Random Thoughts

The first post I read today was on Doug Noon’s Borderland about his use of free and voluntary reading.  It really made me think.I have used free and voluntary reading in my classes before.  I did it in China.  I did it in Louisiana.  I was always very pleased with the way students really took to reading.  So why am I not doing it now?

There is no good reason that I can come up with.  I have just not structured my classes this way.  I have not done it for any reason other than that I felt there was so much for students to learn that there was no time to lose.  And that, this year, translated into no free reading.  In part it may be because last year I was in adult ed, teaching beginners in a highly structured program.  I got out of the habit.  But I think it is something I need to try again.  I have to see where it goes in the program.  With only 150 minutes a week, I never seem to get everything done that I want to.  That right there tells you I need to do some serious thinking about my classes, doesn’t it?

I am in the process of writing the curriculum for the program, and I hope that will help me find a way to better spread out the many things I think need to be done over the whole program rather than trying to cram them all into my classes.

Thanks, Doug, for the reminder!  This is definitely something I need to work on!

Someone told me about the 999 Challenge a few weeks ago.  The idea is to read 9 books in each of nine categories in 2009.  I checked it out on Library Thing and decided it sounded like a good idea.  I am not sure I can commit to reading 81 books this year, so I am not committing to a specific number above 9, but I am hoping for at least 3 books in each category.

Here is my list of categories:

1. first novels
2. science fiction
3. short stories
4. history
5. classics I have never read
6. mystery
7. science
8. biography/autobiography/memoirs
9. best sellers

The idea, as anyone familiar with my reading habits will tell you, is to select categories that will stretch your reading.  I have a tendency to read books about education or mysteries.  But I live work at a university with a huge science fiction collection and where the science fiction author Jack Williamson both studied and taught.  So I should read some science fiction.  And I have always had a block when it comes to science, so I am going to try to read some books on science — I am not sure yet what branch of science (It will have to be a book I can read comfortably more than anything else.).  I chose “first novels” almost by accident: My sister-in-law loaned me The Giant’s House when I was at her house at the beginning of January.  I decided to include it in my list of books read, but I wasn’t sure what category I could put it in.  Since it was McCracken’s first novel, I decided to create a category for that.

I am keeping track of my reading on a site I did not know of until a week or so ago: Reading Trails.  According to their website,

Reading Trails offers tools to organize books in a new way. We are a community of passionate, thoughtful readers who use social networking and trails to share our reading experiences and create new ones.

I haven’t done much on the site except create a trail.  My trail for the 999 challenge can be found here.

I am always looking for ways to get students to respond to reading, to demonstrate that they have read the book or article or whatever.  I have two new ideas to try with students in the fall.

As part of the Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project’s Advanced Institute this year, we each read a book that in some way used the journal format.  (I read The Burn Journals, a scary but important book.)  Then, we photocopied a page from the book and used that to talk about the book for five minutes.  It was an interesting way to learn about 15 books in 75 minutes.  (It really took closer to 90 minutes.  Some of us like to talk!)

The other idea e from Scott McLeod’s post about his 140-Character Book Review Contest.  Basically, he is asking people to submit 140-word book reviews for the chance of winning a mug.  With students, writing a 140-character book review is something that has potential.  First of all, the challenge of writing to such length limitations can make the writing process both more of a challenge and less intimidating, depending on the student.

Last semester I tried having my students write six sentence stories instead of our normal journaling.  I got the idea from Six Sentences.  For the students who never managed to write more than about 4 sentences in 10 minutes, the format seemed to free them to write more because knew how much they had to write.  For the more proficient writers, the format allowed them to concentrate on the quality of their writing.  It was successful enough that I am going to try it again.

I think the 140-character book review offers the same possibilities  There is sufficient structure to make it less threatening to reluctant writers, but that same structure makes it more challenging for better writers.  I don’t know that I would stick to the 140-character limit, but 25 or 50 words might work.  Unless my students were used to Twitter or something else that forced them to think in characters, I think a word limit would make more sense than a character limit.

I want my students this fall to do independent reading.  I think I will use both these techniques to monitor their reading.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Well, I opted for a book that wasn’t on Bryan’s list — probably because he has read it already — and am reading Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union.

Chabon writes so beautifully! He says things like:

The problem comes in the hours when he isn’t working, when his thoughts start blowing out the open window of his brain like pages from a blotter.

The book is filled with images like that — or at least the book up to where I am right now (about page 50).  But I don’t see any reason it wouldn’t continue to be like that!

Bryan inspired me to share with you what I have been reading.

I am finishing up Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.

I just finished The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon. The true story of his suicide attempt at fourteen, it is not a book for everyone, but I think it is an important book. It is billed as Young Adult nonfiction, but parents should read it, too, I think.

And what will I be reading next? There’s nothing waiting on the bedside table. I may try one on Bryan’s list, but I don’t know. Any suggestions?