Using selected quotes, I would like to introduce the main points of Silva's article.
"I hand out sticky notes to the ninth graders and ask them to write the name of a book they love and a book they despise..."
"Nobody likes to read while sitting at a desk. They like to sprawl or they like to find a small, quiet space."
"But every time I make a decision based on classroom management, I remove a bit of authenticity from the reading classroom."
In response to parents, she writes, "I tell them that I can support and enhance their work but that school cannot subsititute for a family's choices."
"If I try to meet the conditions that support a reading environment, students read."
"I want to empower students to learn through story."
I cannot think of better questions to ask than the ones delineated on the final page of Silva's article:
"How should I measure their increased knowledge?"
"Is it enough to observe their involvement or must I quantify it in some way?"
Consider what we have been doing in 619. How are we assessing/quantifying?
"What balance should I strike between literary classics and popular fiction?"
And...
"Who should decide what my students will read?"
I think that this article is a practically perfect ending to our class--it really wraps up what we have been talking about all semester. I always enjoy reading about teachers that have actually implemented what Karen and 619 in general are advocating.
I thought that Silva points out a lot of interesting ways to work with her students, such as the sticky notes on the first day of class. The conversations after this exercise are like "killing two birds with one stone." The kids "think we have not begun our year yet" while she has "lay[ed] the groundwork for all the work we will do together."
Silva makes a lot of good points, many of which Jack has already outlined here. I think an important point that she makes is that "I like to read, but reading a book is enough for me most of the time. Sometimes I want to talk about a book I have read, or ask questions about it. I never want to design a new cover, write a character sketch, or trace the theme of the story. I do not want to adopt the persona of the protagonist and preform in class or track symbols throughout the story." Which I think is the perfect introduction to the title..."Can We Read Today, or Do We Hafta Do English?" ...no wonder kids ask this question!
Posted by: armindalmattoon | May 10, 2006 at 11:54 PM
NICE, Arminda...I agree w/Silva about those "activities" we ask kids to do w/books they read.
Why do we do that? KES
Posted by: Karen | May 11, 2006 at 08:11 AM
Jack, excellent job pulling out the fine points of this article. Jenn did an excellent job in her post as well, especially drawing out the part where reading is discussed as a bedtime activity... which it totally is. I only read in bed. Even if I'm reading in the middle of the day, I still crawl into bed to do it. Of course, I really have no other comfortable place to sit in this lousy apartment, but that's another story.
I also liked this response to parents who want Silva to "push the classics" on the students: "I ask them to list the classics on their bookshelves." Nice. I will go to my grave arguing that students shouldn't *have* to read the "classics." Students don't enjoy the classics; Silva pretty much affirms that earlier in the article when she says "Most of the books on the negative side are books assigned for school." School-assigned books are of no interest to 95% of students, because many of them were written 50, 75, 100, 500 (Shakespeare) years ago in language that kids just can't even try to care about.
I pulled that percentage out of midair, but I'll defend its accuracy. I'll defend pretty much anything.
Posted by: Dave E. | May 11, 2006 at 10:55 AM
Dave, I'm so glad you said that! I've been feeling that way all semester. Many of my future students will most likely be reluctant readers (broad generalization I know but fairly true with Special Education students). I wonder if they will be able to comprehend, enjoy and relate to the "classics." I get the impression that if they don't, they aren't "worthy" of literature. I feel that if I cram these books down their throats and they hate them, I will be ruining their impression of reading which will prevent them from reading on their own. You're right, how can all students relate to books that are 50, 75, 100, 500 years old? And if I force them to, aren't I depriving them of the positive impact of literature?
Don't worry, I'll defend your made up numbers with you!
~Jenn
Posted by: jmachampagne | May 11, 2006 at 12:39 PM