Caught in the Middle: Reading and Writing in the Transition Years (#3)
““Curricular instruction at the intermediate level is fulfilling both to the learner and teacher when passions from all sides are included in the planning.
In June 2010, we planned for the following year, as a grade team, the big ideas that the literacy program was to embody: What does the world look like to me? How does my voice fit in with the world? How can I influence the world with my voice? All curricular expectations and focuses in each school term would be in line with those big ideas” ”
This quote by Booth (2011) blew me away. At the moment, I have a student teacher in my classroom who I am mentoring. In talking with him, it brought me back to my undergraduate days where we were taught very technical fragments of education such as standards and objectives, but were never talked to about the art of teaching. Of course, you cannot teach this. But if someone would have told me that you could implement the passions in your life into your curriculum, I would have entered the teaching world within a different perspective. (To argue that point, however, I do believe that we need to find our path as we learn and grow.)
This year, I work with a colleague who also utilizes Understanding by Design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2015), Essential Questions, Enduring Understandings, etc. We both carry a similar vision, and I know he will appreciate this quote as much as me. I plan on sending him this quote, giving both of us some inspiration to rethink our curricula for next year.
This quote also reminds me of the Reader Response Theory (Rosenblatt, 1938) I am researching at the moment. It asks to allow readers to understand the text through their own lens, and apply it within their own lives. These big questions Booth asks make me very excited to begin utilizing Reader Response notebooks this next trimester!
““The Kids’ Lit Quiz is an annual literature competition where students ages 10 to 13 compete in teams of four to answer 100 book-related questions in 10 different categories””
I am going to start this competition in my school as soon as possible! I am so inspired and ecstatic. David Booth has some incredible ideas in his book, and I appreciate each and every single one of them. I believe this competition could help promote reading in my school, as well as activities for learners who may not be a part of any.
I am in charge of the March Book Madness at my school, where I create a bracket of the top books voted in, and the kids have to vote for which books they want to win each week until there is one winner. This has helped promote reading to kids who simply need book suggestions. I believe this Kids’ Lit Quiz could get even more learners involved and passionate about literature.
This competition could help cultivate a culture of togetherness for our school. I have been wondering what enrichment and reading opportunities I could create for the kids to be involved with this year, and here it is. My goal is to begin putting this together so I can begin to promote it throughout my entire middle school. Maybe I will have books chosen from March Book Madness melted in with this Kids’ Lit Quiz competition!
Booth, D. (2011). Caught in the middle: Reading and writing in the transition years. Markham, Ontario, Canada: Pembroke Publishers.