Reading

This year I grew as reader more than I imagined I might when the year started. It might sound strange, but I did not really see reading as something I could grow into, but just something I did. However, I was missing some things in the text. It turns out I was not reading very thoroughly or thoughtfully. Two things really helped with this. First, I have been supposed to use immersive reading for years, but I have been very resistant. I am not sure why, but a lot has to do with not wanting to be different. Second, I did not really understand annotating. It seemed like a waste of time. What I learned: the more engaged I became as a reader, immersing myself and annotating, the more interesting the book became. 

I read short stories, Lord of the Flies, Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, a lot of poetry, Purple Hibiscus, Macbeth, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

I think my annotations for Purple Hibiscus and Macbeth are very good. I could not have done so well a year ago. Also, I have taken it a step further with Macbeth, and I am keeping a running list of characters and themes. It makes reading it more fun and interesting. -Almost like a game, I am playing to see what I can discover in the book.

The standards I picked for Purple Hibiscus have carried over to how I am reading Macbeth. It might seem like they don’t apply because they are about writing, but I am reading now with how I will write about it in the back of my mind. 

1.      Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

2.      Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter).

3.      Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

4.      Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

5.      Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

6.      Run Grammarly before I submit!

7.      Improve Making Claims!

I need to continue to actively read, -staying engaged in the book. I need to continue to read with the standards in the back of my mind.