Reading Article Reflection

In Performative Literacy: The Habits of Mind of Highly Literate Readers by Sheridan Blau, we are learning about how a reader must go beyond just breezing over the text. We must examine and dig deeper to understand the true meaning.

When I read a book I am constantly trying to figure out what will happen next. Whenever I stumble upon something I am confused about I usually mark it with a question mark and come back to it after I finish reading, and see if I understand it then. Also, whenever I finish reading a chapter, I make bullet points in the book on the most important parts, then I title the chapter what I think would be a suitable name for what happens in it.

When I read on my own time instead of for school, I feel as though I enjoy it more. I love to read and this year I have already read over at least a dozen for leisure. But when I read these, I am not looking for a deeper meaning, I read it for entertainment. Of course I will make predictions, but that is part of the fun. On the other hand, when I read for school, I do not enjoy it as much. I see it more as a chore than anything else, but when Iread for school I discover more things that are significant to the text that I might have missed if I had just breezed over it. I believe that I am a good reader, but in order to become a stronger reader, I must think more deeply when reading for pleasure.

After reading these documents I will definitely take away some of the strategies they showed us, such as researching what is going on during the time the book takes place and gaining background. I feel that this will make me a better reader.

Annotating this year, in all honesty, was not as bad as last years. Last year I took me about ten minutes on each page trying to find some hidden meaning. This year I believe that I am only annotating the important parts, and I feel I am better at picking the better parts. After reading the books this year and annotating I feel like a better reader, because I know what I am looking for.

Reading Reflection

In Performative Literacy: The Habits of Mind of Highly Literate Readers, Sheridan Blau takes traditional literary methods and thoughts and flips them one hundred eighty degrees. This extreme focus on the fundamentals of reading has changed a simple source of pleasure to a task that, to many people, has become a chore. 

 For me, the task of reading has now become a chore. I used to enjoy diving into another world with endless possibilities on the pages of a novel but now, not so much. I feel a lot of pressure to understand every word I read as well as annotate and be prepared to answer any possible question about the text. While reading a book for school, I struggle to understand text as I reread over and over with a pencil in hand, prepared to mark down the slightest details. The annotations come as a struggle as well. Personally, I like to make mental notes rather than interrupt my reading. Though the concept of annotations is nothing new, I have never liked it because it takes away from a good novel as it interrupts my focus, which Blau claims is so very important.

To help my reading, I can try to capitalize on things I already excel at such as rereading as an assurance that I understand what’s going on; as well as working on things like focusing my attention to the text and text only while I maintain useful note taking that can be later used in writing.

Reading Reflection

In Performative Literacy: The Habits of Mind of Highly Literate Readers by Sheridan Blau, readers are challenged to go beyond past ideas of being literate and understand the information in new ways using strong reading skills.

In my opinion, reading for school is different than reading for pleasure. When reading for an assignment, I always have to be on the lookout for important symbols, characters, and meanings within the text as I constantly focus on interpreting the content in which I'm reading. I need to put in more time and energy to comprehend the stories in the required way. However, when I read for fun, I become more immersed in the story.The strength of my comprehension relies on the focus I have, so while I may seem more focused when I read for fun, I am simply seeing things as I see life. On the other hand, I leave the book with new interpretations when I read for school even if I didn’t appear quite as focused.

When I began reading for school this year, I found myself wrapped up in the storylines rather than the intellectual insights and had to re-read the entire thing. When this happened, I was better prepared for class, and understood the book in a way that combined the thrill of the world I read and the new ideas of what the book was about. The only problem was, it took twice the amount of time. Reading the story the first time made it easier annotate as I reread it, but with all my other homework, it was difficult to fit that in.

If I am able to stay focused, meaning undisturbed silence, then I am easily able to monitor my understanding as I read and know when I need to re-read something. Sometimes it takes me five or six times to really comprehend and make use of it. When I read a book, I may see things differently than they are explained, but often times, I never speak up out of fear of being considered incompetent and wrong. However, I find myself changing within every time I read a book. For example, when we read In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, I felt more compelled to stay true to my beliefs.

There are certainly aspects that I need to work on, but then again, if I didn’t, what would be the point. I need to find the courage to speak up for what I believe the novel or story to be telling us. Focus needs to be found even in the midst of noise, and I most importantly need to better accept when I don’t fully understand. Reading is not just hearing a story, but relating it to everything we know.

~Debra Dunham

Blog Reflection

           In the article Performative Literacy: The Habits for Mind of Highly Literate Readers, author Sheridan Blau describes the traits of strong readers and lists ways to improve reading habits, allowing us to classify our own strengths and weaknesses.

           In my experience as a reader there are two types of reading: reading for school and reading for fun. When reading for school, I tend to re-read areas I don't understand, annotate (which I loathe doing in fear for ruining the book), and generate questions based off of the text. However, as I am reading for fun, I often read faster, don't pay attention to the small details, foreshadow events, and get excited to read because it is a book I choose for myself. At times I could be classified as a strong reader based off of the amount I read, but when reading books I pick out, I don't use the best habits for learning.

          This article suggested that I keep a dictionary by my side when reading for school as well as reading for fun to improve my vocabulary and strength. I can also question myself more and take risks during class discussions and not be afraid to be wrong.

         I generally enjoyed the novels we read this year. I took notes and annotated, understood the text, and created my own questions about the plot. The only book that was a struggle to comprehend was Much Ado About Nothing due to the Shakespearean language and the multiple metaphors. Although it was difficult to read, I liked the play, and it taught me to keep going, use outside resources if confused, and ask for help if necessary.     

Blog Prompts

Blog Post Topics (Respond to 1 of the prompts below each week):

A.            Select a significant quotation from your reading; explore the significance of that quotation to the development of characters, conflict, theme, etc.

B.            Explore a significant change in an important character.

C.           Explore a significant relationship’s conflicts or growth.

D.           Write about a motif you see developing--where have you noticed it? What does it seem to be revealing about characters or themes?

E.            Explore the significance of a particular setting (not of the whole novel--pick a specific scene).

F.            Explore the significance of a passage with a lot of imagery or description.

G.           Write about a symbol--how does it exist both literally and figuratively? What does it represent?

H.           Explore connections between your book and something you’ve read previously in English class.

I.              Explore connections between the text and your own life.

J.            What is the significance of the book’s title? What