, and I plan on looking back on it in the future. It has many great tips for reading that students enjoy. I am very much into getting students to have intrinsic motivation, and this book teaches methods to put pleasure and engagement into reading. The tips and stories relate to all content areas, so this book could be used by any teacher in any school!

Reflection on sections 2 and 3....

As I have slowly read this book I have continued to really enjoy it.  Similarly to the first section, sections two and three contained an abundance of applicable ideas for the reading classroom.  These sections dove deeply into the best ways to build classroom libraries and how to best support children in their independent reading choices.  I feel like am much better equipped to do these tasks after reading Stead's studies and suggestions listed in this book.

Section two focused on how teachers can best build their classroom libraries.  In the three chapters that made up this section I gathered some really important information that I think I can apply later on.  One common theme that I have seen is that a teacher must get creative when making a classroom library.  Teachers must find books for their students and may have to look in uncommon places to find them that are affordable.  Teachers also need to think outside of the box and looking for non-traditional classroom reading materials. Maps, brochures, magazines, newspaper clippings, and print-offs from online resources all have their places in the reading classroom.  Stead even goes as far as to say that cereal boxes can contain useful classroom reading materials.  In an ever-growing world of technology, I like that Stead devotes one whole chapter to discussing the usefulness and needs of using the internet and research as a reading tool.  Not only can students have more interaction with text in this way, but they can also begin to learn to research.  This is a skill that I wish my teachers would have spent more time working with me on.  It would have made high school and college much easier!  As far as classroom libraries go, few of my teachers even spent the time to create them.  I only remember my fourth and fifth grade teachers making attempts to create classroom libraries.  Did any of my readers have better experiences with classroom libraries while in elementary school?  I remember always thinking they were inferior to the school library.  I know see that they are a necessary resource.  Below I attached a classroom library/environment example that I really liked.

A classroom library/reading centre set up with a beach theme.  When people go to the beach, they read!

Section three discussed the ways in which a teacher can support his or her students in their independent reading choices.  This involves explicitly teaching students how to choose books that best fit them.  They do not always have to be right on the students level, but level along with student interest should influence students' book choices.  Stead said that younger students could be explicitly taught how to find the correct books, and then as they grew older they would need less and less guidance in choosing appropriate texts.  He brought up the fact that students should only pick books that they can gain meaning from.   They should not be too difficult.  This reminded me of the analogy we had discussed in class that related picking books to riding a bike.  Sometimes you want to ride downhill, sometimes you want to coast, and sometimes you want to ride uphill.  Students should have choice to do these things as long as they can gain meaning.  When I was in school I felt very limited by the levelling of all of the books in our library.  It took the fun out of finding books.  When I saw a book that was not levelled I had no idea whether or not it was appropriate for me.  I really liked Stead's suggestion of levelling only portions of books in a library and slowly taking this way as students get better at selecting their own books.

This book has me really excited about building a classroom library.  It makes me want to head out the door and go to McKays!  I also see that I can find many other reading materials for a library around me for little or no cost.  In addition, I see the importance of teaching kids how to find books that fit them!  I had never thought about how important this is.  It does make sense.  If students are all different from one another, its only fair that every student should be equipped to find books that best fit them.  No levelling system can fit student needs as well as students can themselves.

Part Reflection 4

Responses 

This section covers good approaches to help students become interested in responding to their readings rather than the typical book report. Some of the pleasure of reading is taken away when the burden of a book report is attached to the assignment. So, Tony Stead decided that as a whole class they would make a list of the different possible ways students could respond rather than just writing a long summary. After the modeling of one of their proposed ideas, students had the master list to pull from whenever they needed to respond to a book. In order to ensure that students did not continuously pick the same method of responding weekly, they were required to keep a response log.

Though the log is a good monitoring device, I think it seems troublesome to place in the class and also a bit time consuming. Teachers have to use yet another rubric to grade students response. In a class like my departmentalized 5th grade reading class, that would be a huge responsibility to keep track of 100+ reading logs.

As a way to share responses in class, the author suggests grouping students to make the process go  quicker. That allows students ideas and also achievements to not be put off for as much time as a week or two. Tips for a quick and successful share time include keeping it short and being prepared. Teachers must continuously provide support, however, in making sure students are making sure to include both fiction and nonfiction responses as well as keeping it simple.

Literature circles are also highlighted in this section. They are a way for students to select their book, select their group, and share what they know in a comfortable zone. My mentor teacher absolutely loves literature circles. They help strengthen student interaction and get the students talking about what they are reading. If a teacher feels more comfortable picking the book or group for whatever reason, that can work too.

