tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202949130902554989.post4471638346061436051..comments2024-01-04T05:04:16.447-05:00Comments on A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust: A discussion on difficulty in reading YA lit disguised as a book review: Chime by Franny BillingsleyBeth S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06944635942712994937noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202949130902554989.post-61210871024636474432012-07-16T11:21:48.597-04:002012-07-16T11:21:48.597-04:00And yet, Sheridan Blau argues in The Literature Wo...And yet, Sheridan Blau argues in The Literature Workshop that's sometimes what students need to see: their teacher struggling. We can't always put up the facade of expert reader when things give us trouble. If students think they're supposed to "get it" on their first read through, how is that helping them to learn patience and stamina? Blau actually suggests bringing in texts to the classroom, sight unseen, and struggling through them with your students. <br /><br />This idea was also brought up in a class I took last year called "Literature for Teachers" that teachers need to remember what it's like to struggle with a text to have empathy for their students. It's the same idea with writing. We need to show our students our messes so they understand it's a process. If we only show them our successes, they will always be daunted and intimidated by writing.<br /><br />Does that mean I should go into every book I teach not knowing what's going on? No, but at the same time, my philosophy is to teach readers, not books. I'm not a teacher who wants to come in and be the sage reader and therefore you must listen to everything I say because it is sacred. Sometimes "most experienced learner" in the room is a better way to approach teaching instead of "expert."<br /><br />If students can read a book and tell me what they think is happening, imagine what that can do for their self-esteem as readers, and also for helping them to remember what they learned. Lecturing tends to only make one person in the room learn anything: the teacher.Beth S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06944635942712994937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202949130902554989.post-20256876767536262212012-07-16T11:07:17.995-04:002012-07-16T11:07:17.995-04:00I think it's good to let your students know th...I think it's good to let your students know that sometimes you as a teacher don't understand a passage in a book, because that makes you appear down-to-earth, and students don't feel so bad for not understanding it themselves. That said, if you as a teacher don't understand what's going on in the book I wouldn't recommend teaching it to a class. It's probably not a book your students would enjoy either, and there will probably be nothing earned from either side from discussing it.Chris Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16995942558585642314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202949130902554989.post-14100194741828000402012-07-16T08:54:53.785-04:002012-07-16T08:54:53.785-04:00I love your points you make here about literary me...I love your points you make here about literary merit in YA and how discussion can help clarify thoughts. Also, I completely agree that we as teachers need to let students see our confusion or difficulty with text, and then model how to work through it to deeper understanding. I would also love to see you do a post with your list of literary titles!Mrs. Heisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14954298143910351588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202949130902554989.post-59426676894519463562012-07-15T22:31:51.917-04:002012-07-15T22:31:51.917-04:00Maybe it doesn't bother people... maybe it onl...Maybe it doesn't bother people... maybe it only bothers me. And maybe "bothers" is the wrong choice of words. I'm just very choosy about the reviews I read. I have a very short attention span and someone has to really hook me to keep reading and I've just found that the reviews I read the most are the ones from people who write the whole review, summary and all. Professional reviewers write their own summaries so I guess I look at it as a challenge to myself if I want to be taken seriously as a writer, then I better put forth the effort of writing a professional quality review. <br /><br />I realize it's a hobby for most people so I try not to make a big deal of it, but my personal preference is reading reviews where the person writes the whole review, summary and all.Beth S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06944635942712994937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202949130902554989.post-645300193675385302012-07-15T22:19:43.470-04:002012-07-15T22:19:43.470-04:00I didn't realize this bothered people. I don&#...I didn't realize this bothered people. I don't write my own synopsis for a view reason - the first being I'm afraid of spoiling something. Another reason is that I think the publisher summary is elaborate enough without giving anything away. As a blog reader, I always skip the summary anyway (especially if it is a book I've already heard of) and just get to the "meat" of the review. When people write their own summaries I end up skipping over it haha.Miss Remmershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16474288521051832608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202949130902554989.post-90815812767521443512012-07-15T20:32:21.071-04:002012-07-15T20:32:21.071-04:00I've not read this book, but I can tell you a ...I've not read this book, but I can tell you a little about book discussions in my classroom. I love our "circle discussions" and some of the best moments have come when my students have brought up a point of view on a piece of literature or shared an insight that never even crossed my mind. I have no problem letting them know they've prompted me to think or beginning a discussion with, "you know what confused me . . ." This allows the students to see that learning is a process and one that is never without mistakes and questions. It would be great if you could find a few of your students who had read this book and ask them what they thought, I think they'd love that!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com