Choice Reading Response 19- Herman Cain

I noticed this article "Herman Cain drops out of presidential race" on my Yahoo! homepage. Being a bit of a Herman Cain fan (and making the connection that I'd just talked to my good friend about him the day before yesterday), I clicked on it to find out why, and to see if my friend already knew this. Since he hasn't messaged me back yet, I'll write my thoughts about this article.

I'm not at all into politics because I don't have enough prior/background knowledge to side with any particular opinion on anything way bigger than my sphere of influence. I don't even know when to vote for anyone in my home state (not that I would since that would be out of ignorance and almost an abuse of my right to vote since I wouldn't be voting intelligently in favor of what's best for the people). Despite this, Cain strikes me as an interesting candidate. My friend regularly informs me of any political updates, including debates, and from what he tells me, Cain sounds like he knows what he's doing (but that's probably biased based on my friend's opinions). Cain is a businessman, which is unusual since most candidates are involved in government work, but I think that vocation gives him a new perspective, shining light on experts' blindspots.

The article says he's dropping out because of some allegations of sexual harassment and an affair. Oh goodie, another skeleton in a politician's closet; let's do the only rational thing and expose the mess out of it to embarrass the politician. Understandably, the American people shouldn't have to deal with all of these secrets, but to me, this article sounds like some women got bored, wanted 15 minutes of fame, and declared their "personal time" with Cain. The mistress even produced a cell-phone record. Oooh, risque.

Come on. A cell-phone record? That they'd be talking on the phone? Why is that scandalous? She and Cain admitted their long-time friendship; why can't we chalk it up to that? What sucks the most is that Cain's lawyer didn't really deny the allegations; he just said Cain's sex life is private. Awesome. Cain dropping out, then, tells me that this thing might have more of a sticky truth than I first thought. Either that or Cain can't handle the pressure of all of these false claims. Or maybe it's something else entirely.

See, that's why I hate politics; I can talk myself in circles with all of the limited information I have and never reach a conclusion.


Moody, C. (2011). Herman Cain drops out of presidential race. Retrieved from http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/herman-cain-suspends-presidential-campaign-184541824.html

Reading Response 16- Tovani Chapter 8

I think Chapter 8 is the entire basis of our class, Mrs. Crawford, hahahaha. As I read the chapter, I kept laughing because everything this chapter covers is what we do in your class. Tovani did bring up a good point about tests, which made me wonder about our final: we're probably not having a traditional paper-pencil-scantron test, are we? Are we going to be writing about what we learned about our learning/thinking and how to apply those things in our classrooms?

I can't believe it's taken me all semester to figure out that you just wanted to know my thinking. I feel like I haven't done the best job with that, but at the same I think my confusing writing submissions (logs and projects alike) reflect the chaos in my head, hahaha.

I did find it strange that Tovani only required two essays in her college-bound seniors English class. Maybe that's because the class was for college prep, and not necessarily a senior English literature class? That's one of my biggest concerns for my English classes is the amount of reading and writing I'll have to do and grade. Fortunately, I think Tovani has given me ways to assessment my students' thinking (and to prove that they've read and written something) without their submitting an essay or test every time. My only issue is that I think students can just as easily cheat on the sticky note assessment and response logs if they only read, say, a paragraph or two out of however many pages. I'd have to have them answer more overarching questions I guess or just break up the reading into even smaller chunks.

Your ideas are most welcome here, Mrs. C ;)


Tovani, C. (2004). Do I really have to teach reading?: Content comprehension, grades 6-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Choice Reading Response 18- ANGEL Quickstart Guide

I'm a work-study for the missionary in residence at Evangel. She teaches several English classes, as well as a missions class; one of these English classes is for the Degree Completion program, and she wants to revamp its layout on ANGEL. So, diligent work-study that I am, I complied. I don't know much about how ANGEL works from a course-editor perspective, so she provided me with the quickstart guide. Today, I needed to refer back to this guide for some technical information.

Aside from being a technical piece, this text was fairly easy to navigate, thanks to the table of contents. I jumped back and forth between sections and determined importance from what I inferred out of the text. For example, I thought I could make each essay a milestone/task on the course calendar, but I can't do that unless I somehow make each essay an assessment. Using the same information, however, I was able to find a place to set access dates for each assignment, which put them on the calendar. I'm still working on automated agents for the course, though I'm not sure if those will work for this course. Agents can unlock/release certain content based on certain parameters (like assessment scores), so I was thinking of applying that information for releasing each essay after the previous one is submitted.


(2009). ANGEL 7.4 instructor quickstart guide. Indianapolis, IN: ANGEL Learning.

Reading Response 15- Tovani Chapter 7

Chapter 7 is all about small group instruction. I'm thankful for this chapter because of its insight into self-management of the groups which has been one of my fears as a teacher. Tovani mentioned that the groups should be flexible in members (meaning they wouldn't be the same kids in the same groups all of the time). She also mentioned designating a quiet area for students who haven't completed the pre-discussion work to do so before joining a group. I thought both were excellent suggestions, the first of which I want to do in several ways. I'd like to have seating charts for my classes, but I'd like to mix up those charts throughout the year. Or I could do "appointments" like my health/lifetime skills teacher did: every student gets a picture of a clock with twelve slots that they must keep in their binder (and the binder must be with them in class in case of spot-notebook checks); students then move about the room, asking each other to be their appointments for a certain "time" slot; once those slots are filled, our teacher would ask us throughout the year to meet with our "two o'clock appointment" for discussion time.

