2009, Jossey-Bass (Wiley)
Paper $24.95
228 pages
Excellent, reiterating my own philosophy about teaching reading, with a few hints and ideas that I might try.
NonFiction - Education/Teaching
"Reading changes your life. Reading unlocks worlds unknown or forgotten, taking the travelers around the world and through tie. Reading helps you escape the confines of school and pursue your own education. Through characters -- the saints and sinners, real or imagined -- reading shows you how to be a better human being."
Here are some of the hints, information, and ideas I plan to use in my own classroom this year:
.....introduce authors through read-alouds, particularly from short story anthologies. Tripping Over the Lunch Lady, edited by Nancy Mercado, is recommended. Books that she recommends for the 4th - 6th grade arena include: Each Little Bird That Sings (Wiles), S. O. S. Files (Byars), The Word Eater (Amato), Guts (Paulsen), A Tarantula Ate My Purse (George), and Knots in My Yoyo String (Spinelli).
She sets a 40-book requirement at the beginning of the year, and gives the kids a list of required genres. I plan to tweak this, but this is what she's been having her kids think about:
Poetry Anthologies - 5
Traditional Literature - 5
Historical Fiction - 2
Fantasy - 4
Science Fiction - 2
Mystery - 2
Informational - 4
Biography/Autobiography/Memoir - 2
Chapter Book - CHOICE - 9
(If a book is over 350 pages, she lets them count the book as 2)
I like the way she uses CONVERSE instead of CONFERENCE: "I converse about their progress toward reading goals and give them individual support."
She has completely abandoned book reports, and even oral booktalks. Instead, as good alternatives, she suggests BOOK COMMERCIALS (short, impromptu ads) or BOOK REVIEWS (after examining professional book reviews, book blurbs, and teasers). She uses reading response entries that students write in their Reader's Notebooks as well. These are in the form of letters to her, and she responds to them in kind.
Sections to include in a Reader's Notebook:
Tally lists
Reading lists
Books-to-read list
Response entries
(I would add book reviews)
She suggests that the teacher keep their own similar notebook, and new one for each year, that includes the same sorts of information. Instead of the Response entries part, that is where she keeps her Conference Notes.
Some suggested Book Review Criteria:
Quotes from the book.
Quotes from famous writers and reviews.
Cliffhanger questions.
Personal reactions and opinions.
Awards the book or author have won.
Recommended reading age
Other books by the author
Comparison with other books.
There were some questions on her Reading Surveys that I plan to add to mine, including:
Do you have a library card?
Do you borrow books from the library?
How many books of your own do you have at home?
How did you get them?
I have included this list, of my notes, so that I can have them in a permanent place where I will not lose them. However, some of these may be helpful to others who already use Ms. Miller's same theories in their own classroom. I felt she says exactly how I feel about teaching reading, and will use her books to help establish my credibility if it ever comes into question!
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