Hi! Like Tena, I allow choice for the independent reading done in my classes, including the choice to abandon a book once begun. I also teach summary skills, so at the beginning of the year, I set up blogs for Readers Response Journal entries (I use the ones here at literacyworkshop.org). Last spring, my class convinced me of what I already knew at heart, that what they most want is just to enjoy reading their books and talking about them (with me, with friends, more formally with book talks), so I let them "test out" of doing RRJ blogs if they and I agreed they had mastered that skill. I'm going to be doing that again this year right from the start, and expect it to work well. It's amazing how much better a teacher I can be when I actually listen to the kids! ;-)
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
