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Post by Mike on Sept 24, 2015 22:56:24 GMT
Place posts here
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Post by Karise Svedin on Sept 29, 2015 1:17:39 GMT
The first third of the book, or chapters 1-4), appeared to be practical to me. The ideas that Kittle gives are things that I can do in the classroom. The first chapter of "Book Love" caught my attention because I've happened to notice in my 6th grade class that students do like to read. I like the idea of a school wide silent reading time for "pleasure reading." The statistics of pleasure reading has been plummeting which was sad to read. Chapter 2, understanding readers and reading, I found it interesting that Ryan basically gave up reading because he was reading "too slow" to keep up with the class. It was hard for him to comprehend the text, so he just gave up. Some hurdles to reading complex text are the context, vocabulary and the sentence lengths. It was alarming to me that teachers think that less than 20% of students actually read the assigned readings. I never really thought about the fact that it is the teachers job to help students be life long readers. The example of Zach (page 16) was a way to help students find books. He liked books with pictures and text. So why not find National Geographic so that he can learn important topics and see pictures. At the end of chapter 2, there is a reading list. I think this would be a great idea for students as well. Chapter 3 discusses stamina and fluency. Everyone reads at different paces, some slow and some fast, however it is important to make sense of the text. I like the idea of a weekly reading sheet (page 29). Help students set goals for their reading. I've always wondered how to keep track of 25 students in 5 class periods and what they are reading and how they are progressing. I think this is a realistic way to keep track. Students can fill out the sheet during silent reading time. Chapter 4, opening doors into reading, has some practical ideas for building a classroom library. Kittle says that there are several ways to get books for the classroom, one being ask friends for books. A lot of times people have read the books or moved on to more challenging texts. At the end of chapter 4, it talks about the writing workshop. I like the idea of having the writing journals as well (and as we have seen in Dr. Werderich's class).
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Post by Katelyn Elias on Oct 2, 2015 4:08:52 GMT
Having just received this book in the mail a day ago, I am not yet a third of the way through. However, I can already say that it is one of the most important books I will read in preparation for teaching. Kittle is writing "Book Love" to help teachers address and inspire those students who have fallen out of love or interest with reading for academic purposes and for enjoyment. The process of gradual disengagement and failure to provide reading instruction past a certain age that she describes is uncanny to my own experience in high school and even college. I am ashamed to report that I do not have a love for reading nor do I read voraciously for enjoyment. This is something I have wanted to reconcile in myself for a long time, especially now that I will need to model positive reading habits and practices for my future students. Therefore, this is also a "self-help" book for me. From what I have read in the first couple chapters, I expect Kittle's book to give me useful, applicable strategies for becoming a stronger, more passionate reader, and then extend that passion and endurance to my future students. Thus far, I am a little surprised and intrigued by Kittle's unapologetic statements about what the Common Core requires of our students vs. what they actually need to become life-long readers, and how we teachers have a responsibility to achieve the latter goal above all else.
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Post by Sandy Swenson on Oct 3, 2015 4:59:08 GMT
My first reaction is that I’m gonna love this book! Penny Kittle refers to her love of books and reading within the framework of a love story. She shares thoughts about the joy and hunger she wants her students to experience from reading. And she wants to encourage the love of books in her students who have a range of reading levels, comprehension, and prior knowledge.
I identify with many of Kittle’s unengaged students, as I used to have a Hate-Hate relationship with reading after elementary school. The details are hazy from my high school English and literature courses, but I do have this image of sitting in a desk, among rows of other desks, and taking turns reading sections out loud. The mood was unexciting and slightly depressing. There was little interaction with classmates or the text. Romeo and Juliette, Les Miserable, and The Heart of Darkness were reduced to skimming Cliff’s Notes and gleaning just enough information in order to complete assignments. Kittle shares her similar experience and says she does not have “a single memory of joy during high school English” (p. xiii).
