What and Why I Read

This is such an interesting question that I’ve never thought about before.  I’ve always just read.  I just love reading.  I read for enjoyment.  The only time I read for information is when I have a chapter to read in a text book for class.  Even when I read an article on the internet, it’s most likely something about a Real Housewife or Honey Boo Boo because that’s what’s entertaining to me (don’t you dare judge me). 

When I choose a book to read, I have a couple different criteria that I look for.  If a book is a movie that I want to see or have seen, I want to read it.  I love watching movies that are books because I can compare what I envisioned in my head to what Hollywood thought it should be.  I’m also a sucker for books that are series.  I hate when books come to an end.  I feel like the characters become my friends while I’m reading about them and I want to continue that friendship!  I can remember as a kid, my favorite books were “The Babysitter’s Club” and “Sweet Valley High” series.  I loved reading about all the characters I was familiar with and grown to love.  When I can’t find a book that’s part of a series or being turned into a movie, I absolutely judge a book by its cover.  Whether it is the title, the art, or the short blurb on the back of the book, if I like what I see, I buy it. 

I don’t know how to put it into words without just saying, I like to read.  I read because I like the escape into a world that isn’t my own.  I read as a form of entertainment.  I also like reading because I like to share books that I like with my friends.  Rather than having a specific book club, I have a couple friends who I trade books with when we’re done reading them.  We can talk about them when we’re all done, but we don’t read the same book at the same time. 

This wasn’t an easy blog to write.  I know why I read and what I read, but I’ve never had to put it into words.  Even if it’s just the nutritional facts on a package of food, I am always reading.  To me, reading is like breathing.  I have to do it.  I couldn’t imagine my life without words! 

A Blog About Blogs

I haven’t done a free write in about 16 years, so here goes nothing!  I’ve never done a blog before and I’m surprised to say that I actually like it.  I think it’s fun to be able to write a piece that is more relaxed than the formal papers I have to write for most of my classes.  Writing these blogs is a nice break from the stuffy writing I have to do, yet I know that I will still get a grade on this. 

This free write is kind of difficult, but the writing prompts that we have been assigned have been really interesting.  Some of them have been topics I’ve never even thought about.  I never thought about leveling books and how I feel about it.  I have seen many classrooms and even pictured my own in my head, but to have to write paragraphs about how my vision was tricky.  It made me think about how I wanted to word what I see in my mind.  Writing the reflection on our memories of language arts was a really fun blog for me to write.  I liked that I got to think back to what made me the reader and writer that I am today.  Plus, as you can see in this blog, I have no problem talking about myself.

Not knowing who my audience is exactly is really something I like about writing blogs.  I find myself writing as if I’m talking to myself, not necessarily for others to read.  It’s more like my blog is my personal journal.  I’ve always wanted to keep a journal.  I typically will start one and then crap out on it in a couple days.  Having to write a blog for a class, forces me to keep up with my writing.  Obviously, I wouldn’t choose some of these topics to write about, but I like that I can keep my blog as a journal of my education.

When we were assigned to write a blog, I have to admit that I rolled my eyes.  I thought it was going to be such a pain having to write a post twice a week on topics I really didn’t care about.  But, having written it for about a month now, this blog is one of my favorite assignments.         

The FInal Book Club

We just had out final book club and this actually a 2-parter.  I say it was in 2 parts because I lost my phone on Friday night and did not get a new one until Monday night.  In the time without a phone, my group had an impromptu meeting via text that I could not participate in.  It was not until I got to class on Monday that I found out they had it.  I apologized (of course) and told them about my situation.  Luckily, one of the girls saved the text conversation they had and I got to read it and respond (thank goodness we got to class early that day!). 

 

I'm happy that I got to participate in some way because there were some things that some girls were confused about that we got to discuss in person.  There were also things about the book that some didn't like.  I thought that was so interesting because I loved the book so much.  Two girls pointed out that they thought that the end of the book went too fast, but thought that it showed that the events happening were moving so fast.  To me, I felt that the book moving so fast helped me feel like I was with the characters, like I was part of the story.  I have to admit, that was one of my favorite things about reading The Maze Runner.  It was interesting to hear someone not appreciate something I liked so much.  During the entire book club I really liked hearing everyone's predictions and questions.  I had plenty of my own, but it was good to hear what other people had to say.  It helped point out events that I might not have paid attention to, or given me a new perspective about things. 

 

I liked doing this book club.  I really enjoyed the book and I appreciated that each member of my group was into it and participating as well.  I would love to start a book club of my own, but with all the school work I have, reading for pleasure has definitely taken a back seat to reading text books.  I hope that once I become a teacher I'll be able to tear myself away from lesson plans in order to sit down and enjoy reading again.  Maybe then I'll get a book club of my own! 

