Monday, March 26, 2012

LET IT BE! LET IT BE!


There’s something on my mind that’s been troubling me.  Sometimes we take a book and chew it up, hack it, and TEACH it to death.  Children can’t enjoy the story for all of the questions about beginning, middle, and end.  Not to mention how that book is like one we read last week….And all the direct vocabulary instruction…Oh, and punctuation…Don’t forget the main idea, yada yada!

Wouldn’t you hate to answer questions about every book you read or every movie you watched?

Don’t take me wrong.  I agree that literature is one of the most effective and powerful ways to develop reading skills.  However, I think we need to balance it with pleasure.  Squeeze in at least one story a day that you and your students can ENJOY together.  Read it, savor it, feel it, and then let it be!