The Reading Zone: How to Help Kids Become Skilled, Passionate, Habitual, Critical Readers

I teach middle school English, read and profusely highlighted Nancie Atwell's seminal work IN THE MIDDLE, and once served as an intern at her Center for Teaching and Learning one snowy February in Edgecomb, Maine (a class act, Atwell came in on a snow day to meet with a group of teachers who expected the day to be a complete loss due to the school closing). Under her influence, I built an in-class library at considerable cost, launched a full-steam-ahead reading workshop, and spent countless weekends poring over kids' reading journals so I could write back encouragement and questions. Still, there were always questions and concerns about the workshop method (not to mention the time-intensive journals), plus new reading strategies to reckon with as the years rolled by. This new book deals with both issues - concerns related to workshop methodology as well as the latest reading strategy fads.For instance, in recent years our school has jumped on the "Sticky-Note Bandwagon" and English teachers were like flies to flypaper following its prescriptions to create better student readers. Under this "Reading Strategies That Work" spell, we began to isolate readings, stop our readers mid-page, and teach kids how to make connections, determine importance, ask questions, make inferences, visualize, and synthesize.You can imagine my pleasure, then, when I read Atwell's words in a chapter called "Comprehension." She writes, "In the 1990's, I jumped -- VAULTED is a more accurate verb -- onto the comprehension-strategy bandwagon.... In I plunged. I explained proficient reader research and schema theory to my students. I prepared, rehearsed, and modeled a connection-packed read-aloud of a short story by Robert Cormier. Then I passed out individual pads of self-sticking notes and invited kids to activate their existing schema, connect these to the new schema that emerged as they read, and capture it all on sticky notes" (pp. 51-53).If misery loves company, then you know why I found comfort in these words. You see, I, too, had followed the pied piper. I, too, had sensed something was wrong as my students dutifully parroted my words and terms while playing a game whose rules I spelled out. And yes -- I, too, had sticky-noted my way to reading perdition, wondering all along why so sound a theory was striking such a strident note with my increasingly restive 8th-grade readers.Enter THE READING ZONE, where the Empire Strikes Back in the form of Atwell reaffirming her original tenets, built on the work of countless researchers such as Frank Smith and Louise Rosenblatt. Turns out, all that stopping to think about reading was interfering with... reading; and all that stopping to write on a sticky note was interfering with... the zone. In the words of Atwell via Rosenblatt, it's a case of efferent reading vs. aesthetic -- reading for knowledge (as in, from a textbook or article) vs. reading for pleasure (as in, from a novel, short story, or poem). Must the "fun" be gutted from reading with a coroner's report of "Death by Sticky Note"? Atwell thinks not.And when you think about it, it's common sense. As teenagers, how many of us -- while we secretly continued to read THE OUTSIDERS by flashlight under the covers long after Mom had insisted we go to sleep -- remember pausing Ponyboy to write down a connection, detaining Dally to determine importance, or stopping the Socs to synthesize? Not this guy. In a world far away from the sheets and blanket that tented my head, I was in the zone, flipping pages without realizing they were pages, wondering if Johnny would pull through and live or if Dally would ever get to "see" stuff like sunrises. Isn't that what reading was supposed to be? Isn't that what made reading such a vicarious delight?A satisfying return to sanity, THE READING ZONE came as a needed refresher for me and a reaffirmation of the vows I once took. Having read it, I feel as though I have strayed, become lost, and found my way back again.For new readers to Atwell, this book will serve as a clarion call to the ramparts. It is an eloquent plea for pleasure reading, for kids, and for sanity in English instruction. In addition to practical "how to" type information, Atwell explains her philosophy with support and includes a special chapter addressing high school English teachers -- those keepers of ancient traditions that often perpetuate the sins of our pedagogical fathers. For anyone who remembers reading MOBY DICK chapter by chapter and pop quiz by pop quiz, it is a whale of an eye-opener.As for workshop-related concerns, Atwell admits that she, too, struggled under the workload of carrying boxes of reading journals home each weekend. First she broke it up by having kids write to each other for 3 weeks, then her for 3 weeks. And now she's come to having kids write a "letter essay" every 3 weeks (the kids' letters can be staggered) ONLY about a book that they have completed. This reduces the number of letters and allows the kids a greater range of topics to address (Atwell provides prompts) as they look back. It also hones the literary criticism skills in such demand during high school and college.Overall, the book serves as both long-awaited updating to IN THE MIDDLE and bracing read for teachers and parents who are new to Atwell's teachings and beliefs. As for me, it was proof that Thomas Wolfe was right. You CAN go home again... and I feel like I have. For that, I tip my metaphorical hat to Atwell. As is the case with hers, my workshop classroom will continue to be a work in progress, always built on a bedrock of principles based on choice.