I still did not have Book Love in my first years of college at Rockford University, despite having excellent professors in English Literature who studied and researched around the world (one was a renowned scholar on Rudyard Kipling). It was not until I fell in love with Art, Architecture and Art History after studying in London that I made the connection between fantastic images and the words that describe them. The Visual Arts became a bridge to literature and a variety of texts. With increasing speed, I was able to read a large amount of text, including informational and scientific text, which was previously removed from my interests. And with these new tools, I could efficiently study and learn nearly any subject (look at the art major getting perfect scores on chemistry, biology, and anatomy exams!). My schema grew and with each new encounter, I could activate prior knowledge.
All of these trials and experiences that I went through are what Kittle describes in her book. Students are often shocked when a teacher sympathizes with student struggles, but I will honestly be able to share I have struggled, too… but came out victorious on the other side.
Kittle declares that she possesses a “deep belief in the power of an education to transform a life.” Her students’ lives. And also her own. I love the idea that everyone in the classroom community is changed and transformed. And Kittle is unapologetic and adamant that the readers are just as important as the books, and that reading for pleasure should be part of every school day. She asks “Is there no place in school for what brings joy and escape and urges you to read to the end just to see how it all works out?”
My eleven year old son is currently reading The Assassin's Blade: The Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, which is described as a science fiction fantasy novella. Last week he asked me if I’ve ever found a book that is so good that you just can’t put it down? My son has been read to and surrounded by books since he was an infant, and I’m proud that my son possesses Book Love! I then asked him what would happen if a teacher made him read something that was too high in reading level or was an uninteresting topic. His reply? Rage quit! He identified that not only would he quit and abandon the text, he would have strong, negative emotions attached with it. Through her book, Kittle will guide me to become a great teacher who share her love story!!
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Post by Brianna Borman on Oct 9, 2015 18:38:24 GMT
In reading the first part of Book Love, I feel a sense of familiarity within my own life. I admit that as an adult, I do not read for pleasure enough. I often feel a lot of the struggles that the students in this book feel. When looking back on my life, there was a time where I loved to read for pleasure. I could not get enough of a certain author as an early teen. I would like to say that my life is simply too busy right now to read anything that is not academic, but I know that is not the whole truth. Somewhere along the way, I realized that my ability to read was not strong. My fluency and stamina is not where I think it should be or where I would like it to be. It takes me a long time to get through a text and sometimes I do not even remember what I have read. I found myself doing the minimum many times to get through classes in high school and I am sad to feel as though I really have no positive memories of reading and literature in high school. My memories are mostly of the confusion I felt. In chapter 1, Kittle describes some of the reasoning for why students fall behind and stay behind in reading. It was hard to read the words, “When our curriculum is consistently too difficult for the readers we have, we’ll send them on to our colleagues at the next grade level in a worse place than we received them.” (Kittle: pg 5) That statement felt like a punch in the face, because we know it is true but it often continues to happen. We promise ourselves that the following school year we will be better teachers, and we will work harder. I like how Kittle feels no shame in calling out poor teaching practices that all teachers may have been guilty of at one time or another. Pleasure reading is the key to academic reading and success. I like the style in which Kittle writes as well, it is informative, but it is also narrative and that makes it feel more personal and less of a text book. I like Kittle’s ideas on how to better understand student readers and how to use books they will actually love to monitor their reading strategies. In chapter 3, Kittle has the students set goals for them to increase their fluency and stamina. Overall, I found the first part of this book to be very helpful to read for me as a teacher and me as a reader. There are some very bad habits that I need to break as a reader in order to assist students in becoming better, more engaged readers.
