Classics and Choices

Although several readings were assigned to our class this week, Julie Lause's "Using Reading Workshop to Inspire Lifelong Readers" struck me as the most insightful and personally relevant piece. As a future English educator, the idea of engaging all of my students in a list of required classic texts is a little intimidating. I appreciated how Lause focused her piece on student choice and how it can be used as a tool for getting students interested in reading. I found myself taking notes on nearly all of her article as she traveled step-by-step through a unique reading workshop process.

I have read about reading workshops before, but Lause's article seemed to take a different, more honest approach. The first thing that surprised me in this article was that Lause expects her students to read for forty-five solid minutes a night. In the English classroom that I am observing in I could not imagine my teacher assigning forty-five minutes of reading daily to her students. Homework in my cooperating teacher's class is rarely assigned. I agree with Lause that "readers develop by reading" (25). If students rarely read or are unable to find a reading rhythm, it is unlikely that they will be active readers. I think that beginning the class with the same book and initially allowing students to read silently in class will strengthen the reading workshop.

How will I engage my high school students in reading the classics? Will I be able to incorporate both required classic texts AND free-choice books into my classroom? How can I accomplish this? For years, I have pondered these very questions. As I reflect on my high school career, I realize that not having a choice in the books that I read for my English classes turned me off as a reader. Lause suggests having "students continue reading their own selections for forty-five minutes each night" between required texts (26). I really like this idea because students have a say in their required daily reading at different points in the course. The classics that students are assigned to read can open them up to different genres and writers that may influence their free-choice selections. As Lause suggests, students may find a particular era that they enjoy exploring frequently in the books that they choose. I found her section on the different types of student readers to be particularly helpful because she addresses where each type will probably start reading and where I (as a teacher) should lead them.

Finally, one of the most exciting parts of the reading workshop that Lause describes is the community aspect. Not only does the reading workshop allow students to take control of their own learning, but it also gives them a chance to recall and process new information with other students. Lause notes that students will often decide to read the same book so they can talk about it. In my opinion, nothing can make reading a more engaging experience than sharing the journey with another person. When students are given the chance to share and compare readings with one another, they learn about new texts and the various ways that different writers experience the world.