#whyiteach Tuesday:
Short version: seeing a group of seniors change their opinion on books and reading!
Longer version: This semester I added a high school Contemporary Lit class to my teaching schedule. And I’ll be honest, I was a little hesitant at first. I was told it would probably be all seniors who (a) didn’t have another elective option, and/or (b) might even need the literature credit to graduate. Not the ideal classroom makeup for a “reading is fun,” “we love books” type of discussion class that I had envisioned in my dreams.
Well, I’m 3 weeks in, and I have to say that I enjoy every minute I get to spend with these sharp, witty, insightful teens.
The class makeup initially was 1/3 #booknerd and 2/3 “why does my elective say LITERATURE?!" But with #booktasting (pictured here), finding space in my borrowed classroom to set up a #classroomlibrary, #classroombookaday, reading aloud, and the freedom to CHOOSE what they want to read, we are slowly turning all of them into READERS!
We’ve had great discussion on reading for school vs reading for pleasure, discovering what type of books they enjoy and the environment in which they read best, and why it’s okay to stop reading a book they don't like... well, unless it's assigned, but that's an entirely different topic, and goes along with this video:
I’ve got big plans for this class...stay tuned for more updates!
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