"(Re)Introducing Reader Response" Say/Do

How Effective is Reader Response in the English Classroom?

Reader response is one of the more well-known methods of interacting with texts. As many of the readings from this week have discussed, we have relied heavily on reader response in the classroom. The readings have also questioned the method in which we have facilitated reader response. It makes us as educators re-evaluate this strategy. Questions that came to my mind as I read were, has reader response become a shallow connection between student and text; and, or are students authentically making deeper relationships between themselves and the text?

While I was thinking about what I would want to do for my "do" portion of this assignment I kept those questions in mind. These are also questions that were brought up in the articles we read. For example, in Henneberg's "Dimensions of Failure in Reader Response" she says, "They are afraid of being wrong" (24). This creates a dilemma in reader response because it is dependent upon the students' own interpretations and connections to the text. If students are afraid of being wrong, they will be afraid to voice a personal connection to a text. Thus, reader response is stifled in the classroom.

Not only does Henneberg express that they are afraid of being wrong, but this fear was developed from having "wrong" answers in other teachers' classrooms. If students have become numb to the joy of questioning that leads to discovery, we have failed as educators.

So, as I came upon the idea in Probst's "Response and Analysis" I thought about a few things that Rosenblatt had to say about reader response. There was a quote from Rosenblatt that related well to my "do", since it included an activity that required all of the readers to respond by accessing their own experiences. The text says, "The reader brings to the work personality traits, memories of past events, present needs and preoccupations, a particular mood of the moment, and a particular physical condition...For the adolescent reader, the experience of the work is further specialized by the fact that he is probably not yet arrived at a consistent view of life or achieved a fully integrated personality"(31).

This is the beauty of reader response so wonderfully said in the aforementioned quote. We have students who are as different as can be from one another, yet we still have teachers who are looking for one right answer. That is an impossible feat, if I do say so myself. If that is the mission of the teacher leading reader response in their classroom, they are sucking the life and creativity out of reader response. There will be no potential if it is watered down to what is "right" and "wrong".

Rosenblatt goes on to share that students have not developed "a consistent view of life or achieved a fully integrated personality". This is one of the many reasons I chose to teach at the secondary level. It's so interesting to watch students begin with one kind of ideology, and watch it transform over the course of the semester and school year. Personalities are always changing. Students are changing their hair style, their fashion and their group of friends almost every week. They are finding themselves. Reader response is just another way we can help them do that.

However, we don't want reader response to end at just connecting the self to the text. This is an idea that is challenged in chapter three of "Critical Encounters in High School English". The text questions, "How can literature foster a knowledge of others when we focus so relentlessly on ourselves and our own experiences?" So, it's a great way to introduce response with a personal connection, but we cannot leave it there. We must build upon the personal connection, to make a world connection and then follow it up with some sort of analysis and assessment. We want to educate our students to not only worry about themselves, but to relate with others. Reader response can serve as a stepping stone to get there, but we cannot rely solely on it. This is beautifully modeled in Milner's "Bridging English" in figure 5-2 on page 123.

So, from this week's reading I discovered the value of using reader response in the classroom. I have also realized the dangers that could happen if it is not facilitated and built upon properly. From these discoveries I designed my "do".

I decided to use the teaching method from Probst's "Response and Analysis" found on page 8. The strategy he showcased was similar to an activity to assess reading interpretations, but I tweaked it to fit in my lesson on symbolism in short stories. The method goes like this: first, you have the students pull out a piece of paper and a writing utensil. Next, you have them close their eyes and remain quiet for about two minutes. Then, you say the word you would like to use for the lesson, I used a word that everyone had some knowledge of, which was "freedom". Then you have them open their eyes and write down the first thing that popped into their head when you said that word. After a few minutes you go around the room and ask them to share what they thought, as you record their answers on the board. Lastly, the answers spark a great conversation about how we read and interpret the same word differently. I used this method to teach symbolism. The things my students said were either very literal definitions of "freedom" or symbolically driven understandings. It blended in well with my lesson!

Later, I may use it as a pre-write activity and tweak it some. Instead of having students just write the first thing that pops in their head, I would have them follow that train of thought and write down everything they know or associate with a certain word with a time limit. This would be a great pre-write for any kind of major essay.