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Post by Karise Svedin on Oct 18, 2015 6:59:47 GMT
The biggest takeaways for me is that no matter the student, as a teacher, it is up to us to help them have a love for reading. It is possible with different strategies Kittle offers in Book Love. When I was younger I loved reading books for fun. My parents would always take my sisters and I to the library on Saturday mornings. I'd come home and read lots of books. However, once middle school and high school hit I had too much other homework to do that I only did academic reading. Still to this day I feel like it is impossible to have the time to read for pleasure. In her book, Kittle, says that if you can give kids the right book, it can change their lives forever. "You might even listen to a colleague who says some kids just don't like reading. Don't listen; don't you believe it" (Kittle 63). An example Kittle gave was of a boy who just could not finish a book. Finally, he came into the classroom very excited because he finished a book. He said that he wanted to know what happened at the end, so he kept reading. He found a book that interested him. Kittle suggests every student have "to-read-next list" so that students have a quick reference as a go-to so that they can start reading that next book. After reading an engaging book sometimes it is hard to start another. Kittle suggest this list so that students can move faster towards that next book.
"When the young see their teacher excited about books...they connect more deeply with themselves, with us, and with the text" (Kittle, 47). In the school I'm working in now, all the teachers have signs on their doors that read, "What I'm reading now..." and it has a piece of velcro with an image of the book they are reading. The sign also says how many books they have read since the beginning of the school year. I think Kittle wants teachers to have an enthusiasm toward reading no matter what content area they are teaching.
The next thing that I really enjoyed in Kittle's book was the Book Talks. How do students know what to read if the teacher, or other students, are not sharing what they are reading? Well a Book Talk is an excellent way to "show off" what you are reading. Students who share what they are reading may interest another student to read that book. In addition, I like how Kittle introduces a new book all while doing a text study by annotating and teaching the qualities of writing. By talking about a book, students may want to finish the book. The teacher got a lesson in on writing and annotating all at the same time (65). I thought that this was pretty impressive. We are only given so much time in a year to teach kids. It is important to use the very few minutes we have each day to teach them the best we can. I think this was an excellent example of what we should do.
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Post by Karise Svedin on Oct 18, 2015 7:08:53 GMT
Having just received this book in the mail a day ago, I am not yet a third of the way through. However, I can already say that it is one of the most important books I will read in preparation for teaching. Kittle is writing "Book Love" to help teachers address and inspire those students who have fallen out of love or interest with reading for academic purposes and for enjoyment. The process of gradual disengagement and failure to provide reading instruction past a certain age that she describes is uncanny to my own experience in high school and even college. I am ashamed to report that I do not have a love for reading nor do I read voraciously for enjoyment. This is something I have wanted to reconcile in myself for a long time, especially now that I will need to model positive reading habits and practices for my future students. Therefore, this is also a "self-help" book for me. From what I have read in the first couple chapters, I expect Kittle's book to give me useful, applicable strategies for becoming a stronger, more passionate reader, and then extend that passion and endurance to my future students. Thus far, I am a little surprised and intrigued by Kittle's unapologetic statements about what the Common Core requires of our students vs. what they actually need to become life-long readers, and how we teachers have a responsibility to achieve the latter goal above all else. Katelyn, I also saw this as a "self-help" book for me. According to Kittle, you just need to get the right book in your hands. I really liked her idea about Book Talks. As a class we just did this in Social Studies. I really liked hearing from others a little bit about the books they had chosen for their Literacy Connections project. Just by spending a few minutes talking about books, you can find an interest in several books. In order to be model for students we need to be showing them our love of books. I really liked an idea of displaying what your reading to the students somewhere in your classroom.
