1. Readicide

1. overteaching

1. like quizzes that focus on minute details

2. balance

1. FVR - we MUST have balance

1. trend toward teaching with novellas, what is the place of FVR?
2. is FVR reading with NO support?

3. studies

1. I question - what were the measures to determine “highly effective teachers”
2. I question - we know that poverty is a MAJOR contributor to success in the classroom, did they take this into account?
3. Question - How many of us want to be like the teachers we had?

1. I have 3 of my school teachers I’d like to be like: 2nd grade, 8th grade lit, my father -- 3 of more than 15.

4. drill and kill
5. too much time listening -- develop higher level thinking through reading

1. textual proof
2. encourage opinions
3. lexical support to encourage opinions

4. The sweet spot

1. FVR - support is key! glossaries, compellingness, discussion, etc.
2. “come out and learn”

1. Consider: do our classes NEED to be a series of right and wrong answers? Is it better to learn language through discussion and experience? MY thought? YES! H*** YES!

3. cultural literacy?

1. I am in the middle. I see the value in the classics, but… we either need to find a way to make them fit the 3 Cs of CI, OR we need to change what we read.
2. If “the hero cycle” is the theme, let them choose a book they think fits it…. let them learn cultural literacy through what compells them
3. I HATE Shakespeare. I say that having read multiple of his works. I enjoy seeing some plays performed, but I hate the normally accepted canon of works read in school (especially Romeo and Juliet). Do I need Shakespeare to understand those themes? Not really.
4. “learn to love it”?

1. I did this with Prairie Home Companion…. I HATED listening to it as a kid, EXCEPT it was compelling in the way it was presented, even if the content was above my head. I held on to that and now, understanding the content, I LOVE it
2. To Kill a Mockingbird - I liked it the first time. I was forced to read it three times, see the play, watch the movie, now I hate it. I still get the value of it, but, honestly, I’d rather read something else that also discusses this point.

4. How do we “frame” reading? I think it is important to frame on all sides. Let reading be reading, but also provide support before, during, and after. BUT…. we must be careful NOT to overteach. I found his examples to be on the edge… some seemed to be overteaching, especially for those reading for survival.

1. dictatio
2. reading guide (don’t over due!)
3. comic strips
4. read and discuss
5. story listening

5. Good/Struggling Readers

1. I get what he is doing here, but I reject the term “good reader”. It implies, even if the other term is changed, that others are “bad” readers.
2. Read, Read, Re-Read

1. reading cannot hurt. We must model this too. If kids see us read and re-read, they will begin to see the value as well.

2. The Book Whisperer

1. How do we address requirements with a limited selection of books?

1. We read for 10 minutes…. EVERY day/series of days.
2. When you are done with a book you can

1. re-read (can’t hurt)
2. choose another
3. revisit it later

3. My book is boring…

1. how much have you read?

1. oh, give it a chance. Let's talk after chapter ½
2. hmm. okay. I remember this one, it wasn’t my favourite… choose another!
3. hmm. okay. I remember this one, I totally see how you don’t like it. The ending/chapter/etc. though…. REALLY good. Maybe choose another and revisit this later?

4. Validate reader choices

1. Who CARES if they are Level IV and reading Pluto, Brando, Rufus, etc.
2. Read- aloud days --- my kids have expressed interest in some of the books that aren’t FVR - Dr. Seuss, Harry Potter, how can we use those, even if they aren’t FVR (why aren’t they?)

5. Genre Sets the Stage

1. What do we provide students who are choosing books in the TL (and most often not something they’d already know?)

6. Reader’s notebook….

1. hmmm….. I kind of like this.