I love this idea! Thanks for sharing Jan. Stacie
On Jul 19, 2011, at 11:25 AM, "Jan Sanders" <jangou...@gmail.com> wrote: > I had my students read every night. The first 15 minutes of the school day > they met with a partner (their choice -could stay the same or change daily) > and told them about their book, why they liked it (or didn't) something > about the setting or character... I had a list of conversation starters, > but once they understood this was to meet with someone and talk about > reading or what they read last night, the starters were rarely used. Maybe > once a week I had 1 or 2 students not read. They were allowed to read > whatever they wanted -just be ready to talk about it. The students got very > excited about reading and loved that they didn't have to write about it for > homework, or bug mom or dad, or auntie, or grandma to sign a log. > During those 15 minutes I would walk around to listen in to partner talk. > We would meet as a class afterwards at the open space on the carpet (close > together) and I would have a few students share what their partner had said > while they met that day (this kept them listening to their partner as they > never knew who would be called on to share that day). The partner was > allowed to interject if they wanted to clarify something. > Jan > > I had parents tell me they loved the homework and students became motivated, > excited readers. I even had students decide to read the same book so they > could talk about it together. > > Jan > You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your > grandmother. > -Albert Einstein > "*If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, > then we are a sorry lot indeed.*" Albert Einstein > > > > On Sun, Jul 17, 2011 at 9:21 PM, <da...@aol.com> wrote: > >> >> Hello, >> >> I would greatly appreciate your thoughts about the use of reading logs in >> my sixth grade reading/writing workshop. My homework policy is that students >> read 30 minutes 5 nights a week or 150 minutes a week. They are free to read >> any book they choose. I give students a reading log, due every Monday, that >> asks them to document the minutes they read nightly, I ask them to write >> about their independent reading weekly, based on the strategies and or >> elements of literature we were studying. I maintain a classroom library and >> students have access to the school library every 2 weeks. My problem is that >> my homework completion rate is TERRIBLE. Rather , I should say that fewer >> than 50% of my students regularly turn in their homework. Atwell, Miller, >> and many, many other language arts teachers consider reading at home an >> important part of their reading program. I am tempted to drop the the >> reading log requiremnent, but I don't want to "dumb down" my expectations >> for my students who are predominantly blue collar and poor. I want students >> to have some accountability, but at the same time I don't want to make the >> homework process so cumbersome that it turns my students off to reading >> independently. What are your experiences and insights that can help? Thank >> you. >> >> Darlene Kellum >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Mosaic mailing list >> Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org >> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to >> http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org >> >> Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive >> >> > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive
