Hi, May-- I, too, have often puzzled about the things we make high school students read, especially now that there is so much good young adult literature. Even my son, who is now almost 28 and a very eclectic reader, commented to me just the other day about "A Tale of Two Cities "I can't believe they make kids read this kind of language in high school," meaning of course that so many high schoolers have neither the patience nor motivation to even read things closer to their own language. (Of course, ironically enough, I am writing this just after seeing a newsclip on Rafe Esquith's class having no less than Sir Ian McKellan (sp?) as a visitor, telling those little guys that they understood Shakespeare better than many actors he knows! Margie
On 1/24/07, May Dartez <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Margie, > > Independent reading is certainly appropriate for high school, unless > you have a required "core" set of > novels that must be taught (and as an addition then). I think it is > AWESOME that you are doing this with > your ninth and tenth graders. Isn't the point of reading class to make > our students independent readers > throughout life? I know that, though I was an avid reader, my eleventh > grade class spent HALF of the > year on Huck Finn. Yuck! This certainly did nothing to encourage me to > become a life-long reader. If I had > been able to read independently, on the other hand, I probably would > have read The Unbearable Lightness of Being, > the Fountainhead, Brave New World, etc. These are the books that my > friends and I were reading at home, and we > would have been able to share our excitement about them with our > classmates. > > I think it sounds like you are making great choices about the use of > time in Literature class. Keep it up:) > > May > > > > > Mary-- > > I was so heartened to read your review. This is my first year > > teaching > > high school (9th and 10th grades) and I have made independent reading a > > cornerstone of these courses, but I have been nagged by my own doubts > > about > > whether it is still appropriate in high school, as well as parent > > complaints > > that I am not challenging the students enough. I guess I need to get my > > hands on this new Atwell book and add it to the bibliography on > > self-selected reading that I now include with my packets explaining > > reading > > workshop. --Margie > _______________________________________________ > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive > -- Margie Waterbrook 9th & 10th Grade English Vail High School Vail, AZ "Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm." --Winston Churchill _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