The final chapter simply gives great resources for how students can respond to readings. A few of my favorites that I could see myself using as a teacher are:
1. Write a brief travel guide
2. Create a wanted poster
3. Hold a debate
4. Write letters to a newspaper
5. Conduct an interview.


This section stands out to me because the author strives to present as many options as possibles to release students from the burden of the dreaded book reports constantly given in school. I like that he truly cares what the students desire and has recognized a way to motivate students to read. There is also a real sense of student-teacher interaction in these last chapters. In order to gain the list of ideas of alternate reading responses, the teacher and class compile the list together and the teacher keeps check on their progress and their different response types. 

Part 2 & 3 Research & Support

Research and Support

Since the next two sections covered a quite a bit of material, I will do my best to summarize my recap and my thoughts concerning chapters 3-8.  First of all, I love Stead’s idea about organizing a successful class library.  Labeling specifics is a key to help children navigate your class library. A good idea is to label by author since children are attracted to series. In my own classroom, I hope to base my selections off of student interests so it will be extremely easy for students to find exactly what they are looking for. Another suggestion I would use is incorporating magazines, articles and brochures in the class. It gives a different appeal to students and doesn’t present itself as the mundane task of reading. It gives off the air of exploring.

The next section focuses heavily on how the computer can be an asset if kids are taught to use it properly. He encourages the use of computers for independent reading but also cautions that you must be the guide in this situation and have a number of websites already prepared for them. I am not sure I like the idea of the computer for pleasure reading in the class. It seems as if that would require constant monitoring and trust on the part f the teacher.

He does lend a good idea about computer research though. He  says you can divide the task of finding good and relevant sources amongst fellow teachers of the same grade. Granted, I am not totally sure all teachers would be on board with this use of extra time, but it is a good idea. I guess this depends on the extent to which your school has computers available also. Before students begin researching, it is highly important you teach them the "ins & outs" of the internet and the use of search sites. One great tip is to aim your students at sites with (.org) rather than (.com) for more authentic and reliable sites. 

As a way of testing whether students are being proactive in their search, Stead offers the RAN organizer. This is just like a KWL chart on steroids. Aside from the 3 main points of interest, this chart adds a column to check whether the information you thought was validated in your research or turned out to be a misconception. I think this organizer helps encourage metacognitive thinking skills a way to interact with the text.

Part 2 talks a lot about the support students need when selecting books. This NEVER occurred to me! I was literally wondering why I needed to hold a kid's hand to help them pick out what they want to read,... but I get it now. As much as I want to give my students a bit of autonomy in my classroom, this book has made it more apparent they will need a bit of guidance. Kids are apt to just look at pictures and base their choices off the front cover. The author gives a list of mini lessons that can be very beneficial for teachers to give to help selection. 
A couple of my favorites are: 
1. Knowing when materials are too difficult
2. Skimming through text to determine suitability  
3. Strategizing to work out unknown words

When students are able to discern whether a material is too hard, then they have mastered an important 
step in the selection process. That means they will know to pick something that makes sense and that they can comprehend. . For many students this just means to recall facts and information. But a sign of true comprehension is when students begin questioning and making connections. By teaching students  the art of skimming, they can then determine whether it is a book they are capable of reading.

Stead gives some helpful strategies for figuring out unknown words. I think I would write these on a paper and laminate them so students could have easy access to them and wouldn't ever have to feel embarrassed for not remembering how to sort out word meaning on their own. 

Another VERY important point brought up in this chapter is to help students to read widely. Too many students get hooked on one type of book or one author and they need to be pushed a little bit out of their comfort zone. Peer-recommened texts are also included in this section. This method can be good & bad. Many are eager to read what their peers throw their way but it can also be bad if that book is not at a suitable level.

Chapter 7 leaves us with ways to set up and deal best with student conferencing. Setting up conferences   can be greatly beneficial but teachers must be careful to set time limits. Teachers are advised to look for a whole plethora of things during these conferences such as fluency, expression, goals, and what they are reading. Ensure that your students too are prepared to conference with you. Allowing them a checklist helps teach self regulation. I am all about this! Help teach them to be accountable.

A simpler way for some teachers to conduct conferences is informally. BUT, teachers must make sure to keep good records while this process is going on. 

Chapter 8 gives example of how to level books and situate them in a library setting based on difficulty. This makes it easy to teachers to recommend books by students by just following the color code that matched the students independent reading level. One of the big points I took away from this section was looking at the pre-assessment in order to determine the range of levels within your classroom. This is so important to do before labeling your books. Once you decide to begin the actual coding process, publishers have done most of the work for you; most publishers already indicate the levels of their books.