Finally, an author who validates my own tried and true method for developing strong readers. Reading an interesting book can teach our students more about reading that we ever will. It's time we again dedicated a part of our reading time for reading, not just reading instruction, but we need to help them by offering the best books to select from. "Build it and they will come." A class library full of rich literature that interests middle school students is a huge challenge, and Ms. Atwell provides tons of titles to get you started. She also offers plenty of ideas for record keeping, and student conferences. The book is very inspiring and full of good ideas and advice.You rock Nanci Atwell!

I wish every LA/English/Reading teacher would read this book. Atwell, in her experience and wisdom continues to advocate independent reading and a reading workshop approach as the single most important element of any English classroom. Her language is more blunt and direct than in any of her previous books. Her argument here is that, like most things, if you want to learn to read, you read. All other "related" strategy, vocabulary, grammar, worksheet, book report type activities are a waste of time. Notice the title, though, if that sounds wrong to you. She clearly explains how having students read in a workshop along with teacher conversation, whole group sharing, and a written response in the form of a "letter-essay" are all that is required to create "skilled, passionate, habitual, critical readers." Also includes an excellent chapter on what reading/writing instruction should look like in high school. The book is written with clear, direct, concise language. It is a quick and important read. I agree with her position and her approach. Buy this book!

When I began teaching 17 years ago, I was lucky enough to have a copy of Atwell's <u>In the Middle</u> tucked under my arm. Over the years, I've often thought of my favorite teachers of reading and writing (Atwell, Elbow, Murray, Rosenblatt, Collins, Stafford) as dear friends in my classroom who helped me understand and know my students as readers and writers. Aside from my own love of reading, writing, and teaching, Atwell has helped me come to know myself as a teacher and as a person who puts great books into the hands of students (in my case, below grade level students who hated reading before they encountered reading workshop).With her newest book (manifesto!!!), I was once again incredibly lucky. Her new book is a survival guide, and it helped me live through a tedious pretense of a writing workshop called Step Up to Writing that an administrator at my district asked me to attend. As the presenter was extolling the wonders of formulaic writing and teachers as technicians, I was reading Atwell's chapter one--"The Personal Art." By the second day of the workshop, I was chanting Atwell's "How to Create a National Reading Zone." After a brief break, I came back into the conference and found another teacher reading my copy of the book and noticing all my margin notes ("Deja vu," "Yikes!" and "I'm guilty!" were some of my scrawled comments). When she asked me what I thought of the book, I told her it was incredible and how I'd love to meet Atwell some day. She asked if the book were as good as the Step Up to Writing workshop. What could I say except the truth--everything that Atwell and my other favorite writing / reading teachers do and urge teachers of reading and writing to do is counter to canned, formulaic programs. It's a no-brainer, really, except for the teacher who thinks a bi-polar stance on reading and writing is good practice.Nutshell advice: politely decline requests to attend brain-numbing workshops, save the $275 for your classroom library, devour Atwell's <u>The Reading Zone</u> and apply for an apprenticeship at CTL.Nancie, the only thing that could tempt me into the middle school from the high school students that I love, is the chance to do the CTL apprenticeship. Thanks for a timely KISS reminder. I can't wait to see my students on Monday to find out how Nick liked <u>Give a Boy a Gun</u> and how Katie liked <u>Gregor the Overlander</u>/, and because of your words, I can relax about the "rigor." I know I'm on track.

A book about how to enjoy reading. You can take the applications from this book and apply them anywhere. I wish every teacher in the UK would read this book, it's been written in a warm and insightful and down to earth way that get's me feeling that aha feeling from every page read.I feel this book is woefully underrepresented in teaching circles in the UK and I just wish there was a huge book reading movement in the UK, it would certainly change mindsets

Muy bueno

読書の楽しさを教えるためには、ただ、楽しく読める環境をつくってやればよい。静かに、快適な姿勢で、自由に本を選び、読む。そんなことで読解力向上できる。