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Post by Karise Svedin on Oct 18, 2015 7:15:16 GMT
In reading the first part of Book Love, I feel a sense of familiarity within my own life. I admit that as an adult, I do not read for pleasure enough. I often feel a lot of the struggles that the students in this book feel. When looking back on my life, there was a time where I loved to read for pleasure. I could not get enough of a certain author as an early teen. I would like to say that my life is simply too busy right now to read anything that is not academic, but I know that is not the whole truth. Somewhere along the way, I realized that my ability to read was not strong. My fluency and stamina is not where I think it should be or where I would like it to be. It takes me a long time to get through a text and sometimes I do not even remember what I have read. I found myself doing the minimum many times to get through classes in high school and I am sad to feel as though I really have no positive memories of reading and literature in high school. My memories are mostly of the confusion I felt. In chapter 1, Kittle describes some of the reasoning for why students fall behind and stay behind in reading. It was hard to read the words, “When our curriculum is consistently too difficult for the readers we have, we’ll send them on to our colleagues at the next grade level in a worse place than we received them.” (Kittle: pg 5) That statement felt like a punch in the face, because we know it is true but it often continues to happen. We promise ourselves that the following school year we will be better teachers, and we will work harder. I like how Kittle feels no shame in calling out poor teaching practices that all teachers may have been guilty of at one time or another. Pleasure reading is the key to academic reading and success. I like the style in which Kittle writes as well, it is informative, but it is also narrative and that makes it feel more personal and less of a text book. I like Kittle’s ideas on how to better understand student readers and how to use books they will actually love to monitor their reading strategies. In chapter 3, Kittle has the students set goals for them to increase their fluency and stamina. Overall, I found the first part of this book to be very helpful to read for me as a teacher and me as a reader. There are some very bad habits that I need to break as a reader in order to assist students in becoming better, more engaged readers. Brianna, Kittle's book was an easy read for me as well. I liked her style. She told it like a narrative. I couldn't agree with you more when you said that "our curriculum is consistently too difficult for the readers we have, we'll send them on to our colleagues at the next grade level in a worse place than we received them." I think Kittle gave us some excellent strategies to use so that we do not send students to the next grade level further behind. I think one thing that she did was the Book Talks. I think that it is very important that students are involved in hearing about different books daily so that they can find the books that interest them. Reading for pleasure is how the student will do better with academic reading and be successful.
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Post by Karise Svedin on Oct 18, 2015 7:20:26 GMT
My first reaction is that I’m gonna love this book! Penny Kittle refers to her love of books and reading within the framework of a love story. She shares thoughts about the joy and hunger she wants her students to experience from reading. And she wants to encourage the love of books in her students who have a range of reading levels, comprehension, and prior knowledge. I identify with many of Kittle’s unengaged students, as I used to have a Hate-Hate relationship with reading after elementary school. The details are hazy from my high school English and literature courses, but I do have this image of sitting in a desk, among rows of other desks, and taking turns reading sections out loud. The mood was unexciting and slightly depressing. There was little interaction with classmates or the text. Romeo and Juliette, Les Miserable, and The Heart of Darkness were reduced to skimming Cliff’s Notes and gleaning just enough information in order to complete assignments. Kittle shares her similar experience and says she does not have “a single memory of joy during high school English” (p. xiii). I still did not have Book Love in my first years of college at Rockford University, despite having excellent professors in English Literature who studied and researched around the world (one was a renowned scholar on Rudyard Kipling). It was not until I fell in love with Art, Architecture and Art History after studying in London that I made the connection between fantastic images and the words that describe them. The Visual Arts became a bridge to literature and a variety of texts. With increasing speed, I was able to read a large amount of text, including informational and scientific text, which was previously removed from my interests. And with these new tools, I could efficiently study and learn nearly any subject (look at the art major getting perfect scores on chemistry, biology, and anatomy exams!). My schema grew and with each new encounter, I could activate prior knowledge. All of these trials and experiences that I went through are what Kittle describes in her book. Students are often shocked when a teacher sympathizes with student struggles, but I will honestly be able to share I have struggled, too… but came out victorious on the other side. Kittle declares that she possesses a “deep belief in the power of an education to transform a life.” Her students’ lives. And also her own. I love the idea that everyone in the classroom community is changed and transformed. And Kittle is unapologetic and adamant that the readers are just as important as the books, and that reading for pleasure should be part of every school day. She asks “Is there no place in school for what brings joy and escape and urges you to read to the end just to see how it all works out?” My eleven year old son is currently reading The Assassin's Blade: The Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, which is described as a science fiction fantasy novella. Last week he asked me if I’ve ever found a book that is so good that you just can’t put it down? My son has been read to and surrounded by books since he was an infant, and I’m proud that my son possesses Book Love! I then asked him what would happen if a teacher made him read something that was too high in reading level or was an uninteresting topic. His reply? Rage quit! He identified that not only would he quit and abandon the text, he would have strong, negative emotions attached with it. Through her book, Kittle will guide me to become a great teacher who share her love story!! Sandy, Your son has it exactly right. He would quit reading if the reading level was too high or was an uninteresting topic. Kittle described a boy who could not get pass the first 100 pages of any book. The reason was because he was not interested in the contents of the book. Once he found a book about a baseball player and his struggles, he read the book until the end because he wanted to know what happened to the baseball player. This boy probably loved sports or was similar to him in some way. I think your son is absolutely correct in saying that he would have strong, negative emotions towards the book as well. I can recall a few books that I would never pick up again as well. I think learning the levels of readers will be important.
