Kendall Children's Lit. 2014 discussion
This topic is about
The Book Whisperer
The Book Whisperer
>
What type of reader are you?
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Deb
(new)
Mar 02, 2014 12:03PM
Mod
reply
|
flag
Out of the three categories Miller gave us I would most likely fall into the Dormant Reader. I don't read unless I have to, and even then I don't usually enjoy what I am reading. I just read to get it done. My senior year I had an AP Lit. Class. My teacher was very passionate about what she taught. We read books like Dracula, The Hobbit, and Pride and Prejudice. When I first picked up these books I was miserable that I was going to have to read it. When we began reading our teacher would make us sit in a circle and we would take turns reading passages. I LOVED IT! This was a way to get all the students into the book and past the boring parts. Pride and Prejudice and The Hobbit are two of my favorites books and it is because the way my teacher taught them. Although I read this books and was fully engaged, I would still classify myself as a Dormant Reader.
I’m pretty sure I would consider myself to be a dormant reader. I have always been really good at reading and I used to love it when I was in elementary school and middle school. But somewhere in between the transition from middle school to high school, I stopped reading the required books and would just do as minimal reading as possible to get by. I never failed any test over reading books in class but I did start to notice at the end of high school that my reading comprehension on the ACT was my lowest test score which surprised me because I am good at reading and I feel like I understand what I’m reading but I guess not. Not all of the attributes described for dormant reader fit me personally. I do enjoy reading for my own personal benefit and I can find the same magic in books that I do from TV and movies but when it comes to a decision between reading a book or doing something else, nine times out of ten I will choose the something else. But when I do read, I absolutely love it. I think I just struggle finding books that I would be easily engaged in and no one has ever taken the time to help me figure out what those books would be because I’ve never struggled with reading in the classroom.
As a child I was a combination of readers. When I was in k-3 grades I was a developing reader. Like Kelsey I was not a good reader so I didn’t like to read. I can remember being embarrassed because I read so slowly compared to other students. When I moved to the higher 4-6 grade school I discovered the library and The Boxcar Children. These books, like Kelsey experienced, improved my reading skills because I enjoyed reading them. In high school I was closer to being an underground reader. I was always reading on my own time. I enjoyed Stephen King and V.C. Andrews horror stories. I was such a scaredy cat as a kid I don’t know why those types of books appealed to me. If a teacher assigned a book and we had to do a book report I wouldn’t actually read the book. I usually read the beginning and the end and skimmed the middle for things to write, that is if I wrote a report at all as I thought it was a complete waste of time. That was 30+ years ago so I have grown up a bit since then. I now enjoy reading a good mystery
I have constantly been an underground reader. I became an avid reader while a teenager living in Germany where American television, at the time, was non-existent.When my mother suggested what I considered to be “grownup” books, I was thrilled.
The Somerset Maugham quote on the front of this selection states it very well to me: “To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries in the world.” Somerset Maugham was one of the authors suggested by my mother. I have used reading as an escape and a delight for many happy, as well as distressing times.
I am an underground reader. I was irritated by the amount of time spent in class picking stories apart. Why couldn't we just read them? When a novel is assigned, reading it becomes a chore because I can't stop being distracted by what elements of this paragraph will be the crucial information I need to have absorbed in order to perform well in class discussion, for a book report, or on an exam. Even now, if I'm reading a book that I find engaging, if I'm reading it for the book club I facilitate at work, I slog through it.I love to escape when I read. Having to report out on a book makes it harder to stay in the story. I think this is why the literature circle assignment was appealing to me. As I was reading, I only had to think about one angle and my particular assignment of literary luminary was easily completed by the moments that made me gasp or giggle or cry. I didn't have to worry about whether or not this paragraph holds the key to my "A" grade.
When putting myself into a type of reader group, I am definitely a developing reader and even more or less a dormant reader. Growing up and even to this day, I struggle when it comes to reading. I never did well with the standardized tests and I do not see myself becoming a strong reader. I am very embarrassed to read out loud as I struggle to pronounce words the correct way from time to time. I do not read regularly so I am becoming a weaker reader year after year.When it comes to being a dormant reader, I also see myself in this group as well. I am one to read in order to pass a class. I am going to read what I am asked to do but I will not necessarily enjoy doing it. However I do not see myself becoming an engaged reader, no matter what someone shows me.
