Reading Roll Call is a classroom activity I conduct with my students at the beginning of every week to see what they are independently reading. I always share the title of a book that I am reading to model participation and showcase the lifelong commitment to reading that I’ve made.
The Reading Roll Call idea stems from Donalyn Miller‘s book Reading in the Wild. I have adapted the activity and idea into blog form to track my reading progress on a weekly basis. Happy Reading!
The 2020-2021 school year begins this week! It’s time to get back into the swing of things and that includes Reading Roll Call. I have no idea what Reading Roll Call will look like this school year, but I am toying with a few options and will share what works.
I was recently asked by a few students to be the faculty advisor for my high school’s Literature Club. The students running the club are self sufficient, so I am looking forward to providing support and reading the books that the group decides on.
The first book that students in the club are reading is Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. I have never read any of Toni Morrison’s work and am excited to do so and hear from the students about the book, her writing, and the issues/topics covered in the book in a non-academic setting.
From the Back of the Book
“Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl, prays every day for beauty. Mocked by other children for the dark skin, curly hair, and brown eyes that set her apart, she yearns for the blond hair and blue eyes that she believes will allow her to finally fit in. Yet as her dream grows more fervent, her life slowly starts to disintegrate in the face of adversity and strife. A brilliant examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity, Toni Morrison’s virtuosic first novel asks powerful questions about race, class, and gender with the subtlety and grace that have always characterized her writing.”