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Post by Brianna Borman on Oct 22, 2015 23:07:12 GMT
I almost feel like by reading this book, I had a cheat sheet into what we really need to know as teachers and readers. I feel as though there were so many important things to take away from this book.
• “Students seek an understanding of themselves and others” (pg 49) really resonated with me. Basically, students need a reason to read. I agree that this is really important when creating book loving readers. Sometimes a walk in someone else’s shoes can be relatable to one’s own life, even if the circumstances are different. Characters in books can model both good and bad behavior in respect to life events and hardships. Their experiences can also put things in perspective for us readers. If curriculum planning does not help all students equally, then even forcing readings on students will not work. Everyone does not always need to read on grade level to become better readers.
• I think another essential take away from this book is creating and maintaining a useful library in the classroom. Having appropriate literature for several reading levels and interests, organized in a way that makes sense to the students is key in giving them access to literature to continue to develop as readers.
• It is important to seize moments at the beginning of the year to start strong and get compliance from students when they still care what you think.
• Book talks are imperative to help students get interested in different books. Showing the book, reading a passage, and keeping records of past presented books for students to access are all parts of that. In addition, the best kind of teacher is one that admits fault or weakness and is able to recognize he/she is not “all knowing”. Book talks can be done by colleagues as well as shown from YouTube in order to give the students options and exposure to as much literature as possible. “If you’re not leading from your own reading life, not many students will follow.” (pg 60) So, if you are out of good books to suggest to students based on personal experience, invite others to share their book knowledge and titles. I think even having the students present their favorites can be monumental.
• Checking in with your readers. Having brief conferences with students can help a teacher evaluate their developing readers. By meeting with a student, a teacher can not only check-in to see what a student is reading and how they feel about their chosen books, but also offer helpful reading strategies for decoding new types of text. By doing so, the student may increase his/her reading level or the complexity of the text. “Conferring is vital, but it isn’t my only indicator of engagement.” (pg 88)
• My final big take away was how insignificant the content of a standardized test can be in regard to what is really important to real world, lifelong readers. Standardized tests assess speed reading which is of little value in the world. These tests fail to tell us students’ real capabilities when reading. Parents, schools, and teachers may use test scores as an indication of a child’s knowledge and skill levels as well as their educational progress. These tests cannot measure resiliency or really give a secure indication of what a student’s actual reading ability is. The tests not only focus on skills that may have little importance in real life reading, but do not measure a student’s capability when reading a text he/she is actually engaged with, nor do these scores accurately express who can read and who cannot. Test scores cannot convey a student’s skill level when independently reading. It also is counterproductive in our effort to get students to fall in love with reading. Overall these tests waste time, and use up valuable time that could have been spent actually becoming better, more engaged readers.
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Post by Sandy Swenson on Oct 23, 2015 4:52:40 GMT
My main takeaway is that Kittle’s concept and embodiment of “book love” should be the core of my classroom… and that book love begins with ME, the teacher. For Kittle, reading is not only a lesson in love, but also a love to end all loves! The main characters in her love story are numerous and extend to everyone in her life… students, family, associates, and even strangers. Kittle is unapologetically passionate about reading, and this for me (as a soon-to-be teacher) is enviable. If the teacher is not passionate about reading and literacy, how can we expect our students to find and possess that love?
