What is Literacy & The Book Whisperer

I have now returned to school after 14 weeks of placement. This means I have significantly less time to read purely for pleasure and now have some required books to read in connection with my courses. However I am taking a course on Language, Learning, and Literacy. So our class is having a lot of interesting discussions on literacy in our country (Canada) and ways we can incorporate literacy into therapy (speech) sessions. I hope to bring some of those topics here to discuss how you feel about them.

Our discussion was about What is Literacy through the books we treasured in our childhood or as we developed into the reader we are today. A lot of my early memories of books and the books I favoured involved other people, like my mother reading it to be before I could read it myself, of a teacher reading it to the class, of reading it with a group of peers and trying to figure out what it meant, of it being a gift from someone special, etc. Do you have some special books in your life that are special because of a connection to other people?

We also talked about things that attracted us to literacy, e.g. the cover, illustrations, being interactive, the search of knowledge, the idea of being like the big kids/not "being a baby" (not being able to read), independance, etc. What drew you to literacy? What pushed you away?

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As part of this class we are also reading the book The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller in the form of several book clubs/groups. We will read one chapter a week for the next 7 weeks and I will do my best to post each week my thoughts and feelings about that section of the book and I'd love it if you would join me.

Read along with me or read it all and once it is up to you. However I ask that you will only impart your opinions week by week on the chapter being discussed to keep spoilers to a minimum. Or just let me know as a comment to this post if you have read this book and what you thought about it.
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So We Meet Again...

So it would seem that my hopes of continuing this blog during the school semester have failed miserably. Since my last post I started a post-grad program at college and have now just finished my first semester's final exams. As for reading the novels turned quickly into textbooks and my to-read pile grew higher and higher.  I was however able to read a couple more books and most specifically listen to a few audiobooks (mostly while commuting back and forth to school and work) which is a medium I have come to really enjoy even though the physical books still have a certain place in my heart.

Current books I'm trying desperately to finish before the year ends:
1) The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
2) Conviction of a Witch by Suza Kates

Also realized my alphabet challenge didn't get completed this year, oops, so I am determined to complete it in 2012 (might start over or might just continue on, will see). Also hoping to be able to read 50 books in 2012 though that might be pushing it as well as I finished 25 books this year (only starting in July) but some where very short as I had to read several children's books for class. Another thing that'll hopefully start up in the new year is me vlogging on YouTube. Likely book related, beginning with just book hauls & in my mailbox type videos but eventually my include some reviews or other things as well. Will have to wait and see. Thanks for sticking around throughout my absence! :)