Pytash: Chapter 1

I enjoyed the Seven Guiding Principles for Literature Teachers.  The following is what I found important from each one.

1. Students Must Read
     - Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development. It is very important because it gives students the chance to control their learning because they learn with the aid of a teacher or more knowledgeable peers.  They are not just lectured to.

My favorite part of that section is the quote from Vygotsky: "the only good kind of instruction is that which marches ahead of development and leads it."

2. Don't Confuse Reading for Pleasure with the Study of Literature
     - This section says students should read two very different kinds of books.  The first one acts as a mirror, which means the students can relate to the story.  The second one acts as a window which allows students to experience other worlds, other times and other cultures.  Students need both kinds of books.

This section also mentions Oprah's Book Club.  Oprah started hosting a new segment called "Traveling with the Classics." Her first selection was John Steinbeck's East of Eden. I have not read that book yet but this section makes me want to read it.

3. Dont' Simply Assign Difficult Books; Teach Them
     - This section really made me think.  It said that sometimes teachers abandon the classics because they think their students won't be able to understand it.  This section says that it's not enough to just hand the students the book and expect them to understand it on their own.  Teachers need to walk their students through difficult books and help them understand.

4. Reading Literature Requires Language Study and Builds Vocabulary
     - This section stresses that students who come to school with rich vocabularies thrive and those who arrive with a language gap never seem to make up the difference.   The book also says that instruction can make a difference.  This book recommends that every teacher should read Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction. It said that that book should be mandatory for every teacher.  That is very interesting to me.  It must be a pretty good book.  I can't wait to read it.

5. Reading Literature Build Background Knowledge
     - This section is very important because people don't think about how much background knowledge is important until they read something to which they have no background knowledge.  The more a student reads different kinds of books, the more background knowledge they will acquire.

6. Reading Literature Educates Students' Imaginations
     - I think the most important part of this section is the first two sentences.  "Good literature is disturbing. It forces readers to examine the lives of others objectively from the inside out."  Students need to be exposed to things they are not used to because it gives them the chance to be exposed to worlds and experiences they have never known.

7. Metaphorical Thinking is a Life Skill
     -This section shows that students use metaphors all the time without even knowing it.  They think of metaphors only when thinking about English class.  It is very important for students to understand the power of a good metaphor.