Hi Everyone! I'm definitely interested in Wormeli's book as well as Atwell's, and I have the Book Thief. I like the idea of discussing the books on a blog...
With regard to Atwell's workshop approach (Hi Jan!) I use it and although it's still a work in progress, I can truly say my students have responded well to choosing their topics and genres for reading and writing. The workshop approach definitely helps with keeping students motivated to read and write and in developing their skills. One of my biggest successes last year was the volume of independent reading. The 8th graders read an average of 20 books/student. The 7th graders were lower, but there was a huge increase the second half of the year--they finally got into the "zone," after coming from a 6th grade classroom where the teacher totally controlled who read which books in lit circles--that really backfired in my opinon. I don't think the power of student choice can be over emphasized when it comes to motivating kids (or adults!) to read and write. Connie Fletcher _______________________________________________ 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
