Chapter eight is pretty great. I devoured the first seven chapters eagerly, loving the ideas Blau had to offer about running literature workshops in the classroom. However, as I read them, I kept wondering exactly how writing would fit into the picture. Thankfully, Blau answered my questions with chapter eight.

I almost laughed as I realized that Professor Sample has incorporated the first two writing assignment ideas into this class. Our weekly blog works as a reading log, and because it is online, solves the dilemna of how to keep track of students’ progress. The Reading Process Research Report is a version of the Think Aloud we did. I find it extremely helpful that not only do we get to read about these ideas in this book, but we are practicing them as a class. This will make incorporating them into our classrooms even easier.

I love the idea of the alternative formal literary paper that Blau writes about on page 180. I think that for many young literature students (and I’m speaking from personal experience), the form and the conventions of a formal paper can be daunting and can take the focus away from the content. By allowing students to present their ideas in a less formal, less intimidating way, I imagine that the objective of meaningful interpretation is more often met than if the students are required to fit their ideas into a format they are not entirely familiar or comfortable with. This was one of the things I liked about the Think Aloud assignment we did. I was able to focus on what I was saying, not on my organization or format.

Finally, I think that the idea of not grading individual papers is brilliant. I’m not sure how this would work in a high school classroom, but I think it is a great idea. I think that too often students not only rely on teachers for information and interpretations, but also for evaluation. By putting the ball in the students‘ court and requiring some thoughtful self-evaluation on their part, we can foster more independence in our students.