Blog Post #1- Share Your Reading Life Karen Rosenberger

Blog Post #1

Routman/Reading Essentials/Ch. 3 “Share Your Reading Life”

I have always had a love for reading! Some of my greatest childhood memories have something to do with books. My brother, sister, and I would sit huddled around my Mom while she read to us from Dick and Jane. We would repeat, “See Spot run!” over and over again. I love the idea from the article suggesting to start the beginning of the year by sharing my own reading life with students. Next year I am definitely going to begin with one of my favorite childhood stories.  When I was about 5 years old, I got so mad at my family that I decided to run away. I packed my suitcase and headed up the street. When I thought I was far enough up the road, I turned and went into our neighbor’s back yard. I walked through the yards until I made it back to my house and hid behind the dog house. Little did I know that my Mom had called the neighbors, and they were watching me the entire time. I sat out there until I got hungry, and then went back into the house. The reason I am sharing this story is because it has to do with books and reading. I had filled my suitcase with all of the books I could take, and of course my pink “security” blanket. I sat behind the dog house snuggled up with two of my childhood loves…my pink blanket (which was actually a full size bedspread) and my favorite books!

The article also talked about sharing your favorite books and authors. This is one of my favorite times with the children. When I ask them to join me “in the back” they know I am going to share something very important. I begin by asking them about their favorite authors, and we create a list. Of course I add my favorite to the list as well. Most of my third graders haven’t heard of Karen Hesse, the author of Out of the Dust. I share with them that the book is a novel written in free verse about the Oklahoma Dust Bowl disaster of the 1930’s. When I taught 5^th grade, this book went along great with our study of the Great Depression. The children were just as fascinated with the book as I was and never wanted it to end. They still had so many questions for the author. Questions like: How did you come up with the idea for the book? How did you come up with the format of the writing for the book? Why did you decide on Oklahoma? Did you live there? Does your family come from there? Are any of the characters based on real people you know? When you wrote this book what were some of your feelings inside? Will you write another book so we can find out what happens to Billie Jo? Those are only a few. The children had many more.

So, after a long discussion about what to do next, we decided to write letters to the author. I did a little research and found an address for Karen Hesse through Scholastic.  I really didn’t expect the letters to make it to her. But, after only a few weeks my 5^th grade class received a four page letter from the author herself!  The children were thrilled! Karen Hesse answered every question my students asked in great detail. That is definitely one of my top teaching moments, and I will never forget it. Her last words to my students were to never stop asking questions, and NEVER stop reading!