Reading Chronicles

  I put in my white earbuds and begin my workout.  My amazon music has a playlist with Latin jams,  the latest pop and other moving beats.  It's a really nice mix of tempo and rhythm with strong beats to help bring my heartbeat up.  My phone is shuffling the music, blasting in my ears as I squat on my sweaty mat.  Sixty minutes of movement go by quickly when the music is pushing you through every move.  As I finish my last set, I know it will soon be time to cool off.  I stretch, drink some water, and wipe my sweat with my towel. 

       BHH reading is a technique to help readers interact with the text they are  reading.  The idea is that when you read you should  think about what is in the  book , what is in  your head , and what is in your heart .  The BHH framework comes  from the book  Disrupting Thinking. This formula is a great approach to creating  responsive readers.       I wanted to apply these principles to the book New Kid which I read with my first  book club. As I read this book and thought about what was in the book, I noticed  several themes that the author was conveying throughout the story. This book is  about a middle school aged boy who goes to a new school, but to a school that is  not  in his  neighborhood and is also a private school. The author wants me to  experience,  through  the lens of the main character what challenges he is going  through at his...

      It's so nice when I can read books for pleasure, it's probably my favorite type of reading!  There are  many different reasons people read-for pleasure, educational, professional development, etc. I've often  wondered how people see what they read in a book? Do they see images, colors, or themselves? When  I read, depending on what I am reading, I try my best to create an image in my mind of the words I am  reading. Something about being able to visualize what's written, helps me to solidify the text. I think  that an author who uses imagery, can help the reader experience the text in a more deeper and rich way.  This is accomplished by using text that will appeal to all five senses. I have found that I tend to see the  text in my mind as a movie, that is playing scene by scene. Sometimes I hear my voice as the  characters and othertimes, I hear the voices of people I know as the characters or the narrarator.   ...

  Have you ever thought about your week and investigated your reading sessions? For example, where you read, what you are reading, or what the conditions are when you are reading? When I think about my reading habits, I can easily share the various habits that have helped me make reading a deliberate part of my life.  Currently, books that I am reading are placed inside the bag that I bring with me in my car from the house. I place my book(s) in the outer pocket because I know this is an area that I will always look inside of. Placing whatever book I am reading in this spot, will allow me to see it and "remind" to get my book out; especially if it is a busy day.  I do a lot of driving, so I usually have a book on my e-library checked out, a book or Bible plan I am on in the Bible app, or a podcast series set up that I am listening to. I try to make those drive times (if alone) a time where I can still be "reading" something. Usually, in the car, I prefer to "re...

     Friday nights have become Family Fun Nights  for  our family this school year. We try to do  different  things together as a family and many  times the  kids are given the opportunity to  choose what we  should do. Tonight, we decided  to have a battle  with our X-shot guns! Our oldest  was not that  interested, but that quickly  changed.  We  decided  to do a battle of girls  vs.  boys.      The rules were set: 1. If someone is loading  their  gun, they cannot be shot. 2. You are out once you  get shot 5 times. We set up  our areas, boys choosing where they would post up and  girls choosing where they  would post up. We blasted some music, turned off most of  the lights, and began  the  countdown-  3, 2, 1. For about 20 minutes we "battled" and all you  could hear was laughter, yelling, guns reloading, and th...

      When I think about my middle school years (6th-8th grade) I cannot recall what books I read,  my  English teachers' names, or any projects that I did in English class. I'm not sure if this is because I  have a bad memory or if it is because my literacy experience during those years doesn't offer much  compelling to remember. I have sat and tried to really think back to those years, but nothing about  my literacy journey jumps out. Truth be told, I'm not really sure that I had a literacy journey until I was  in high school. I do think part of the reason is that I did not begin taking learning seriously until  I was older and books were not really part of my home life growing up. It's sad to think about since those were important formative years, but thankfully when I was in high school that changed!     High school is when I began to think about reading outside of the classroom and it began with  personal growth. My d...