Hi Jennifer, Thanks for starting up these discussions again. I believe that, to some extent, we all crave a challenge. We want something that gets us thinking in new directions or leaves us wondering or stretches us and makes us curious. I think children have this quality more than adults since we have subdued some of these natural inclinations. I don't think the brain normally craves lectures or lessons that regurgitate what we already know or that don't ask us to push the envelope even just a little bit (too much could be frustrating). This keeps us alert. When students (and teachers) receive continued doses of the same 'ole, same 'ole without anything new to pique our interest, I think, at the risk of being redundant, we basically lose interest.
I don't level the books in my classroom library except for a collection of books that were leveled before I arrived at my current school. I keep these in bins with the corresponding label but I don't limit my students' access to them. They are free to take books from any bin they want. I shared with them the differences in levels by showing them examples from each bin so they would have an idea of the kinds of books housed in each basket. That way they can choose from a bin that is just right for them. We spend a lot of time at the beginning of the year and throughout talking about "just right books" and that a just right book for me may be too easy or too hard for someone else. I eschew leveled books because I have yet to meet a child that fits into one level and one level only. I do help the children find appropriate books for them based on interest, comprehension, and a want-to-read book that is a stretch at the moment. We talk about reading mostly books that are just right and this doesn't mean that they can read and understand every single word in the book. However, it does mean that they can decode most of the words in the book and comprehend what they're reading well enough to think about the message, the characters, the style, to make predictions, inferences, etc. Elisa Elisa Waingort Grade 2 Spanish Bilingual Dalhousie Elementary Calgary, Canada The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart. —Helen Keller Visit my blog, A Teacher's Ruminations, and post a message. http://waingortgrade2spanishbilingual.blogspot.com/ Hello Understand list members! We have been pretty quiet since the holidays. I am going to try again to stimulate a little discussion. We didn't have much to say on Chapter five so feel free, if the urge hits you to go back to those pages and share your thoughts. In the meantime, let's focus as a group on chapter six for the next two weeks. On page 136 Ellin writes: " I began to wonder if the decline in that initial curiosity and energy for learning must be inevitable. I know that some students seem likely to lose their interests and passions, but also that some never do. Why do these few retain the freshness of desire to learn?" What are you theories about this? Let's go one step further and apply it to teachers...why are there some of us that are eager to learn and improve and are passionate about improving instruction while others are satisfied with the status quo? A second question... On page 149 Ellin argues for a more "moderate approach to book selection." She says she understands how students who consistently read things that are too easy or too hard can lose interest in reading but also believes that readability formulas are very limited in utility and do not account for student schema and interest. What are your views on book selection and how do you handle this in your classroom? What is your belief system and how do you use what you believe to make decisions about what reading materials you use? Choose either or both to respond to ....OR start your own thread. Jennifer
_______________________________________________ Understand mailing list Understand@literacyworkshop.org http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org
