e-zines are a great avenue for reading. I subscribe to several and they make for great reading in short bursts. There are also so many of them available that finding one of interest to any given student is fantastically easy.
I like that you say that much of class time is/should be used for discussion. This allows for the deeper understanding that Gallagher talks about. I love that guy!
Kids hate reading Shakespeare, but I think it is important to learn because you get to hear English spoken in a different way. I think it helps kids learn how to understand people who may talk differently or speak English as a second language and don't really speak it the way we do in the US. The real problem for you will probably be getting students to read what you assign outside of class. That would be tough. I know that I was not doing much of that in high school. I would think that it would be easier to give students some silent reading time on their own like you said and that will get them to open and start reading the book or whatever is assigned and hopefully suck them in.
Kids hate reading Shakespeare? Heck, almost every adult outside of the British Literature department hates reading Shakespeare. For some of us, the most interesting part about Shakespeare is tracing the changes in the English language through it. That said, it really comes down to the teacher (in high school, that is) to create complementary activities that keep the students engaged.
In my experience the past two years, very little reading occurs outside of the class. I would venture to say that 30% of the students actually read what they are assigned. While the classroom is mostly reserved for discussion, which is the format you see in college, high school classes I see have a fair amount of reading being done in the class. The reason I see so much of this is because I work in classrooms that are heavily stacked with SpEd students. Many of them do not have much support at home, so the teachers have structured the classes so that most work is completed in the classroom.
Hi Sarah--believe it or not reading is actually done IN the class the in Salem-Keizer. they don't have enough novels for everyone so the teacher has to read the entire novel out loud to the students. It's crazy!!!
But, another thing to think about is that many students won't read for homework. Teachers have to come up with creative ways to integrate the "reading" in their classrooms. Whether they are reading math, novels, or textbooks, the teacher has to integrate those reading processes we are learning about in her/his daily teaching.
Jill stole my comment. I spent some time in two Liberal Arts classes today for my pre-student teaching. In both classes, the teachers read. Antigone and The Taming of the Shrew were read aloud as a class by students and the teacher, taking time for reflecting and guided journaling throughout the class. Interesting...
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ReplyDeleteNevermind, I reloaded the page and it worked.
ReplyDeletee-zines are a great avenue for reading. I subscribe to several and they make for great reading in short bursts. There are also so many of them available that finding one of interest to any given student is fantastically easy.
I like that you say that much of class time is/should be used for discussion. This allows for the deeper understanding that Gallagher talks about. I love that guy!
His book is definitely an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteKids hate reading Shakespeare, but I think it is important to learn because you get to hear English spoken in a different way. I think it helps kids learn how to understand people who may talk differently or speak English as a second language and don't really speak it the way we do in the US.
ReplyDeleteThe real problem for you will probably be getting students to read what you assign outside of class. That would be tough. I know that I was not doing much of that in high school. I would think that it would be easier to give students some silent reading time on their own like you said and that will get them to open and start reading the book or whatever is assigned and hopefully suck them in.
Kids hate reading Shakespeare? Heck, almost every adult outside of the British Literature department hates reading Shakespeare. For some of us, the most interesting part about Shakespeare is tracing the changes in the English language through it. That said, it really comes down to the teacher (in high school, that is) to create complementary activities that keep the students engaged.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience the past two years, very little reading occurs outside of the class. I would venture to say that 30% of the students actually read what they are assigned. While the classroom is mostly reserved for discussion, which is the format you see in college, high school classes I see have a fair amount of reading being done in the class. The reason I see so much of this is because I work in classrooms that are heavily stacked with SpEd students. Many of them do not have much support at home, so the teachers have structured the classes so that most work is completed in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah--believe it or not reading is actually done IN the class the in Salem-Keizer. they don't have enough novels for everyone so the teacher has to read the entire novel out loud to the students. It's crazy!!!
ReplyDeleteBut, another thing to think about is that many students won't read for homework. Teachers have to come up with creative ways to integrate the "reading" in their classrooms. Whether they are reading math, novels, or textbooks, the teacher has to integrate those reading processes we are learning about in her/his daily teaching.
Jill stole my comment. I spent some time in two Liberal Arts classes today for my pre-student teaching. In both classes, the teachers read. Antigone and The Taming of the Shrew were read aloud as a class by students and the teacher, taking time for reflecting and guided journaling throughout the class. Interesting...
ReplyDelete