Appleman

When I began reading through the Appleman text, I was at once excited about the project being described and annoyed that I was being told about it, on a surface level only, for an entire chapter. The first chapter was so repetitive! I felt as if I was reading the same thing over and over. Questions kept popping into my head about the Breakfast Book Club, and I wanted answers, not a preview of what would come in the following chapters. I guess my suggestion for changing this in a positive way is to make the first chapter a Preface, because that is what it really is.
I got much happier when I read on, thankfully. I started whipping out the sticky notes to record my thoughts on certain sections. For example:

1.) "Through literature, students learn to explore possibilities and consider options for themselves and for humankind. They come to find themselves, imagine others, value difference, and search for justice. They gain connectedness and seek vision. They become the literate thinkers we need to shape the decisions of tomorrow" (Judith Langer, p.10 of the text). I thought of The Book thief when I read this quote because reading that book opened up my eyes to so many different things, and certainly made me "search for justice". I wanted so badly to step into the book and help the characters, to let them know that it would all be over soon. I can only imagine that it would do this for students as well.

2.) "Others like Carol Jago offer appealing literature lessons for teaching the classics, lessons filled with both wisdom and experience, sure to make teaching of a classic more successful" (11). I assume this quote refers to Classics in the Classroom and I am thinking of checking it out from the library before my student teaching because I know it will help me plan lessons for classic literature that are more engaging, exciting, and interesting for my students and myself. My students will be reading The Scarlet Letter for example, so maybe I will find something to help me within the text. It is often a hard sell, unlike The Crucible, says my mentor teacher, so maybe I can jazz it up a bit.

3.) "We choose literature that is enjoyable or playful" (19). These guidelines for choosing texts are interesting to me, and I am glad they were included. This is one of the few that struck me as particularly wonderful. I think it is essential to choose texts that are fun in some way; otherwise, the reading of the texts becomes like work to them, rather than an enjoyable experience outside of the classroom.

4.) I was shocked that the Book Club has funds to purchase books for everyone in the club! That is awesome, and I am sure that it helps to generate interest and encourage participation. What a wonderful way to help students build their own personal library, and to place value on the books they read. I hope we can do something similar in Jefferson County!

That is all for now, I suppose. I would like to hear what others think of the book, and the approach. I have found it easy to read, and interesting, beyond the first chapter. I wanted to read on, which is odd for a textbook in my world. :)