Beyond the Classroom

This past Friday, I attended my observing school's Homecoming football game. I must say that I was surprised at the world that it took me back to. At first I felt a little awkward because I was neither parent nor sibling, and I definitely was no longer a high school student. I took a seat in the stands and began to wonder what my presence at the game would mean for the students that I was with two days a week. I ventured to the concession stand at half-time and found my answer. Several of the students that I have formed relationships with inside the classroom over the past five weeks approached me, and they were very happy that I was there to support them. They wanted to talk about anything and everything and they loved that I was someone who wanted to listen. I learned so many new things about my students just from seeing them outside of the classroom. One of my students won Homecoming Queen, and I was so glad that I chose to be there for her and all of my students that night.

Student as Writer, Teacher as Writer

When I look back on the courses that I have taken in graduate school, it seems that I have been prepared to be more of a reading teacher than a writing teacher. I enjoyed this week's readings because they focused on teaching writing and practicing writing myself. It is hard for me at times to imagine a classroom that, as various writers recommend, maintains the perfect 50:50 ratio between reading and writing. I really appreciated the chapter that discussed how to plan a unit of study because I was able to see each step of one teacher's journey through a unit that blends reading and writing effectively.

Tom Romano's chapter really made me begin thinking about writing as an important learning activity for both students AND teachers. His chapter revealed that when teachers travel through the same writing process as students they have more "empathy for student writers and also gain more credibility in students' eyes" (BPR 171). When teachers model their own writing process step-by-step, writing suddenly becomes a more manageable activity and students have an idea of where to start. Another writer suggests that modeling also benefits teachers' instruction as it helps them monitor how long a given assignment might take for students to complete, and it also helps teachers become aware of problems that students might experience in the process of writing. The most important thing that I got out of the BPR readings was that I will need to practice patience when I am approaching students' writing in the classroom. I must be aware that not all students encounter the same problems in the writing process, and students may have different ways of arriving at a polished final piece.

The Bridging English chapters and the assessment article that we read this week discussed portfolios as a way of measuring student progress. I remember completing one portfolio in my high school career, and, looking back, I do not feel that it reflected my best writing. Unlike the ideas discussed in Bridging English, my teacher did not have us write in several genres and we did not continuously work on our portfolio for the entire semester. As a graduate student having completed various writing portfolios in college, I now understand that, as Milner and Milner note, students must actively participate in the compiling of their portfolios and revision must be an intense, on-going, and engaging undertaking. Portfolios should also be assigned with rubrics that are distributed to students so that they are aware of a teacher's expectations, requirements, and methods of assessment. I would really like to use portfolios in my English classroom one day because they are a great resource for students as they monitor their own progress and reflect on just how far they've come.

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.

Podcasts and Multiliterate Youth

As my group worked on a podcast last week, I began to think about how I can incorporate emerging technologies into my classroom. In her chapter in Adolescent Literacy, Donna Alvermann discusses how multiliterate youth embrace technology and use it to help navigate their world. Reading, for instance, has become a digital experience. Literacy is just one of many areas in adolescents' lives that has been changed dramatically by the Net movement. Video games alone, Alvermann notes, can "sit beside [books], interact with them, and change them and their role in society in various ways" (BPR 25). As a teacher, it will be important for me to view young people as having expertise in areas that are specific to certain situations and places. My hope is that I will be able to give students many opportunities to explore their special talents.

It is no surprise to me that podcasts have found their way into the English classroom. Podcasts can serve as a creative outlet for all students as they are given a voice to discuss literature and poetry in an intimate and comfortable way. Podcasts extend far beyond the standard analysis paper and book reports as they give students the opportunity to make their work public on the Internet. Podcasts connect students with the global classroom as different classes share their pieces. Also, students both young and old can benefit from the podcast experience as podcasts vary widely in their complexity. Personally, I find that the most exciting part about podcasts is the way that they prepare students to talk with one another about reading. Podcasts provide students with excellent practice in articulating their thoughts, feelings, and ideas about English before an audience.

The Book Thief: A Journey Beyond Historical Facts

When I first began reading The Book Thief, I anticipated myself as a reader being overwhelmed with historical facts about Nazi Germany, Hitler, and the Holocaust. As I kept reading, however, I discovered that innocence, human relationships, and the brevity of life are the central areas of focus in Markus Zusak's novel. Zusak could have shortened the novel considerably, cutting out several details of Liesel's story, but, I believe, his book's purpose is to move beyond historical facts, and to reveal one story that mirrors the story of thousands of victims in Nazi Germany. I think that it is important for Liesel's character not to be Jewish because her innocent life and death reveal how war and violence affect all things.

I feel that The Book Thief is a powerful book because it is written in a style that blends different genres. Readers of various ages can appreciate its short chapters, informative definitions, and handwritten text and drawings. As a teacher, I believe that these literary elements can heighten students' interests and encourage them to keep reading. For example, when Liesel begins to read the story that Max, her secret Jew, wrote for her during his time in her family's basement, she learns about the information that Hitler includes in his Mein Kampf. In the classroom, it will not be efficient to have students read Hitler's book, but Zusak's unique way of conveying a brief summary of Hitler's story with handwritten text and illustrations provides students with information that will help them navigate The Book Thief and Nazi Germany history. I felt that, throughout the text, Zusak does an excellent job of hitting the historical high points.

My thoughts on The Book Thief are captured perfectly by Liesel, "I have hated the words and I have loved them" (528). I believe that this novel is important because it tackles big issues that many of us will inevitably come across at some point in our lives. My hope is that I will be able to share this novel with my students one day.

