Hi! We use "Readers Response Journals" in my class. My kids use one of Keith Mack's bulletin boards, and the 8th graders handwrite them. I try to write responses to all the entries - ideally every week, but sometimes I get a bit (okay, a lot) behind.
I am currently reading "Shadow Baby" to my Humanities 7 class, and the main character invents books for all her book reports because she can't stand what a book report does to a book. One of my current students has similar feelings to RRJ entries, and I have to concede that I do see her point. For her, being completely in the moment with a book is what it's all about, and she gets really frustrated with having to look back on it and get it down on paper, partially, I think, because she doesn't want to leave anything out and partially because she just finds it tedious. I have to say that I 100% sympathize with her. Yet I do believe that RRJs can help students begin to think more deeply about reading as they react to my responses and questions back to them, and that they can help build reading skills. It's a conundrum. Take care, Bill Ivey Stoneleigh-Burnham School _______________________________________________ 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