Probst's lesson plan example is found on pages 8-11. I am actually teaching this on Wednesday of this week! I hope it goes well. Enjoy! (: 

**DISCLAIMER**

I have taught this lesson plan and my students absolutely LOVED it! This was the story that I shared in Vic's class with you guys last week. The only thing I would edit would be to stay in the discussion longer than I had. I rushed through it, and I could have spent more time getting students to make connections between themselves and others.

DO:

Daily Lesson Plan

Instructor And Room #: Dutch Fork Middle School Rm. 306 Mrs. Wilson Ms. Spotts	Date & Start-Stop Times: September 9, 2015 11:20-12:22	Subject and Block/Period: English I 4th Period		Unit and Topic: Critical Reading: Literary Texts Short Story Elements: Symbolism
Student Objectives: Students will be able to engage in friendly and respectful discussion about symbolism. Students will be able to listen to a read-aloud and extrapolate meaning from the text. Students will be able to critically think about deeper meanings of words, relationships, objects, etc. in literature			SC Standards/PACT/Common Core RLMC 10.1 Use context clues to determine meanings of words and phrases. RLRC 13.1 Engage in whole and small group reading with purpose and understanding through teacher modeling and gradual release of responsibility. CMC 1.1 Prepare for and engage in conversations to explore complex ideas, concepts, and texts; build coherent lines of thinking.
Items to Display as Agenda: (Activities) Paper Pencil Dry erase board/Markers SmartBoard Freedom symbols Prezi http://prezi.com/8wtrluhnuwhk/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say Symbolism questionnaire “Scarlet Ibis”
Purpose: Opening Statement of Value for Day’s Lesson—the WHY Students are acquiring the skills to identify symbolism in literature, so that they are able to identify symbolism in everyday life. It's also important that students recognize that differing personal and cultural backgrounds may influence interpretations in order to be sympathetic and compassionate people.
Lesson Procedures: (Introduction, Development, Conclusion) Introduction (31 minutes): Students will walk in and sit at their desks before the final bell rings. Once the final bell rings students are allowed to eat their snack. As they are eating their snack, they will be instructed to write down their homework. Also, any announcements that need to be given will be given during this time (7 minutes). After all of the housekeeping items are taken care of, I will instruct them for their warm-up activity. I will ask them to pull out a piece of paper and pencil (2 minutes). Then I will tell them to close their eyes, sit in silence and clear their minds (2 minutes). As they are settling down I will say, “I'm going to say a word, and once I say the word you need to jot down the first association, thought or feeling, whatever it may be, that comes to mind on your piece of paper” (1 minute). Then I will say, “freedom” and give them a few minutes to write down their ideas (3 minutes). Once everyone seems ready, I will go around the room and have each person share their response. As they are sharing I will be writing down their responses up on the dry erase board/SmartBoard (5 minutes). Then, I will give them each a minute to look over the responses that have been written up on the board (1 minute). Next I will ask them a series of questions (10 minutes): What differences do you see in the responses? Do the different responses suggest different perspectives, different individual histories, different concerns? Are their similarities among the different responses? Do those similarities suggest common experiences or shared values? Development (22 minutes): Once the conversation has simmered down, I will end with presenting pictures or “symbols” of freedom, and ask them if they had imagined images, such as these, when I said, “freedom”. This will seamlessly segue us into a short explanation of symbolism using Prezi (10 minutes). Once the short presentation is done, I will begin a read-aloud of Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say (6 minutes). After the read-aloud, I will pass out questions, regarding symbolism, to each of the students (1 minute). I will instruct students to complete the questions and turn them in to me (5 minutes). Conclusion: I will instruct students to begin reading “Scarlet Ibis”, and read until the bell rings for dismissal. Approximately 53 minutes.
Materials and Resources: Paper Pencil Dry erase board/Markers SmartBoard Freedom symbols Prezi http://prezi.com/8wtrluhnuwhk/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say Symbolism questionnaire “Scarlet Ibis”
Assessments and Assignment: Warm-up discussion Symbolism questionnaire on Grandfather's Journey

Grandfather's Journey Questionnaire

1. Which symbol(s) did you identify in Grandfather's Journey?
   
2. What do(es) the symbol(s) mean?
   
3. Why do you think Allen Say chose the symbol(s) he chose to convey those meanings you discussed in question 2?
   

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Grandfather's Journey Questionnaire

4. Which symbol(s) did you identify in Grandfather's Journey?
   
5. What do(es) the symbol(s) mean?
   
6. Why do you think Allen Say chose the symbol(s) he chose to convey those meanings you discussed in question 2?
   

1. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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