The Book Thief Connections

While reading The Book Thief, I have made connections between this book and other texts, as well as connections between this book and myself. When I began reading The Book Thief, I immediately made a connection between this text and Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, a novel by Stephen Crane. Both pieces depict a young female attempting to, as Crane puts it, "blossom [] in a mud puddle." Although Maggie lives in a New York slum in the late nineteenth century, Liesel's situation is equally dark as she struggles with similar issues of poverty and violence in Nazi Germany. I also see connections between the language and the tone in both novels. Crane begins chapter four of Maggie with the following line: "The babe, Tommie, died." This line strikes me as cold and disconnected as the facts are told in a matter-of-fact fashion. Similarly, Death, The Book Thief's speaker, tells his story in an indifferent tone at times, "He was nearly two years old when his father died, shot to pieces on a grassy hill" (188). I believe that the novels' tones give readers an even greater idea of the dark realities that the characters both stories face.

One of the first connections that I made with The Book Thief had to do with its inclusion of different German words and phrases. I took three years of German when I was in high school, and I fell in love with the language. If I see German now, it's almost like a puzzle to me to see what I can remember. That is the way I have traveled through this novel, as though each word and phrase included is a little riddle for me to figure out. I really get excited reading this text because it includes elements of a language I have experience with and enjoy. When I am a teacher, I want to provide my students with diverse selections so that they may have a chance to make connections between themselves and their reading.

So What?

I was surprised by the So What? responses we were given to read. Five years removed from high school, I did not expect such detailed answers from students regarding "On the Subway" by Sharon Olds. I began to think of my own experiences with poetry in high school. What made these reactions so different than when I was in school? It suddenly hit me.

In my high school, I can't remember a single time in English class when we were given the opportunity to jot down our own ideas in this way and have them respected. Activities like So What? genuinely give students the space and freedom to critically think about a piece and honestly write their ideas. So What? is non-threatening and it invites students to share. The questions are so open-ended that students should feel that teachers are interested in what they have to say. There is no single right answer. If a student doesn't have to worry about being wrong, they will almost always provide some type of response.

I feel that "On the Subway" is a great poem to do for an activity like this. A controversial piece evokes students' emotions, backgrounds, values, prejudices, etc. So What? allows students to write their most personal thoughts without the judgement of their peers. Also, each student is given the opportunity to have their voice heard, even the quieter students who do not often participate in whole-class discussions. So What? lets students explore more deeply, as they have more time to organize their thoughts and write them all down. I also feel that it is harder for students to personally connect to poetry because it is often concise. When students are given more time for response, they have a greater chance of finding their own personal connection.

Discussion and Choice in the Classroom

Engaging students in reading is an important daily task for any English educator. Several factors must fall into place for this to occur. First, a student must find the piece interesting. I think we can all remember suffering through a novel or story that bored us to tears! A text must also meet a student's reading level in order for the reader to be engaged. If a student is unable to read and understand a piece of writing, an English teacher can only expect half-hearted effort and unsatisfactory connections. Finally, students must find relevance and personal meaning in their reading. Students need to find something they can hold onto. Everyone needs an idea, an event, a setting, or a character that encourages them to keep reading. When students are engaged in reading, their understanding expands, their attention is focused, and their comprehension improves.

Several writers this week discussed how English teachers can engage students through discussion and choice. In Adolescent Literacy, Probst stresses the importance of talking in the English classroom. When I began reading this chapter, I began to think about debates. In my classroom experiences, debate was the most common discussion-oriented exercise. When speaking of debates, Probst notes, "Conversation should lead to something better for both parties" (BPR 47). This passage really made me begin thinking about the type of discussions that I want to take place in my classroom, and how talking should be beneficial for all students. Among the ideas in Probst's chapter, I think freewriting and the dialogue booklet can be quite effective in the classroom because both activities give students more control over their learning. Freewriting allows students to read a passage (or hear one read aloud), jot down their thoughts, and work through their own questions, rather than the teacher's. The thoughts that students have recorded will facilitate group work that follows. Similarly, the dialogue booklet, as Probst puts it, "begins to move the teacher out of the middle" (BPR 55). Although the English teacher generates the questions to provide structure for the conversation, the students in each group have complete control over what is discussed and when. While the activities in Probst's chapter focused on smaller group discussion, Milner and Milner, in Bridging English, suggest that small-group discussion is a way for students to develop a confident voice and prepare themselves for whole-class discussions.

Giving students choices will be also be an important element of my English classroom. In her chapter in Adolescent Literacy, Lesesne discusses the various ways that adolescent literature is changing. As a result, so too will our decisions as teachers change. For example, she explains how students may identify with and engage themselves more fully in graphic novels, as opposed to the standard dramatic novel. More and more, students are reading stories that blur the lines that exist between genres. Students are increasingly embracing novels told through multiple perspectives. Lesesne notes this shift, "This explosion...means that more and more teens have the opportunity to use books both as a mirror...or as a window" (BPR 72). As teachers, we must give students options to explore the books that speak to them. In Mini-lessons for Literature Circles, Daniels and Steineke suggest book pass stations as a way of bringing choices into the classroom. At each station, teachers give students a chance to look at a few different titles. For two minutes, students read as far as they can in each of the books, and jot down notes on a sheet provided or in their journals about what they liked and what they didn't like. The cycle continues until all of the books at the station have been sampled, and all of the stations have been visited. This activity familiarizes students with different genres and different authors in an intimate way.