Based upon sound reading theory and research, this is a practical book, written by teachers for teachers. Clearly understanding the relationship between student choice and student engagement, the authors fill their pages with suggestions about creating reading rich environments, integrating the various strands of the language arts, dealing with mandated curriculum, and structuring instructional time. Those of us distressed about those ‘I-hate-reading’ students will find this a tremendously useful book.
After reading this book, I am hopeful that teachers in all content areas will be convinced that they can and should craft a Collaborative Reading Workshop for their classes. The authors share tools, materials, research and practical examples that can be easily adapted to any classroom while also showing the potential this approach has for building the reading, writing, and discussion skills of all students, regardless of ability. Just as important, Fleck and Heinemann illustrate how a Collaborative Reading Workshop builds a sense of community that fosters self-awareness, relational skills, empathy, and tolerance among students of diverse backgrounds, values and interests. Try this approach and watch your students become empowered when they see that their voice matters and confident when they watch their literacy skills grow!
As demonstrated in this practical book, Fleck & Heinemann invite all teachers to consider the impact of pleasure reading on curiosity, engagement, and discussion skills in their high school. They demonstrate how to change a school culture through partnerships and teacher collaboration. Teachers who work together learn together. You will find vision here to transform your school—and its readers.
At a cultural moment in which many of us are looking for ways to ‘spark joy,’ Choice and Voice serves as a heartening reminder that the simple act of reading can provide the fulfillment, wonder, and human connection that we seek. In addition to offering practical resources such as discussion questions, sample assignments, and solutions to potential challenges both inside and outside the classroom, Fleck and Heinemann make an elegant, engaging argument for the way that reading strengthens the relationships between students, teachers, and communities. As soon as I finished reading Choice and Voice, I couldn’t wait to pick up another book.
As a college counselor, I often work with students who have not been prepared well enough to face the challenges college classes provide. From not feeling comfortable interacting with others in class not being able to process what they read in their textbooks, many students struggle during their first term in postsecondary. Doing well at this level has more to do with self-management than it does with ‘being smart.’ Choice & Voice provides a structure for these students to practice and improve the social-emotional, critical thinking, and goal setting skills needed to be successful as a college student. Since Collaborative Reader Workshop works from a growth mindset perspective, it not only teaches students they are not limited, it provides them with the space to see and experience it for themselves.
With its focus on building a community of engaged readers, Choice and Voice offers practical advice on achieving schoolwide buy-in for a program with proven success. The authors demonstrate ways to integrate authentic reading experiences into literacy curriculum with the ultimate aim of creating lifelong readers. Look no further for evidence that setting up a Collaborative Reader Workshop of your own is well worth the effort.
For teachers who are curious about implementing more choice and independent reading, this book provides practical strategies for easing in productively. Its emphasis on building relationships among students, teachers, and the larger school community connects culturally relevant and responsive practices and addresses equity explicitly. As Fleck and Heinemann demonstrate, students in collaborative reader workshops develop habits of mind by setting goals, pursuing their passions, and increasing their appreciation for the diversity of texts and each other.
The opportunities for self-selection and collaboration within a safe environment are true difference-makers for reluctant readers. I know this because I was one. If only an opportunity like Collaborative Reader Workshop existed for me as a young adult.
If you're looking for authentic, tried and true ways to help all of your students to be readers and to love reading, this is your book. Choice & Voice is written by teachers who figured out how to fit it all in, meet the standards, and form a community of lifelong readers.
Frustrated with your students’ reluctance to read for pleasure? The collaborative reader workshop provides a framework for fostering a love of books by capitalizing upon teenagers’ love of talk. Conversations about literary characters and crises help students develop empathy for others and engage with the larger world. Reading isn’t a bore when it is no longer a chore.
