Reader response has been an integral part of my gifted classroom curriculum. Now that the first round of testing is done, I am wondering if there is a way I can continue using reader response while integrating testing style writing.
I hesitate to call this authentic writing because God knows I don’t write about every book I read. “Sometimes I just want to read for the pleasure of it,” one student said exasperated by yet another reader response assignment.
But sometimes it is helpful to write to process thinking, or to make that metacognition happen in the first place. I am doing that very kind of writing right this minute. Writing to discover. Could reader response be a discovery? Could we learn as we write?
In my class this morning, we had a discussion about theme. I was pushing my young writer to think deeper about his reader response. He said he thought the theme was stated in the title, “Walk Two Moons.” I grabbed this statement and held on.
“What is meant by the title?”
“Don’t judge a man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins.”
“Are there examples from the story to prove this theme?”
He continued by recalling scenes from the book. “So, what is the most important thing about your claim that this is the theme?”
“Text evidence!”
I love when we make connections between what we are actually doing when we read with what the testers want us to do. You must support your claim with evidence from the book.
Linda Baie posted yesterday about reader response. Here are some take aways from that post that I want to build into my renewed reader response assignments:
- Think about the book as a whole. What theme arises?
- What imprint does this book leave on your life right now?
- Talk about the author’s craft. How did the author tell the story?
- Is the main character in your heart? Why? Did he/she teach you anything?
It is also important to have book discussions with your students individually. I talked to Jacob this morning about his reader response. He wrote that he would like to go to the moon. I asked, “Can you tell me more about this?”
He said, “I really don’t want to go to the moon. I am scared of how you would float out into space.” He eventually wrote about the earth having an atmospheric bubble that helps you breathe. So much more interesting than the patent answer. I told him this. He became proud and confident in his own personal response to reading. It became about more than the facts in the book. He became an authentic reader and writer, expressing his own fears and understanding about outer space.
I want reading to be freedom for my students, not a burden. Freedom to fly into outer-space or to walk two moons. Freedom to find their own way exploring the world in books.
Your post makes me miss teaching reading. I teach 5th grade writing. I spent time immersing my students in reading the genre we will write but I don’t discuss the reading of books every day with them. I’m actually not sure if we should departmentalize? As a teacher, I think I would help students more if I engaged them in discussions with both reading and writing. Something you are getting me to ponder.
I loved Linda’s posts about reading responses, too, Margaret. I think that they should be more of a discovery, but we have made them formulas because those are easier to teach and they meet the demands of the standardized tests. Julieanne had some great posts about getting kids to think about their reading and respond by deciding what character you would be. Did you see those? I think that when students learn that they will discover new ideas or have realizations about books and themselves that didn’t exist before writing, they begin to enjoy the responses more. Your children are lucky to have you learning with them.
I did see Julianne’s posts about reading picture books. I need to get better at this. I wish someone would just hand me a collection that would work with teaching my gifted readers.
Could your students write letters to you or each other about their discoveries in the reading? That would give them an authentic audience, and then you could add your voice in a letter to both if two students were both struggling with a certain theme or question. I heard Nancie Atwell present at NCTE this fall and she talked about having her students write “letter-essays” to her, which she responded to–I’ve been thinking about how to incorporate the idea into my classroom ever since and am trying an experiment with my seniors this spring.
Linda had an idea about a letter from a character to the author. I didn’t include it in my post, but I plan to use it. I think I will give some choice about form, and a letter can be one of them.
Thanks for sharing some of my thoughts, too, Margaret. Although there isn’t time every week, when students are reading personal choices instead of in a group, little beats the conference as you just described. How wonderful that your conversation pushed your student to different ways of thinking. I’m still unsure that without conversation, students will think this way just by writing. I guess it depends on the book and the student’s thoughtfulness. As you form a habit with your class of this thinking further, it will help, & from all you share, I know you do. You’ve made me think more too!
You bring up a good point that they need the conversation, too. It’s easy when there are just a few kids, but in my larger class we don’t have this much conversation. I wonder how I can make it happen for both groups?
I agree! While it might not be something we always do. We do grow our thinking when we write about it. I know the struggle of just wanting to read and not write. Yet the growth and beauty if though that comes from writing about reading is so valuable. Your individual conference with Jacob is wonderful !
This is perfect! Icing on the cake. We just had a conversation yesterday about this topic. I believe strongly in the “talk” around books. We can’t lose that in our classrooms.
Such a thoughtful post, Margaret. I’m always arguing with myself about reading responses, because the last thing we want to to burden our kids with the type of work that kills reading.
I agree, but I have stuck with them because I feel they are good indicators of where a reader is. I plan to talk to my students after our spring break about stepping up the game a bit. When they get complacent, it’s time for a restart.
So many people are on opposite ends of this position – respond or not respond? Is it a freedom or reading or a burden? So many great things for me to think about. I love the ideas you have shared here. Let’s keep the talk going – this is when we learn the most.
This SOL forum has given me much food for thought. And I love that I have found an audience for my reflections. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing! I had to email your post to myself so I could have your and Linda’s thinking at a moment’s notice to try with my classroom.
I love when learning authentically happens and students apply what you were trying to teach them without you even prompting. It’s magical.
I just had a conference with one of my reader/writers today. He rarely elaborates on his reading response so I, once again, called him over and asked him a few questions about the story. He did an amazing job explaining so I said: That would be perfect! Then he said: I do that every time. When I write about it I add nothing, but when you ask me I do a great job. THAT’s why those conferences are so important.
Love this post. Have been struggling with how to make my reading response grow with my third graders. You and Linda have given me some ideas.
I teach third grade at an international school in Venezuela and 98% of my students are non-native English speakers. I feel like I need to give them a reading response assignment each time- especially for chapter books. I do try to provide a lot of variety and choice by using things like a novel choice menu. I really like question four and might add it to my next menu!
-Amanda at http://teachingwanderlust.com/2015/03/25/enjoying-a-mid-week-no-work-day-sol25/
This is such a thoughtful and thought-provoking post, Margaret. I missed Linda’s post yesterday, so I’m heading over there to read it now, then will come back to yours. I think there is a fine line between taking the joy out of reading by having kids write about every single thing they read and having them write to deepen their understanding of powerful books. To be continued…
Linda,you left me with questions to ponder: Writing to discover. Could reader response be a discovery? Could we learn as we write? Thank you for your deep searching on ways to connect learners to the act of introspection.
Sorry, Margaret, meant to say you left me with some questions to ponder along with Linda’s post.