Preparing For Class

• Read with a pen – mark up your books, consider them your own – circle characters names when you first meet them, use the blank pages at the start and end of the book to write down ideas – if you notice an interesting idea, write the page number down in your notes
• Connect previous concepts with new readings – after we discuss a concept, look for it in the next book – when you see an example, write a note in the margin – for example, if you notice a moment in which an adult acts in a particularly caring way, you might write “child-centered” off to the side – flip back through the margins before class
• Come ready with questions about concepts – naturally you can never really understand new concepts the first time they are introduced – so think back over concepts that are still a little fuzzy to you and ask about them in regards to the current reading – remember that concepts build upon concepts
• Locate passages you especially admire – at the start of class, be ready to talk about a particular passage you like, whether it is a paragraph or a whole scene – think about why you like the passage, whether it is because it is well written or because it connects to something we were talking about
• Be critical – one of the most important steps to becoming a better reader is to go beyond simply whether you liked or disliked the book – think about why the author portrays children the way he or she does, think about how you can articulate what bothers you about the book, or what excites you – or think to yourself, “I may not like this book, but I can see why it is important to study it”
• Pay attention to everything you read or watch – look for concepts we talked about when you watch television or read magazines or talk to friends – see if those concepts make sense in everyday life – lend your experiences to the class
• Always be thinking of how to put concepts into your own words – concepts make the best sense when you can explain them to others, when you can phrase them in your own understanding – I am always looking for you to go beyond repeating definitions, and instead constructing reasonable definitions of your own
• Enjoy a challenge – difficult concepts will change the way you think – try to make sense of them by going by what you already know, but always be vulnerable enough, and open-minded enough, to have your ideas challenged
• Think of one thing you could say at the start of class – be ready to go at the start of class, be ready with something you can say about the book . . . what it made you think of, how it changed your mind, anything that will lead us into new directions