Thankfulness #4

I intended to go a different direction today but something was posted on Facebook that has given me such encouragement that I have to say, I am so thankful for my students! One of my former students, now a sophomore in my husband's high school, posted that she had truly enjoyed the literature circles that I developed for her 8th grade class, and that she had learned so much through the process. I was so blessed by that comment.

I saw that learning taking place in my classroom but I was never certain that the students actually realized how much they were learning. I have taught many novels over the years but this book club atmosphere just seemed so relevant to me. There are several things that I think are important about it. First is choice. I lay out ten to twelve different novels and let students choose what they want to read. Sometimes the novels have a unifying theme, for example my American Revolution, Civil War, and Holocaust novels. Other times it's about the length of the books because I do want the students to begin and end at about the same time. Other times it's just random books that appeal to me at the time. But choice is very significant. I have found that students are willing to try harder to do well if they have the responsibility of choosing what they read. Next is the atmosphere of collaboration. No one person is responsible for creating the lesson; each student contributes to the day's work. The discussion that ensues is amazing. When I hear my 8th graders talking about dynamic or static characters, the repetition of theme, the importance of the setting to the development of a novel, I get a bit light-headed. It is proof that they are really learning, becoming critical thinkers/readers. Plus, let's face it, junior high students are social beings who need to talk. Directing their discussion into literature doesn't seem to matter to them as long as they are allowed to talk! Also I find the organization of the system really helps students to become more organized themselves. I prepare individual task calendars for each student. That is the most difficult job of this entire experience. Once it is done, it's smooth sailing for me as a teacher. Students love ticking off their jobs on the calendar and tend to pay more attention to their own planners once we start this.

Another little trick I have is quantity of reading. The first novels studied are the shortest and are over the longest time period. Each novel study is a day or two shorter than the prior one. I begin to push students to read more, faster, and thus become habitual readers. They create their own tests through their word choice for the smithing process and the thinking questions that lead to my own essay questions later. And it is never difficult to find an essay proposal when it involves literature. Apart from the obvious character analysis, there is the element of theme or mood or conflict that is easily explored in a 250-450 word essay. And yes, they often write longer essays but are learning to become more concise in their writing, to choose interesting words that reflect big ideas rather than ten words to say the same thing.

So today I am thankful for my students. It probably helps that today is a snow day and that I'm home, still in my bathrobe, drinking coffee in front of the fire. Right. I am quite sure this helps!