Twenty-seven voices echo phrases of twenty-seven weeks as a class.
That line has alliteration. I think the tooth here represents something more, symbolic of the character coming loose. All three characters have a member of their family who sacrificed safety for the good of the group. The ending in spring makes sense as it’s a fresh start for the friends.
I hover, almost slither between the groups of students gathered to discuss the ending of their books — the third meeting for this book, the sixth meeting total. I listen in and think about what’s next. That’s what teachers do. We are always responding.
What I hear. I hear comfort and confidence with setting, theme, characters, craft. I hear voices navigating close reading with big picture meaning. I hear conversational phrases as students learn to balance listening and contributing — where to build on an idea, when to move to a new idea, how to interrupt or redirect when needed (how to eat the snacks, talk, and keep the book clean).
What I think. I think we need to return to the personal. How will the group experiences impact our personal reading choices? What will we welcome? What will we miss? I think I need to offer something they’ve never experienced before — new authors, poets, forms. I think whatever I find has to be short because I really want students to get back to their choice reading every day. 15-20 minutes of choice reading, then I will have 20-25 minutes to uncover shorter texts. We will still read poetry on Fridays, so maybe essays, speeches — but we just finished writing essays in our four-part blog series and even wrote spoken word. I am thinking that I already gave them my best stuff. What do I have left? Now I am remembering that we wrote a proposal for NCTE. If that gets accepted, maybe we can make this a project-based quarter?
What I know. Next week is spring break, and after I get some rest, I will be better equipped to decide.
Love this! I find so much info in your blogs. All the bits and pieces make me a better teacher. Do you have a classroom website that students can see? If so, would you share the link? Curious to know what you post.
I have a class blog: kidblog.org/class/wordsmiths. It is for students to post and share their work, but I have a few public posts. Let me know if you want a code to join the class, and I can give you a guest code
Your idea for what to do next is spot on, IMHO. Choice and giving some time for good ol’ pleasure reading is powerful. We want to create life long readers. If we don’t recommend books, if we don’t meet in clubs, if we don’t allow for pleasure and choice – we will never achieve this goal. (Teaching skills and strategies goes without saying) Balance is important.