The Maze Runner--I can't wait to read the next one!

So I finished The Maze Runner and I LOVED IT!  I actually finished it before the rest of my group and it is killing me to not tell them what happens.  I know I can't ruin it for them, but I want someone to talk to about it!  I've never been in a book club before so this experience has been interesting for me.  I liked being able to discuss a book with people who have read it.  It was a little frustrating when someone in my group would ask a question that I knew the answer to because I finished to book, but couldn't tell them because I didn't want to ruin it for them.  I just kept telling them that I couldn't wait until they finished it!  I did like that during our discussions we would talk about certain events that happened and some of us would have different takes on what or why something happened.  When Alby began to choke himself when he was going to tell Thomas about The Flare some of us weren't sure why he would do that, and some thought The Creators were controlling him.  It was interesting to get that perspective from others reading the same book.  

 

At the end of each chapter there was one sentence that constantly kept me asking questions and wanting to know more.  The end of the book was exactly the same.  I felt that the epilogue was the part that really has me reeling.  I can't believe that this group of kids survived the Maze, are going to be given one night's rest, and have to begin the next journey in the experiment that WICKED is using them for.  I cannot wait to read The Scorch Trials to find out what happens next!     

Writing

I don't really know what to say about writing.  I don't hate it, but I only write because I have to for school.   I'm really not opposed to writing.  I will admit that I would much prefer having to write an essay or a paper instead of taking a test, mostly because I can BS my way through writing.  I am also the kind of person who loves the idea of a journal because I think it would be interesting to look back years from now and see what was going on in my life, how I felt about things, and ideas like that.  What always seems to happen, though, is I buy a pretty little journal, write in it once or twice, and then forget about it.  It comes to a point where it is more of a waste of money for me (Journals at Barnes and Noble aren't that cheap!). 

 

As a future teacher, I believe that writing is a valuable skill to teach our students.  I think that if we instill an appreciation of the written word in our class, they will be more interested in reading it.  Understanding how to write will also allow our students the ability to critique the work of themselves as well as their peers.  I find that all students expect that their teachers will provide them with a harsh critique, but hearing criticism from someone on their level could have more meaning. 

 

I do understand that, like it or not, writing is an important skill that all people need to learn.  Knowing how to write a proper email will help you look like a professional when in a workplace situation.  Even when we send a text, knowing how to write so our message gets across to the other person is important (One of my biggest pet peeves are people who put no punctuation in their texts, so the message reads like one long sentence).  Writing is something that we all do in everyday life, even if we don't realize it. 

The Pro's to Leveling Books

In doing research on leveling books, I have found many articles that argue both views.  The one that I prefer to side with, however, is that I am for leveling books.  Because I want to be a special education teaching working with primarily students with autism I can understand why giving a child a book that is on their level as opposed to a book that the entire class is reading would be helpful.  I recognize the amount of frustration a child feels when the work given to them is too difficult.  I have also seen a student’s face filled with disappointment when they do not grasp a concept, as well as the look of joy and pride when they do. 

In order to level a book, a teacher will listen to a student read a given piece of literature.  If the student makes 0-1 mistakes the book is too easy, 2-5 mistakes per 100 words, the piece is deemed “instructional”.  If the student makes 6 or more mistakes, this indicates that the book is in the frustration level for the student.  If a student reads a book that is in their frustration level, they would be offered a variety of books that are more in their instructional level instead.  I believe that by allowing a student to read a book at his or her instructional level will let them read independently and enjoy reading.  I think it will also allow the language of the student to grow and become more skillful.  In growing and becoming more skillful, the student will rise to a higher reading level.  If we lump all the students into one level, we will see frustration levels sky rocket.  I have seen students in classrooms who are not able to understand what they are reading.  Hell, I was one of those students.  I can remember reading H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine in 4^th grade and feeling so lost when asked a comprehension question.     

I believe that leveling books will not only help the typical population of students, but will also help the special education population.  As I wrote earlier, I want to be a special education teacher working primarily with students with autism.  For the past 12 years, I have been a tutor to this population and have seen pride and disappointment my students have felt.  I have also seen great frustration when a skill is not mastered.  If students are allowed to read books on their level, opportunities for inclusion will increase.  Special education students will have a more meaningful experience in the general education classroom.  These students will be able to spend more time with their typical peers and feel more a part of the classroom. 

I understand the good ideas that come with the Common Core, but I do not believe that getting rid of leveled books is one of them.  The benefits of keeping this idea are too great.  Students will be able to progress at their own level, and learn to enjoy reading.  They will also be able to feel a sense of pride when they can work independently and thrive at it.  I believe that by continuing the level books, the special education population can participate more and be part of the general education classroom.      