I find it humorous that Kittle is constantly asking those around her, including her students, what they are reading. She asks and challenges them often about their selections, responses, and successes (as well as failures). In the classroom, the love of reading can be very quiet and personal (e.g. silent reading for pleasure) as well as lively and interactive through book clubs and whole group discussion.
Another takeaway is the importance of taking surveys and identifying student interests early in the year. When students are well matched with a book, they can set goals, build stamina, and increase complexity more easily. Kittle reveals that “students are greedy readers when the book is just right” (p. 40). When students create book lists they can easily read, complete, and move on to the next selection without hesitation. As for those students who need to abandon a book, moving on can be swift and painless.
My 11-year old son, Donnie, was a fan of The Magic Treehouse series. When he finished one of the books, he quickly located another title that was available in his school’s library, so he was always reading. He easily progressed through dozens of titles in the following series that increased in complexity: The Magic Treehouse, Harry Potter, 39 Clues, Chasing Vermeer, Hatchet, Kingdom Keepers, and The Throne of Glass.
Another important takeaway is that both teacher and non-reader have to have patience. Kittle shares a story about Keith, the charming, likeable high school football player who neither reads nor likes reading. He considers himself a poor writer as well. Kittle acknowledges that teachers must take slow baby steps with these students… and never give up.
Kittle shares a quote from children’s author Dav Pilkey who states that “as adults, I think we sometimes forget how hard it is to learn to read. It’s really, REALLY hard. If we add negative associations to something that is already difficult and often frustrating, we might just turn kids off of reading altogether, despite our best intentions” (p. 5).
A non-reader is similar to an inactive person when facing the challenge of reading and finding book love. Kittle reminds both students and teachers to “remember the challenge of building stamina from nothing” and adds that “even if the book is right, reading it is like that first run after years of inactivity” (p. 39). Keith eventually found a book that matched his level and interests, and he was hooked! Along the way he started, lost interest and abandoned books, but he continued to move to the next selection and always kept reading.
To keep my students moving forward and on track, I can incorporate conferences with my students, which provides the opportunity for both formal and informal assessment. Kittle affirms that “to understand when and how to use language that empowers discouraged readers, you have to learn to listen well” (p. 78). Through conferencing, my students will have the opportunity to share successes and roadblocks, and with hope, build a trusting relationship with me. I can ask questions, listen, and provide encouragement.
The final takeaway is that reading makes students better writers. Kittles reveals that “writing is discovery” and that “when we write, we uncover what we didn’t know we knew” (p. 99). Through reading, students view grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, spelling, and tone… among numerous other elements. I love the use of writing journals and storyboarding to organize and facilitate the process, as well as reflect and make connections.
I began at the introduction’s beginning… and now I end at the conclusion of the book. Kittle leaves us, future teachers and graduates of Northern Illinois University, with the following message:
We can change the story of reading. We have to. Every child. Every year. Every classroom. Book love—pass it on.
