TGIF!

I'm looking forward to our first Friday and our first opportunity to log onto the laptop computers. We'll take a tour of blogger and visit some other interesting web sites. No matter what your technology experience, we'll all help each other.

I was missing quite a few of you today as scheduling got underway. We created a chart of Reading Territories and passed around our favorite books and current books we are reading now. By Monday you'll need to be ready to settle in with the book of your choice. Also, you'll need your divider pages to set up our three ring binders. I'll collect Reading Territories tomorrow.

You should be feeling more comfortable with your new schedule now. I'm looking forward to a great semester. Thanks for your efforts this week!

There's Nothing Like the Comfort of a Great Book

Tomorrow we'll be talking about books, sharing our favorites and giving them a quick overview. Be prepared to show yours to the class, and if you can't get your hands on it, at least be able to tell us a little bit about it, the author and why you enjoyed it.

We'll be writing our Reading Territories, and as you think about the kind of reading you enjoy, you may notice that your reading interests may be very similar to your Writing Territories. (For example, I couldn't leave my pets off either list.)


If you are still looking for book titles, check out this book award link. It will take you to lists of award winners, and I've gotten lots of ideas there.
We will visit the library tomorrow in small groups, but I'm hoping that you have an idea of what you are looking for before you go. Book sharing (and I still need to show the Power Point in 2nd block - sorry) will help. If you already know what you want to read and have it, bring it with you!

Have You Found a Great Book? They're Out There!

I love to read, but I'll have to admit, I have to make time for myself or the only books I read are books about research in the field of teaching reading and writing, methodology, work or self improvement! It's not that they aren't valuable, but there's really nothing like snuggling in with a really great book with no other intention than to enjoy the experience.

I am hoping that if I actually make us some time to read great books, you'll take advantage and enjoy some independent pleasure reading. I'm bringing some of my favorites tomorrow, and I'll be asking you to bring your favorite(s) on Thursday to share with the class. Tomorrow I'll share a Power Point about some current award winners, and by the way, they are all available in our library. The librarians have given us permission to come to the library on Thursday to check out books. If you haven't had a chance to search for one on your own, maybe you'll find one then.

Last semester I was still home on leave when my classes went to the library for the first time, so I blogged about my favorite books and this link will take you to that information about To Kill A Mockingbird, Kite Runner and A Prayer For Owen Meaney. (In order to actually go to the Kite Runner web site and also read the comments on my post, you have to go back to August 28th to access all of the information.)

Some of my friends commented on this post, and they talked about their favorite books, too. Please take the time to see what we all have to say. I'll be anxious to hear about your favorites this Thursday, and maybe we'll all get new ideas about what we'll read next.

Don't forget to bring in your letters tomorrow (if you haven't already), and your Writing Territories are also due. It doesn't have to be complicated. You need to have at least five categories with four or more ideas under each. If you didn't hand in your syllabus today, please bring it tomorrow. Thanks to those of you who brought in tissues for the class.

This is going to be a wonderful semester.

Discovering Myself Through Reading and Writing

I am asking you write a letter and to reflect on your experiences with reading and writing in your personal life and in past English classes. I thought I'd share mine. As early as I can remember, I think I've always viewed writing as something artistic and imaginative. The first time a teacher asked me to write a story was back in first grade. She wanted Halloween pumpkin stories from us, complete with illustrations. I tried my best to be surprising and different - and I really do remember the effort. After reading the stories, though, the teacher expressed alarm, worried that there might be something wrong with me because my main character (a jack 'o lantern) ended up being baked in a Thanksgiving pie. I thought it was clever and that it made sense with the food chain and all. I tried the best I could that year to be more predictably like the other kids. I wonder how many times teachers unwittingly do that sort of thing to their students.

My writing has naturally evolved since those days, but I hope to recapture that childlike imagination that should be limitless and free. I don't often write fiction, but I love to read it, and I'm very interested in the process of writing it. I think that it would be a fascinating way to explore my own life by creating a fictional account of some of my own experiences. I have had some unusual events in my life. I've lived in Mexico, Canada, Japan, and several cities in the U.S. I was married to a professional baseball player and have even been on a television talk show. I have two kids (both in college now),two dogs, two cats, and lots of friends.

Whatever your circumstances, I believe each one of us has a story to tell.Most of what I write these days is nonfiction, though. I have a collection of memoirs I keep doodling with, and I've been working on a series of articles reflecting research on new digital literacies (the weblog). I like to utilize writing and reading workshop strategies in our classroom. For those of you familiar with "workshop," you already know that this means that the class is student centered and that your writing needs will dictate what we focus on in the class. You will be setting goals, and together we will evaluate your growth as readers and writers and independent thinkers. You will challenge yourself to develop further, and I'm happy to be on that path with you.

In closing, I'm anxious to read what you have to say. Some of you, I know, will have more extensive and positive experiences with reading and writing than others. What matters, though, is the desire. Wherever you are on that scale of experience, you must be willing to push yourself. I can't wait. It's such a worthwhile journey!