The Maze Runner Continued--Still Running

As I have continued to read The Maze Runner I find myself sitting closer and closer to the edge of my seat!  The chapters are so short and they always end with a phrase that leaves me wanting more.  Needless to say, I have a difficult time putting it down.  The book is so exciting and each page leaves me asking so many questions that I just want to keep reading.  I also find some of the characters interesting and relatable, so that draws me in as well. 

I cannot believe that Thomas ran in to the maze while the doors were closing!  I understand that he felt sympathy and wanted to help Alby and Minho, but it seems that running in there was the equivalent to committing suicide.  I also couldn’t get over Minho abandoning Thomas with a lifeless Alby when they first heard the Grievers.  I thought that when Thomas started to cry after dodging the Grievers at the cliff was very emotional.  I believe that it was all of his emotions about not remembering anything, feeling confused about why a place unknown to him was so familiar at the same time, and surviving the terrifying feat of avoiding the Grievers.  I believe this shows the human side to Thomas that makes him likeable.  I also believe that he showed that side when he spoke to Chuck about getting him back home.  I liked that the Keepers decided to punish Thomas, but also make him a Runner once he returned.  I think that punishing him in some way was necessary for them to keep order in their society, but he proved himself to be one the best Runners that they had and deserved the job.

Several questions have come up for me as I’ve been reading.  What is the significance of “Wicked”?  Why is it written on the beetle blades, why does Teresa have “Wicked is Good” written on her arm, and what is up with the sign “World in Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department” (WICKED)?  I believe that it has something to do with The Creators, maybe the company they work for.  I want to know why or how Thomas has a natural ability as a Runner.  It seems that he is familiar with the maze, but has never been there.  I also want to know why he was able to figure out how to escape from the Grievers so quickly.  What is with Gally?  Why does he hate Thomas so much?  I feel like he knows more than he is letting on.  He is just so angry!  What is The Flare and why is Alby so afraid to go back to their normal lives?  And what was making him choke himself when he was talking to Thomas about what he saw during the Changing?  I like that Thomas and Teresa have the power to speak to each other through their minds, but how does Teresa know that her and Thomas have something to do with the maze?  How did Teresa trigger the ending, and once she did why did the sky go gray and the doors to the maze not shut?  And why did Gally know that the Grievers would only kill one boy per night?  What kind of insight to he get when he ran off?  Hopefully all these questions will have answers as I continue reading.  There are so many of them, you can understand why I can’t put this book down!

I’m happy that this is the book that I chose for my book club selection.  I’m really drawn to these kinds of topics and with all the writing and text book reading that I have to do; it’s nice to be able to read for pleasure again.  I say again because I usually do not have the time for it unless it is summer.  The Maze Runner allows me to escape the monotony of reading factual information.  I hope that when I become a teacher I can give my students the same feeling of escapism.             

Learning Literacy Through Collaboration

Collaborative learning absolutely supports literacy.  By reading the same book with their peers, the class will be able to discuss themes surrounding the book while building their social skills.   While working in small groups, students use strategies to connect in dialogue and widen one another’s understanding of text.  I believe that many children feel that when a teacher is leading a lesson and they are called on to answer a question, they are put on the spot and may feel flustered to answer.  Having collaborative learning in literacy gives the class a sense of being comfortable because they are conversing with their peers.  In that kind of setting there may not be a feeling of a right or wrong answer. 

Collaborative learning also allows for students to contribute and take on leadership skills as they lead in their reading groups.  The students are able to teach each other without having the teacher lead the group.  When the teacher does not lead the group, the class feels a sense of independence.  As we saw in the video on reciprocal teaching, the students enjoyed not having the teacher lead the group for various reasons.  For one girl, it was fun to be the leader and call on her friends to answer questions.  For another boy, he enjoyed not having the teacher around because he was able to talk with his friends about what they were reading. Because the teacher does not need to facilitate, he or she is allowed to walk though the room, facilitate where necessary, but mostly allow the students to do all the talking.    

Learning literacy through collaboration also teaches the students the different goals (question, clarify, predict, summarize) while they take turns being the facilitator.  As we spoke about in class, if a student has mastered one of these goals, let’s say clarifying, he or she can go through the story and pick out ideas or words that may be difficult for other students.  This gives the student who understands the concept a sense of leadership, while allowing the student who does not grasp it to be taught by one of his peers. 

 

The Maze Runner

 

The book I chose to do for my book club book was The Maze Runner by James Dashner.  I've been wanting to see the movie and read the book, so this worked out perfectly.  Ever since The Hunger Games series I have been very interested in novels about dystopian societies, and believed that The Maze Runner would follow suit.  I was not wrong. 