I consider myself to be an underground reader. I loved to read and could go through books I read in high school in a few day to a week. I definitely like to be left alone when I read and get frustrated if someone interrupts me.However, I did not necessarily enjoy reading books that were assigned in English class because it took all the fun out of it. I was able to get into some of them, but not all. In high school, we were reading Huck Finn and I remember that I enjoyed reading it because instead of making us pick it apart while we read it, our teacher told us to read it like a novel. That allowed me to really get into the book and fly through it a lot faster.
I read morning, noon and night. I am an underground reader. I have always loved to read, ever since I was little. And it only became worse when I was able to read books to myself. I often have a difficult time putting a book down - even if I have homework - because I am constantly thinking about the book and how much I want to finish it. So I try to read my book in one day (I'll read well into the early morning if I have to) so I don't have the problem of not focusing, because otherwise my life (including homework and sleep) gets left on the back burner until I am finished.In high school I always loved my English classes. But there were times when we had to read a book where I just wanted to read the book and not analyze it for almost 1 1/2 - 2 weeks. For example, Pride & Prejudice or The Scarlett Letter or Hamlet just so I could get it over with (I despise reading plays because I believe that they should not be read, but rather performed). However books like The Grapes of Wrath, need some discussion to see the symbolism and make connections as you read. Thankfully my AP teacher my junior year let us have a group discussion where we would almost have a debate about our books in a student-led way and that made it more fun.
At this point in my life I would say that I am a cross between a dormant reader and an underground reader. I don’t have enough time presently to read for enjoyment. When I was much younger, in second grade, I was a developing reader. It was through a lot of practice and a parent who took me to the library and allowed me to choose my own books that I progressed.
I would classify myself as a dormant reader. I love to read, and always have, but after elementary school the only reason I would read is if it were assigned to me. I never enjoy books that are assigned to me. I have to wait until holidays or breaks in order to read what I want to read. There’s always a chance that I’ll enjoy a book or two that are assigned to me, but it always starts out as a painful experience to me because I am forced to read at a certain pace and forced to evaluate it in a certain way. Because of all this, I rarely get a chance to read something I actually like, so unfortunately my interest in reading has definitely lowered.
Out of the three readers, I would definitely consider my time in school as the dormant reader. I remember being pulled out of classes to participate in upper level reading groups that got special permission to check out chapter books that were meant for the older kids. Although I was good at reading, I usually only did what I needed to so that I could get through school. By the time I got to high school I barely did what I needed to pass my classes. Instead of reading the book itself I read the chapter summaries for the book on sparknotes, that way I knew the general idea of what was going on if the teacher asked me questions. Teachers in high school would spend so much time talking about details in the text I was able to pass the class with flying colors. I never read on my own throughout school though until I got to college and really started loving reading books.
The underground reader describes me pretty good. After discussing books that were required reading for high school with several people the last couple of months, I realize that I recognize the titles but most of them I can’t recall what they were about. I loved to read back then and still do. I remember that the deciphering and symbolism of the books was boring to me because most of the time that is not the way I interpreted the book. That is when I learned that without actually reading the book I could listen to the class lectures of the book and then write reports that agreed with the teachers’ view of a book. Reading is and always has been a big part of my life and I have passed the love of reading down to my children, grandchildren and hopefully a lot of little ones around town.
Of the categories I would consider myself a dormant reader. I never really got into reading and was something that I was never interested in. I would only read books that were assigned and even then it was a struggle to get me to read, sometimes I would do the minimal reading enough for me to do well on the assignment. Like lots of kids now days a lot of the times I would look at summaries of the books or the great spark notes that saved a great deal of us of having to actually read the whole book. I have learned that once I do find a book that catches my eye and is something that I can get into I have a hard time putting books down. This is why I would consider myself a dormant reader.
I am most definitely an underground reader. In school, I hated being distracted by my English teacher's books, especially when some teachers made us read the same books that other teachers had us read. I found it frustrating that while I was reading two books a week on my own, I had to prove to my teachers that I could comprehend books that they gave us. I did have one teacher who allowed us to pick from a variety of books and we could read them at our own pace. This was greatly appreciated on my end and goes along with what Miller suggests in her book.
