Joining the Conversation: An Anthology for Developing Readers
Joining the Conversationinvites students to experience the pleasures of the written word by offering them a selection of readings from a range of authors who explore many facets of life. Chosen for their quality, the readings will acquaint developing readers with a diversity of style, voice, content, experience, and perspective.Joining the Conversationinvites readers to engage the written text, connect it to their own experiences or circumstances, consider their various responses, both emotional and intellectual, engage in a discussion about their reactions with other students, and, through their own writing, add their voices to those of the writer and countless others who have read the same text. Thus students are invited into the conversation about events, lives, and ideas that we call reading and are given the tools to help them do so in a manner that makes reading satisfying, rewarding, and essential.For most of the over 55 selections, the author has included:AnIntroductiongives brief information about the writer as well as some background information about the article, story, or poem.Initial Expectationsencourage students to keep a Reader's Notebook and record both their initial expectations before reading.The selections include book excerpts, articles, short stories, poems, and essays.Initial Response questions encourages students to write down their responses in their reader's notebook.Vocabulary and the Uses of Languageexercises offer students the chance to review the vocabulary and, in some cases, the kind of language used in each piece.Facts from the Readingasks students to find specific facts to be sure they understand key pieces of information in the story or article.A Deeper Understandingquestions inspires readers to reflect on the writer's words, experiences, and ideas as well as their own reactions to these words.Each poem is followed byQuestions for Reflectionto help students think about their response to the poem, their perspective on its meaning, and its connection to other works in that section of the text.Suggestions for Writinghelp students connect what they have read to their own memories, experiences, and opinions.Each chapter concludes withSuggestions for Additional Reading,andSuggestions for Family Readinghelp students carry the conversation beyond the classroom.