 

As a group we have read and discussed up to Chapter 16.  So far, I have been introduced to several boys who live in a place called The Glade.  As a reader I have no idea where The Glade is, but I do know that it never rains, and it is surrounded by The Maze.  Every morning the doors of The Maze open and the Runners go out to explore.  Every night they come back because the walls of The Maze change at night and terrifying creatures called Grievers come out.  The boys have set up their own form of government and survive with large help from The Box.  Once a month The Box appears like an elevator out from below the ground.  In The Box are supplies that the boys will need to live (livestock, food, clothes, etc.).  Once a month, a new boy also rides up in The Box.  When each boy arrives the only memory they have is their name. 

 

The new boy in the beginning of the story was Thomas.  He seems like he will be the main character of the story.  Thomas is confused when he first gets there, but begins to have ideas that The Maze is familiar to him. Alby is another boy that is in The Glade.  He is the self-proclaimed leader and I believe that he is one of the boys who has been there the longest.  Alby's right-hand man is Newt.  Chuck is a boy who Alby and Newt assign to show Thomas around.  Chuck was the last "Greenie" before Thomas came.  I think Chuck is sweet, but reminds me of a little brother type.  Thomas is annoyed by Chuck's incessant talking, but I think, loves him deep down.  Gally is the jerk of The Glade so far.  He claims that he has seen Thomas before, but because of his memory loss cannot quite realize where.  I believe that is going to be an ongoing idea of this book, and also a main idea of the theme.  Minho has been introduced as the Keeper of the Runners.  He has not become a main character just yet, but I believe that he will be a key figure as the story goes on.  I also feel that way about Teresa.  She is the only girl to ever be brought into The Glade.  At her appearance, everything in The Glade begins to change and some boys believe that Thomas has something to do with it.

 

As I have read I have had a really difficult time putting this book down.  Each chapter seems to end with a cliffhanger that makes me want to read on.  I have some questions about what has happened and that leads me to make some predictions.  I understand that the boys call the people who sent them to The Glade are The Creators, but why have they been sent there?  What is going on in the outside world that these boys have been exiled to there.  I also wonder why Teresa is the first girl to enter The Glade.  What is special about her, and why is she going to be the last person sent there?  I believe that she somehow works with The Creators, but because she has lost her memory she cannot figure it all out just yet.  Why does Thomas have such an urge to become a Runner and why does The Maze seem familiar to him?  Also, why do all the boys who go through The Changing know him.  I believe that, like Teresa, Thomas was working with The Creators as well.  Maybe The Creators are doing something horrible to people and Thomas and Teresa rebelled.  Maybe they were exiled to The Glade because of their rebellion.

 

So far, I have really enjoyed reading this book.  I did have a difficult time getting into it when I first started, but as I continued I really enjoyed it.  It is very exciting and I really like the characters for the most part (except Gally, I want to punch him).  I can visual everything as the characters see it.  I cried along with Thomas at Ben's banishment.  I felt Ben's pain and fear as he pleaded for his life.  It reminded me a bit of The Lord of the Flies.  I also felt the fear from Thomas as he first caught a glimpse of a Griever.  I like the way Dashner describes that gruesome being.  I want to see the movie mostly because I want to see what they do with those creatures.  I look forward to continuing to read The Maze Runner and cannot wait to have my questions answered and compare my predictions.         

Reader's Workshop

I believe that reader's workshop is an important part of having a classroom.  It is how I will instill the joy of reading in my students.  During reader's workshop I will also work on Allington's 6 T's; time, text, talk, task, teach.  I would begin each reader's workshop with a mini-lesson.  During this lesson, I will read the class an easy, below grade level book.  By doing this I will make sure that we can finish the story faster and that the students will be able to grasp the concepts that I fins important.  In my mini lesson I will focus on a specific goal that I want the students to learn.  It will also be a goal that I reinforce while they are doing their independent reading and I confer with them.  In independent reading, they will enjoy reading their books. I understand that it is important for the students to choose their own books.  This will allow them to discover the kind of reader that they are.  While they read, I will walk around the room, holding conferences with them.  In these conferences I will talk to them about what they are reading, and have them work on goals or skills I have set for them (fluency, vocabulary, etc.).    It will also be time for me to reiterate what we have gone over as a class in our mini-lesson.  I look forward to taking advantage of some one-on-one time with my students.  One important aspect of conferencing to me would be that I will allow the students to do all the answering while I only ask the questions.  Once the students are done with their reading for that day, I will have them complete a reading log about how long and how much they read.  Once they are done with a chapter, I will ask the students to summarize what they read in that chapter and have them predict what they believe will happen next.  Finally, I will allow the students to have share time.  In this time, I will give them the opportunity to discuss their books with me and their fellow classmates.  During share time I can ask the probing questions to help the class discover challenging ideas and reinforce ideas that they have already been taught.  It will also be a good time to let the students talk amongst their friends.  Share time will let the class here about what their friends are reading, and maybe open their eyes to what else is out there in the literary world.