CEClang.52


TITLE:    What?  You want me to read AND enjoy it?

AUTHOR:   Jana Dabney, Chickasha Intermediate School,
          Chickasha, OK

GRADE LEVEL:   6-8

OVERVIEW:  After spending six to nine years teaching the
student how to read, students often see reading as torture
in the middle grades.

PURPOSE:  Sharing successful ideas that have developed
sustained reading habits for the author's reading students.
Particularly, how to begin the year, to set the tone for a
successful literature based reading program.

OBJECTIVE(s):  Enhance the students knowledge of authors,
genre and enjoyment that independent reading can provide.
Promote a lifetime interest in reading.

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
     Begin the year by reading aloud one of your favorite
books.  I use "SIGN OF THE BEAVER" by Elizabeth George
Speare.  It offers many "role-playing" opportunities for us
to think about, write about and share that are easily
identified with.  The main characters in the book are young
teens from totally different cultures who, through no plans
of their own, learn from each other skills that enable them
to live in their changing worlds.
     "SIGN OF THE BEAVER" is a great book to read aloud
because it has just a few characters that I enjoy creating
different voices to make the story come alive for the
students.  While we read the story aloud, the students only
assignment is to listen, think but most of all enjoy the
story.
     Prior to the end of the book, the students are
encouraged to select some form of demonstration to show
something they have learned to do or learned to appreciate
from the story.  Upon completion of the book, the students
and teacher confer about their demonstrations.  Since each
students' interests and impression of the book is different,
we enjoy many different types of projects.  Just a few are
pioneer cooking (including making jerky, stews, soups,
breads, puddings, jams, jellies, drying fruits and
vegetables) making dioramas demonstrating the setting of the
story or by showing a part of the book that particularly
interested the student, some have done art projects that
deal in Indian arts while others have done journals
portraying Matt's thoughts during his ordeal.  My favorite
part of this project is that each student decides the
assessment that portrays what they have learned from
"enjoying" a good book.