Revolutionary Idea: Read Books You Like

It sounds like such an obvious concept. But one eighth-grade class in Georgia is breaking with the tradition of syllabuses and is allowing students to read whatever books they want.

The approach Ms. McNeill uses, in which students choose their own books, discuss them individually with their teacher and one another, and keep detailed journals about their reading, is part of a movement to revolutionize the way literature is taught in America’s schools. While there is no clear consensus among English teachers, variations on the approach, known as reading workshop, are catching on.

In New York City many public and private elementary schools and some middle schools already employ versions of reading workshop. Starting this fall, the school district in Chappaqua, N.Y., is setting aside 40 minutes every other day for all sixth, seventh and eighth graders to read books of their own choosing.

In September students in Seattle’s public middle schools will also begin choosing most of their own books. And in Chicago the public school district has had a pilot program in place since 2006 in 31 of its 483 elementary schools to give students in grades 6, 7 and 8 more control over what they read. ...

None of those places, however, are going as far as Ms. McNeill.

I see both sides of this game. On one, it's fantastic to let young people be the primary forces in their own reading, to choose the books that intrigue them, to have those choices respected; it's an approach that seems most likely to build a lifelong love of reading. While the student might not syllabus classics like To Kill a Mockingbird, they may be more likely to understand and love it when they read it later in life, when it's not an assignment. As well, we all know that there are dubious "age-appropriate" judgments made when it comes to books. I will never forget being a sixth-grader and having the school librarian forbid me from checking out the "eighth-grade books." Reading workshops like Ms. McNeil's break out of that bind.

At the same time, there's something to be said for reading books like To Kill a Mockingbird in a community, to be able to share the experience with your peers. Ms. McNeil's students chose to read James Patterson‘s adrenaline-fueled “Maximum Ride” books, plenty of young-adult chick-lit novels and even the “Captain Underpants” series of comic-book-style novels," aside from the few who picked Toni Morrison novels. Now, I'm certainly not opposed from people reading and enjoying whatever strikes their fancy. But it does make me kind of sad to think that the novels young readers are experiencing are only authored by the likes of James Patterson. It's like a runner only ever running 100-yard sprints; it might be fun, but think of all that is missed!

Comments

[Amy H]

See what Lois Lowry has to say about this: http://loislowry.typepad.com/lowry_updates/2009/08/i-just-became-pass%C3%A9.html

[Amy H]

Sorry - I meant to link to this one. Though both reference this article, this is the stronger statement. http://loislowry.typepad.com/lowry_updates/2009/08/september.html