jvmazur
Sun, 22 Mar 2009 13:59:18 -0700
pg. 172 " I wonder---are we explicit with children about how the books we read change us,causing us to act, to read more, to write, to change our previously held beliefs? Do we ask--"What happened at the end of chapter five or questions like these: "In what ways were you changed by this book? How will you approach people differently because you read this book? ....How have you revised what you thought you believed or understood?"
This really is a fascinating proposal. Here I am considering that I'm achieving
some small success by getting kids to really think about what they're reading,
to really connect to text...and good ol' Ellin Keene ramps it up another notch.
(This is part of another question you ask, but) I am consistently amazed by how
much deeper kids can dig than I expected. For the last 2 weeks my third graders
studied Historical Fiction in reading. The first week, we read a different
picture book every day, looking for and discussing the elements of historical
fiction; then we read the historical fiction selection from our reader ("Across
the Wide Dark Sea") and did the same with that. Last week we continued with
picture books, now looking for elements of HF AND discussing what we'd learned.
Instead of an anthology selection, I read them "The Ballad of the Civil War"
over the week. And, for both weeks, all kids were reading leveled HF in guided
reading. The kids surprised me at every turn with their willingness to explore
the unknown. I wish I could remember all they said to share with you, but I do
remember one comment the day we finished the (very)) short novel "The Ballad of
the Civil War." One child vehemently stated how angry he was. I was puzzled by
anger in response to a book, but I'm learning to keep quiet. (We have a steady
stream of observers in Room 12 and they ALWAYS comment on the lengthy wait time
I allow/encourage). He elaborated: he was ANGRY (I wish you could have seen his
face!) because he didn't learn more about one of the minor characters--he
really wanted to know what happened to him; and he was ANGRY because he felt
too much was left to inference (his word choice) at the end of the book. But if
I'd asked him how he was changed by the book, I'll bet I would have been
further startled by the depth of his response. As it was, I complimented him on
his involvement/immersion, but all I could think to say to the other kids was,
"Wow, readers, you're lucky to be listening to a proficient reader who is
really interacting with the text." I knew I wasn't helping them get deep
enough. How I wish I'd thought to ask them how they were changed by the
book--how much more enchanting is that question than the old workhorse, 'What
did you learn?' We're pretty good about considering how our thinking changes,
but I'm ashamed to say it never occurred to me to ask how one is changed by a
book. Just wait...
Judy
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