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Post by Monica Szilvagyi on Oct 23, 2015 4:58:46 GMT
Hello! I guess my big takeaway is that students should read a lot more than we are asking them to read, and should read at a variety of difficulty levels. The author clearly has knowledge of a huge number of age-appropriate texts, and that's great. I balk at the idea of living up to her example in that respect. I firmly believe in her methods, including individual conferences, individual goals, and a combination of individual and group readings. I believe in discussions, in pairs, in small groups and as a class, as a means to distribute knowledge and gather assessment information. I like her methods for using reading to teach writing. I wrote my own to-read-next list before I was very far along in the book, I was so inspired by the idea. My difference with the text is specifically with the idea, presented explicitly on page 89 but present throughout the book, that getting students to use their independent reading time to read is a simple matter of matching them with the "right" book. In my observational practicum, I have observed exactly one student ever use the time set aside for independent reading to do any reading. Students get between 40 and 60 minutes a day to read whatever print material they want, during which time the teacher is trying to consult with students on an individual basis, and therefore cannot police the room to ensure compliance. Moreover, enforcement is exactly the opposite of the kind of activity that would encourage students to read willingly. I agree with her every word, but I am super skeptical that it's as easy as she makes it sound. On the contrary, I feel that the glib, information-free acknowledgement I mentioned, at the bottom of page 89, that students might not read given the class time to do so if not matched with that perfect, magical, "gateway" text, only serves to reinforce my preconception that there is very little a teacher can do to ensure independent reading, even in class. I am eager for any advice about teaching reading, as I can see my destiny as a reading teacher crystalizing before my very eyes. The only piece of Kittle's advice I can clearly and definitely visualize myself acting on is the hopefulness and the passion with which she leads. As she mentions, you never know the circumstances into which you will be hired, you never know if you will even have a classroom, but to never give up, to never shrug with the other teachers and repeat their words, "Title I school," can be applied in any situation. I've underlined very thoroughly in this book so that when I have a specific situation to address, I can look back and remind myself of the things I liked about what Book Love said.
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Post by Katelyn Elias on Oct 23, 2015 5:11:50 GMT
Penny Kittle’s Book Love reads like a genuine, personal love letter to reading, inspiring students to read, and writing while also providing practical ideas and experience based tactics about how to translate this love into ELA classroom instruction. I found that much of what she writes in this book is a living model for how a strong independent reading life informs one’s writing, which was one of the more significant take-aways that stuck with me. Kittle expresses multiple times, in many ways that she is not concerned with the assessment driven mediocrity that pervades the education system; she is more interested in students reading to learn and learning to love reading through any means possible. This means that our main, underlying goal should always be to create lifelong readers who have the habits and stamina to always choose to read (for enjoyment, at the very least) and have the intrinsic motivation to seek new materials when they are in need. As previously mentioned, Kittle not only indulges in exploring her teaching philosophy through theory and inspiration, but also included the nitty-gritty information about what this looks like in an actual classroom. From reaching unengaged readers, to building a classroom library, to establishing instructional balance, to conferencing with students about reading, to assessing readership through well-crafted response prompts, to building writing and reading communities in the classroom, to providing quality book talks, Kittle does offer many applicable ideas to actually making thing happen for teachers and students. The one thing I questioned while reading this book was how I could use all this excellent inspiration and information in my career as an elementary school teacher. Kittle draws mostly on her experience as an English teacher of high school seniors. After reading her book I will admit that I am more intrigued by the potential of teaching middle school because it would be possible to use more of her ideas, but what If I never teach middle school? How can I instill that sustained passion for reading in elementary school kids? What kind of texts do I recommend? How can I expect them to establish a strong independent reading life at age nine, ten, or even younger? Is it possible?
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Post by Sandy Swenson on Oct 23, 2015 14:23:23 GMT
"To keep my students moving forward and on track, I can incorporate conferences with my students, which provides the opportunity for both formal and informal assessment." I wanted to add a comment to my original post from last night. 1) Although Kittle stresses the creation life-long readers in her classroom over assessment, I like to incorporate lots of informal assessment into lesson plans. I want to ensure early that students are on track and do not fall behind.
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Post by Brianna Borman on Oct 25, 2015 18:01:30 GMT
In posting about my major takeaways, I forgot to mention implications and/or challenges. Though I love the way Kittle wrote and often felt as though she was sharing secrets that the principal may not love to hear, some of her ideas seemed overwhelming to keep up with. I do not know if it is because I have not worked much with children that can actually read, but she checked in a lot and was always on the students about reading. I guess if you only teach 1-2 specific subjects, it is manageable, but if you are an elementary teacher, it seems almost impossible to keep up with your readers and what they are reading as much as Kittle noted while teaching all other subjects. I felt as though Kittle's style of writing made me feel like I was talking to a friend, trading techniques for reaching our students. I also think I had several epiphanies about myself as a reader.
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