On "Pick Books You Like"

This article provided a different viewpoint about teaching novels. Instead of an entire group of students reading the same novel, each student is able to read what they want and participate in discussions and journal writing. I like parts of this idea, but overall I am a proponent for everyone reading the same novel. I think that students should be able to read what they want to an extent. Students should pick texts that are grade appropriate. For instance, the article states that some of the middle school students were reading the "Captain Underpants" series of novels. I think that is way below middle school level. They should be choosing books that are geared toward their age group, such as "The Outsiders," "The Cay," and "The Pigman." The school I am student teaching at has a program called Accelerated Reading. Students pick grade level appropriate books and take comprehension tests on them. I think this is a great way to get students to read. They read what they want and their reading progress is monitored.

After reading the article I agree with what the critics say. They state that "reading as a group generally leads to more meaningful insights, and they question whether teachers can really keep up with a roomful of children reading different books" (1). I agree that reading as a group leads to good discussions. In my college classes we all read the same books and the discussions are great. I always learn something new. Whether it be a different viewpoint or a different way to interpret something, reading the same novel has always been something that I have liked. I also question whether the teacher really can stay on top of thirty different books per class. That appears to be a ton of work and I do not know how a teacher can keep up with it, especially if they have not read the book.

I liked seeing that Nancie Atwell was discussed in the article as well. After reading her book, it was interesting to see her name pop up again. I like that Atwell is particular about students not reading junk like "Gossip Girl." I liked Atwell's ideas for the reading workshop, but I liked the writing workshop ideas a lot better! Overall, I found that this was an interesting article. It provided me another viewpoint on teaching reading. Although I do not really agree with it, it is something I may consider for the future.