A little more than three months into the year, the class has read (drum roll please)...
58,346 minutes!
That is around 19,500 minutes per month!
I'm very proud of the students even if they are a little behind in reaching their goal, but they are a hardy, intelligent bunch. Don't count them out!
They also know that reading isn't about quantity, it IS about quality. The emphasis of our reading conversations at the beginning of the year has been our THINKING. Reading is thinking. These students know that good readers ask lots of questions, make connections to other texts, to their lives, and to world events, talk with other readers about their thinking, compare and contrast characters and events, and they do many other things that help them understand or comprehend the texts that they are reading.
Will you share your thinking with us?
Please tell us what you have thought about something you recently read.
Was there a character you loved or one that aggravated you to no end? Why? Was there something you didn't know or understand - what did you do to help you figure it out? Was there a story that filled you with joy or hope or one that made you feel sad? Is there a book or an author you would recommend? Why?
Please tell us what you have thought about something you recently read.
Was there a character you loved or one that aggravated you to no end? Why? Was there something you didn't know or understand - what did you do to help you figure it out? Was there a story that filled you with joy or hope or one that made you feel sad? Is there a book or an author you would recommend? Why?
I'm reading a book called Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. It is set in Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) and also in parts of India. While reading, I keep going to a map to see where the places are that the author is talking about. Even though the book is fiction, the places are real places, and it helps me to visualize it all better if I can see where they are and what they look like. (I use Google maps and Google images.)
ReplyDeleteHappy reading, Room 12!
Kristin, Jack (former student of Mr. Pahl)'s mom)
Hi Sunnylanders. I miss you kiddos. I'm reading a book right now called Ghost Dog by Peg Kehret. It's about a boy whose teacher encourages the students to be passionate and caring citizens (sound like any other teacher you know?). The boy, Rusty, notices that a dog near his house is being neglected and he wants to rescue the dog. I admire Rusty because he cares so much about the dog and ends up spending his entire savings on dog food and supplies to help the dog, but I'm not sure what he's planning is entirely ethical since basically he'd be stealing the dog from its owner. It's a tough decision and tonight I'm going to spend some time finding out what he decides to do!
ReplyDeleteCharmie - Ashley Grinstead's Aunt
ReplyDeleteI think that the reading goal is wonderful. Reading is my favorite pasttime! And I love the way of connecting the stories to real life, other books etc.
My favorite book is an old one called "Karen" about a girl with Cerebral Palsy. It is about how she handled it when people would not want to talk to her or be near her because she was different and walked and talked 'funny'. The book changed my life. I began a life-long journey of realizing that underneath it all everyone has a heart, mind, and soul that want to be recognized and valued. Charmie - Ashley Grinstead's aunt
ReplyDeleteHello Mr. Pahl,
ReplyDeleteI am glad Ashley G. has you for a Teacher, and your video is funny. I am Ashley's Granny, her Dad's Mom
Good Bye
Nancy G
Dear Mr. Pahl,
ReplyDeleteI hope we can reach it before the end of the year because we only have 5 or 6 month of school left.
Sincerely, Little Animal
Dear Mr. Pahl
ReplyDeleteI think the class is going to reach our reading goal by the end of the year. When you told us that if we read 200,000 minutes you would sleep on the roof I thought we would never make it but then I thought about it I think we can
Love,
Tami Lynn
Dear Mr. Pahl,
ReplyDeleteI can’t believe it only took 4 months for just 27 kids to read over 58,000 minutes.
Sincerely,
PuppyDogs
Dear Kristin,
ReplyDeleteThanks to you (and to everyone else!) for participating in our online conversation about reading. Your book sounds really interesting to me because I do not know very much about Africa or India. I also love to use Google Earth and Google Maps as tools to help me learn a little more about places I have never been.
Be well,
Mr. Pahl
Dear Mrs. Ackerson,
ReplyDeleteWe miss you, too. I am sorry for taking so long to respond to your comment. Thanks for sharing your thinking about Ghost Dog by Peg Kehret. I haven't heard of it before. Do you think the class would enjoy it as a read aloud? You know how much I enjoy reading books that encourage us to be good humans.
What you told us about Rusty reminds me of when I was a kid. I didn't take anyone else's pet, but I did find a kitten in a dumpster near my house. It was very young and very sick. I took the kitten to the vet and had to pay for the visit and the medicine myself. It was really sad because the kitten only lived a couple more days after that. Even though I felt terrible that the kitten died, I was glad to know that I did what I could to help it.
Take care of yourself and please post a comment again soon!
Sincerely,
Mr. Pahl
Dear Charmie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting on our class blog. I appreciated reading what you said about Karen. That is one of the many things I love about books! Some of them make us laugh; some make us cry; and some help us think about our lives and make us want to be better people. I hope you will get to comment on the blog again soon.
Sincerely,
Mr. Pahl
Dear Nancy,
ReplyDeleteThank you. I am glad Ashley is one of my students! I'm also glad you liked the video. I just hope it helps the students have more fun learning!
Sincerely,
Mr. Pahl
Hello Mr. Pahl and students,
ReplyDeleteFor the book club I belong to, I recently read "The Art of Racing In The Rain." The entire book is written from the perspective of a dog. The book made me realize that our pets most likely understand a lot more than we give them credit for!
Sincerely,
Tara (Finnigan's mom)
Dear Mr. Pahl,
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read your story about the night you spent on the roof. I also wanted to thank you for all you have done to help your students become some wonderful readers. We love to hear Skye read to us and how she applies several of the tools you have taught your students to make the story so enjoyable. I'm sure I am speaking for all the student's parents when I say thank you for making your classroom experience such an enjoyable environment for our children. I know we will push Skye to read a few extra minutes each night to see you carry out your pact with the kids. :) Pat( Skye's Dad)
Dear Mr. Pahl,
ReplyDeleteI’m reading a book called The Hobbit. It’s about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who lives in a small town called Hobbiton in the Shire. Bilbo thinks having an adventure is not fun. One day some dwarves come to his house. 14 of them! They go to his house because in the mines of Moria the dwarves treasures were stolen. Gandalf the grey told them that Bilbo was a good thief and after he finds that out he decides that adventures would be after all. Then the adventure begins.
All the best
Rylan
Dear Mr.Pahl,
ReplyDeleteThe last book we read was The Stranger Next Door but I forgot the author’s name. It was hard to figure out who was talking and so that made the whole story hard to read. But when I was reading it in the beginning a boy named Alex moved and when he went to school he wanted to sit next to two boys and they were mad at him. They were mad at him because the boys had dirt bike trails and when they built the house the boys lost the trails. I didn’t read much more than that though.
From,
Tami Lynn