Just a thought...here's is a link to Patrick Allen's (Conferring) blog...he has a great post on reading logs...you may have to dig a little but it's sure worth reading to address your questions.
http://all-en-a-days-work.blogspot.com/ Terry Wrenn On Mon, Jul 18, 2011 at 8:05 AM, Sally Thomas <[email protected]>wrote: > 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 > > -- *Stress (substitue "worry") is a form of atheism; it infers that you do not believe God is in control.* * * `´*:-.,_,.-:*´`´*:-,_,.-:*´`´*:-.,_,.-:*´`´*: _______________________________________________ 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
