Good Morning, Alice, Since last year was my first attempt at Book Bites I did not use a physical rubric for participating in the Book Bites Discussion. I generally do the 'teacher observartion' thing and filed the information away in my memory. I don't like to push reluctant students to discuss because it will be artificial and forced in my opinion. Still, these 'listeners' are listening to my jabberwockies who love to discuss and debate everything from vocabulary to our novels. And while the silent but gifted students are listening, they are in their heads discussing themes and symbolism. I know this, because when they do their Response to Literature, many are just as astute, some more than my talkers, in their writing. I did use a rubric for the written Resonse to LIterature and it is the one my district developed for the District's Writing Assessment. The rubric is a 4 point scale in three categories: content, organization and mechanics. Evaluating essays is tough as it is subjective to say the least. I jokingly tell my honors classes that I want banana split writing and not cold, caked on, oatmeal writing. If I can read it through with out choking on the oatmeal or if I can sigh, cry, laugh or say 'PWP' (Great Gilly Hopkins), then they have done their job in communicating. They HATE writing so many responses and essays and essay questions on tests, but they become better thinkers and responders that it is worth the groans and the moans, and that is coming from their teacher who will vainly attempt to read them all. I hope to further develop Book Bites and have them create Novel Projects that you all have been suggesting. I have some ideas for projects that I would like to share in another email.
Thanks for asking about what I do. It is at the fledgling state. All ideas are most welcome. W ---- Alice Cortigiano <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I love this idea. Just like a real "book group". Now, how do you assess > this? Do you use a rubric of some kind? > > Alice > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2007 4:19 PM > To: A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades. > Subject: Re: [LIT] Novel projects > > > Hello, > > I also teach in California and we are fairly tied to the district's > curriculum which is Holt Literature and Language Arts as well as the State > Standards. However, in my advancing age I am learning to be the good > teacher I once was before NCLB and the standards and the fact that Basic is > no longer passing. But I digress. With my honors classes I use high level > novels and conduct Book Bites. Students are given 4 weeks to read a novel. > The 4th week I hand out a list of 15 to 20 discussion / prompts for the > students to prepare for Book Bites. On the day of Book Bites we all > volunteer to bring our favorite finger munchies. We use the prompt / > questions and discuss the book for that period. I tell them I will be > choosing one of these questions for them to respond to in a Response to > Literature writing. It will not be a traditional book report, but we will > address conflict or theme as well as symbolism, connections and evaluations. > Since it was my first year I already want to change and adapt this Book > Bites to my Basic Classes using the stories in the Holt . . the better ones, > what few their are. My problem is finding enough novels for all the > students. Perhaps I could do Literature Circle Book Bites and have group > novels in the same genre or author or theme. > > You guys give me motivation. Thanks! > > Mrs. Mac > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 _______________________________________________ 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