I would consider myself a dormant reader if I had to choose from the three. I consider myself a dormant reader because I do not enjoy reading all of the time and I rarely spend my free time reading, however I do at times. So I am not an underground reader. I am so busy, I rarely have time to read so I read mostly for information or if it is assigned. Such as the dormant reader only reads for school purposes. I find a lot of reading material uninteresting but I can easily pick a book that I know I would enjoy reading. Like Hope, the student discussed in the reading, I have to find an opportunity to read for it to be interesting to me, if not it relates to a job to me.
The majority of my life I have been a developing reader. I never grabbed a book on my own to read for fun. I was an active child who had trouble sitting in one spot for even a short period of time. Just like Kelsey, I was not a good reader, so I didn’t really have the motivation to sit down and read a book. I read slower than my classmates and had trouble reading out loud since I didn’t read well. In High School, I was put into a special reading class. I was actually excited about it because I did want to enjoy reading books and become a good reader. During this time I was motivated to read, but only during that one-hour class period each day. I never took the book home or opened it outside of class.
I have always been interested in books and wanted to like reading, but I never got into it until these past few years. My wife is an underground reader and enjoys reading on trips, day, night, or really any free time she has. With her suggestions on books, over time has motivated me to read more. Just like Kelsey, I started out reading books that are at a lower reading level. I can say that when I do read books, I enjoy them. I follow along a lot better when it’s a book that I enjoy.
I think I would say that I am an underground reader. I love to read and hated when I had to read the books the teacher picked out for the class, and I never liked to write any reports or anything with the books either. I just wanted to read and never stop. There have been a few times like in college when I had too much homework and didn't have time to read but I compromised on sleep and stayed up late just to read a chapter or two before going to bed. Other times I just put off my homework so that I could read. I love to read because it was an escape from reality for me, I get to go somewhere that I know doesn't exist and step into other peoples shoes.
If I had to place myself in one of the three categories, I would classify myself as a dormant reader. I thoroughly enjoy reading, but I never have the time. When I do start a book that I enjoy, I have a hard time putting it down. Since starting college I mainly stick to a minimum reading requirement. I read what is assigned in class, but rarely pick up a book for my own pleasure. This is something I have been trying to work on.
I would consider myself an underground reader. I love to read, but I also wasn't always opposed to having to read for a class. My biggest problem in the reading world is picking out a book. I usually have a hard time deciding what to read because I always want to pick that "perfect book". So when teachers in high school and college assigned books, I was usually open to them and trusting of the teacher's opinions. If I didn't necessarily like them, fine. But I'd read it anyway because I thought they had some purpose if they were being assigned. I always enjoyed the discussions we'd have about them in class, also. I think a lot of it depends on the teacher and how enthusiastic and knowledgable they are about assigned books. I never would have picked up The Scarlet Letter The Great Gatsby on my own, but having them assigned opened me up to a whole new genre and whole of American literature. That being said, I'm also a firm believer in students' choice and think reading is a huge contribution to overall student achievement.
When looking at these three types of readers, I feel as though I am border line with dormant reader and underground reader, leaning towards the underground reader more. I say this because reading has always been sometimes challenging to me, but I enjoy reading. During high school, I would be able to slide by with the book tests because I rarely read those books. Instead, I wanted to read my own books of choice that interested me and would fit my reading level (which Scarlet Letter and Great Expectations did NOT meet my reading level). I also consider myself an underground reader because I love to read during school and sometimes find myself completely immersed in a story line and I don't want to have to add another book that I didn't chose into that plot that I'm already wrapped up in. Regardless, I love reading, especially those books that offer a detailed story line, filled with adventure and excitement.
I am definitely an underground reader. Reading has always been easy and fun for me. In Jr. High and high school I always had a book with me that I could read after I finished an assignment. I was also the kind of student that would hide the book on my lap and read during class. Now, in college, I don't read as much. It's not that I don't like it anymore, but I just don't have muchtime, and if I start to read a book, it can easily distract me from any homework or studying I have to do.
In my childhood, I always viewed reading as something not understood. I didn't understand why people would want to do it. It came easily to me, and I would so much rather be outside playing with my friends. I wanted to get done with reading so that I could do more fun stuff. Now, as a college student, I don't remember many reading experiences. I really didn't have many. In high school, I literally only read the required books. I find it true that a dormant reader, without reading, can fall behind. Reading was my lowest ACT score, and it definitely doesn't surprise me. I think I am beginning to see how fun reading can be, and that is not from the group reading of a teacher but because of personal interests.
