I, too, used the friendly letter format. My students alternated weeks between writing to me and writing to a student in a class in a neighboring county. I was in grad school with the teacher at the other school and we matched up our kids as literacy buddies. The letters were called literacy letters. The day my students would get a letter in return (either from me or from their buddies) was wonderful. They could not wait to read them.
I also had the same experience, mostly getting summaries at first or simple comments like "I liked this book", "It was a good book", "I would recommend this book". However, by the end of the year, I was getting comments like "I wonder why Rowling is killing off all of Harry's father figures" and " I have realized I like books written in 1st person because I find I connect with them more." The REALLY tough part to sell teachers on is the time commitment it takes to respond to the letters. However, once I got started and realized the benefits, it became something I looked forward to doing. The students really need to see you as a reader as well. They need to see you constantly modeling what good readers do. I am a curriculum coach. In that position, I used an actual letter from one of my former students as text for a paideia seminar with my teachers to show where we wanted the letters to lead, how much learning could take place by writing them, and the relationship that can be developed between the teacher and the student. This approach proved an easy sell for teachers! Sherry Elmore _____ From: Sally Thomas [mailto:[email protected]] To: mosaic listserve [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Mon, 18 Jul 2011 09:05:39 -0400 Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] reading logs My students kept a list of books read. Then we wrote informal letters, back and forth, about their reading once a week. They were more like conversations. Took awhile for some to "get it." "What do you mean write a letter?" I said make it like a chatty letter to a friend. Two of my kids started labeling their letters "chatty letter #1." Had to model examples of course. And every week, my letters back were models of how people write about their reading. Sometimes I would ask some if I could share their letters so others could see the kinds of things we were writing. At first they would tend to write summaries. But that wasn't what I wanted. Rather: Here's what I'm reading. I'm thinking. I'm wondering. I'm discovering this about myself as a reader. I'd like to read ..... next. With patience and time the letters got interesting. They were funny, serious, sometimes profound. I learned a lot about them as readers. I know Atwell wrote about these at one time, Cora Lee Five I think did too, I did too in Language Arts years ago. It had a different "feel" than an assignment to my students. They loved these letters and got upset if I missed a week. Only strategy I used that NEVER got complaints. Think it felt like writing personal notes with your teacher! Sally On 7/17/11 9:21 PM, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hello, > > I would greatly appreciate your thoughts about the use of reading logs in my > sixth grade reading/writing workshop. My homework policy is that students read > 30 minutes 5 nights a week or 150 minutes a week. They are free to read any > book they choose. I give students a reading log, due every Monday, that asks > them to document the minutes they read nightly, I ask them to write about > their independent reading weekly, based on the strategies and or elements of > literature we were studying. I maintain a classroom library and students have > access to the school library every 2 weeks. My problem is that my homework > completion rate is TERRIBLE. Rather , I should say that fewer than 50% of my > students regularly turn in their homework. Atwell, Miller, and many, many > other language arts teachers consider reading at home an important part of > their reading program. I am tempted to drop the the reading log requiremnent, > but I don't want to "dumb down" my expectations for my students who are > predominantly blue collar and poor. I want students to have some > accountability, but at the same time I don't want to make the homework process > so cumbersome that it turns my students off to reading independently. What are > your experiences and insights that can help? Thank you. > > Darlene Kellum > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive ****This Message was sent through the Chatham County Schools E-Mail Server**** All e-mail correspondence to and from this address is subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law, which may result in monitoring and disclosure to third parties, including law enforcement. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive
