Blog #2 Leslie Turnage The Pleasure Principle

Our goal as teachers is to help students grow into readers, writers, and thinkers.  I love the idea of Reader’s Workshop.  I have never really used this approach to reading, but I understand the concept and idea.  The only problem I have with this concept is because the makeup of the grading system has not really changed.  The end result is students have to read and answer questions to pass a statewide test.  We also have to have grades for students to show if they are able to be on grade level.  If students can’t perform on grade level, we have to document and are held accountable. 

I would love to try and spend time working and discussing what good readers do, model, and conduct mini-lessons with my students.  I am doing better this year, but  we are still using the same text so that I can get a grade at the end of the week so I have a more accurate system of what they are doing.  Doing this is not allowing me the time for students to read independently while I hold individual conferences with my students.  One thing I have started doing is book talks for their reading homework.  I have them discuss in groups of four what they read the night before.  They tell about their book and the others are able to ask questions.  They students enjoy this time and right now we are doing a minute per person, but I think I could add another minute for each person because sometimes they do not have time to finish.  I am at least taking small steps toward helping my students fall in love with reading.  The ones that need it the most have trouble keeping up with all the other work to have the time to read independently for pleasure.