Jigsaw Poetry

I’d like to try adapting an idea suggested by Harvey Daniels in his article “Expository Text in Literature Circles.” I’m intrigued by his “jigsaw”groups, “where different members are reading different texts on the same subject.” Daniels uses this variation on literature circles with short expository texts (so that students read different articles or chapters on anything from spiders to pollution).

What would happen if jigsaw groups were used with poetry? That is, could members choose different poems on the same subject (for example, different World War I poems), or different poems by the same author (different Emily Dickinson poems)? And if so, how would this discussion be different from normal class discussions of poetry?

One of the key differences I see is that students would have the choice of what to read. And I think it does make a difference when students are allowed to choose an author to read, or choose a subject (see the article by Carol Jago, assigned for Week 6, “When Students Choose the Poems” for ideas that might help make this work. Jago describes bringing poetry collections into the classroom for browsing.) It seems reasonable to think that the teacher or a librarian would have to help students who want to read about a specific subject (mountains, cars, technology) and would have to help them identify poems about the subject—although it’s possible that a good search engine could do some of this work also.

Poetry “jigsaw groups” are something I’d like to try with my classes, encouraging students to read and discuss poem that aren’t assigned.

Sliding into Summer?

Last week, while searching for bargain’s at TJ Maxx, I overheard two women discussing their kids’ summer plans. One mom insisted to the other, “I hate these reading lists. Kids shouldn’t have to read during the summer. That’s their time off.” I didn’t interrupt to argue, but here’s what I would have said:
•Children learn at roughly the same pace throughout the school year, but during summer, “the reading gap between low- and middle-income children widens by more than three months” (Chin & Phillips, 2005, p. 22).
•The cumulative effect of this “summer slide” can add “up to a two-year learning gap by the time low-income pupils are in middle school” (K. MacPherson, “Reading, prevent the summer slide,” Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 27 June 2004).
•“The magnitude of such loss increases as children reach higher grade levels, and even advanced readers are vulnerable (in R.R. Kahlenbert, “Cracking the books is now a year-round assignment,” in Washington Post, 27 July 2004).
•Despite research that suggests that the summer months are most critical for low-achieving students, many schools “have been mandating summer reading only for their best students: those in honors” (L.K. Solomon, “Many schools require summer reading only for the best students,” sunsentinel.com, 1 Aug. 2005). Schools justify this decision by explaining their concerns that lower-achieving students do not have parents who will enforce summer reading or who will purchase the books. Schools say they can no longer afford to purchase books for all students. One principal was quoted as saying that he views required summer reading as “unenforceable” (Solomon, 2005). Similarly, in the Pittsburgh Public high schools, at the same time as Summer Reading Achievers Program was being piloted for younger students, only AP students and those in the scholars program were given required summer reading—other high school students received only a list of suggested titles (MacPherson, 2004).

But there’s good news:
•“Research has shown that kids who read as few as six books over the summer can maintain their skills” says Maria Salvadore, quoted in MacPherson article (2004). Kim’s study (2004) suggests students should read at least four to five books during the summer.
•And any book is a good book. So I’m a strong advocate of giving kids lots of choices and motivations to read anything that they want over the summer. Reading is the key, and motivating reading is the job of teachers, librarians, and parents.

Reading while I'm Driving

While it's true that I read while driving (while stuck in traffic on a local bridge where I can easily read a chapter during the rush-hour crossing), I've also begun to "read" while I'm driving down expressways at 65 mph. Yup, it's audio books.

I'm convinced that some books are better listened to than read. Here are some recent favorites:

SHADOW DIVERS. As if death underwater (both during WWII and current risky diving expeditions off New Jersey) isn't exciting enough, this book's New Jersey tough-guy accents are riveting. Yikes.

OUT STEALING HORSES. The book's account of a young Norwegian boy's life-changing summer in 1948 (with flashbacks to the WWII Nazi occupation of his country) is powerful and beautifully written. It's even better when read by a narrator who makes you feel the story with a great performance/delivery.

THE MONSTERS OF TEMPLETON. I started the book and was bored, so I borrowed the CDs from the library so I could finish the book more quickly. WOW. It wasn't until I heard it read that I realized it was a very ironically funny and absurdist story. Great to listen to (what was I thinking while reading it?)