Tovani also mentioned attaching assignments to the ends of discussions so that students would have something to do after their discussion to signal they are ready to move on in the lesson plan. I haven't quite been able to think about how to implement this since all of my experience teaching has included whole-class instruction about a group activity then waiting for each group to finish so I could again offer a whole-class explanation for the next activity.

I had to start and stop the reading because of my attendance at a mock trial (see previous entry), but I think making connections was my best reading strategy this time around.


Tovani, C. (2004). Do I really have to teach reading?: Content comprehension, grades 6-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Choice Reading Response 17- Mock Trial Journal Entry

A criminal justice major, my friend asked me to sit as a jury member on her class' mock trial tonight. The prosecutors wanted to prove that Phoebe was intentionally murdered by her jealous roommate Vicky; the defense wanted to prove that Phoebe was in fact suicidal, and her death had been by her own hands--not Vicky's. During this trial, the jury was allowed to read Phoebe's diary entry, dated the night before she was found dead in her dorm room. The diary entry was short, but it quickly dismissed the idea that Phoebe was suicidal. However, because the prosecutors were looking to convict Vicky of first degree murder, and the jury deemed all of the other evidence at the trial inconclusive, Vicky was found not guilty.

One of the witnesses read the journal entry aloud before one of the prosecuting attorneys passed it to the jury. When I received the entry, I was suddenly struck with how impacting inflection would've been when reading aloud. The entry was punctuated with several exclamation points and a smiley face (determining importance). Clearly this couldn't have been from a depressed girl's journal (inference). Even when another attorney read the entry again in his closing statement, his voice still didn't reflect the excitement I read in her written tone.

Regardless, we the jury found Vicky not guilty. While evidence was inconclusive for first degree murder, evidence for suicide was also inconclusive. Although Phoebe's counselor mentioned Phoebe's occasional pessimistic, down-on-her-luck moments, this entry obviously showed that she didn't intentionally kill herself that same evening (inference). On the other hand, I wondered if Phoebe wasn't just hiding her feelings, or if she had written the wrong date for the entry and something upsetting had occurred soon after to push her over the edge. I think I wondered this because of my own experiences with suicide (making connections). I've had a couple of friends confide in me their desires to kill themselves; I had even considered it myself during my high school years. While Phoebe didn't show signs of depression, that didn't mean she wasn't considering it. On the plus side, like my other friends (still alive, I'm thankful to say), she reached out to a counselor for help for the other aspects of her life.

Unfortunately, when the jury made its decision, the professor for the class announced that Vicky had indeed killed Phoebe. On the plus side, this is only a mock trial, so no one's dead or being convicted/released; and even if it were true, I could only hope that being deemed not guilty of first degree murder would've changed Vicky's ways.



Journal Entry. Mock trial for Criminal Justice class of Evangel University. Professor Myers.

Choice Reading Response 16- 1001 Ways to Save Money...

I've mentioned several times already, and I know I'll keep mentioning it: this book I chose to read is from the Library Sale. 1,001 ways to save money...and still have a dazzling wedding is full of tips for skipping the extra expenses that the wedding industry so desperately wants women to use. While I'm not planning on getting married for a good long while (if ever), I do find the idea of planning weddings to have fascinating aspects. Since I'm not a very girly girl, I don't know everything about weddings. Heck, I just found out that weddings have cocktail hours because of the TLC show Four Weddings. I figured this book would be interesting to read.

Full of information from the engagement to the honeymoon, this book has tips for everything. Check out trunk sales for bridal gowns. Have a limited open bar at the ceremony. Leave wedding gifts in someone else's home while on the honeymoon instead of in the new, but empty, home. This book also has tips on creating some non-traditional elements for a wedding. Have a wedding ceremony of flower girls instead of bridesmaids (which will save a lot of money on attire). Use zinnias, ivy, and tulips as flower arrangements instead of a bunch of roses.

I flipped around in this book to different sections that appealed to me at the time. I read some of the tips outloud to a friend, and I asked questions about certain aspects of the book. I didn't understand why the groom was supposed to purchase jewelry for his bride's wedding reveal or her wedding night lingerie. I didn't know that a rehearsal dinner was really more of a bridal party get together than an actual rehearsal for the wedding.


Naylor, S. 1,001 ways to save money...and still have a dazzling wedding. 3rd ed. McGraw-Hill, 2009.

Reading Response 14- What Makes a Hero?

Professor Crawford used several text literacies in our short unit on Essential Questions: What makes a hero? She used music, music videos, song lyrics, articles, group and class discussions, and a movie trailer. In order to understand their relation to the unit, we had to understand what we were "reading". Each text required a different literacy to understand the meaning within each text.

A hero can be anyone from any background. Regardless of social status, past history, profession, personality, or anything else, any individual has the power to be a hero. Heroes can reveal a number of qualities, including but not limited to self-sacrifice, courage, strength, endurance, perseverance, morality, and responsibility.

My heroes are people who upset the social balance and encourage an upheaval of cultural norms. Most often these people are martyrs. Although they are murdered for their outrageous change, their influence only spreads. People like Paul introduced the idea of husbands submitting and loving their wives enough to lay down their own lives for their wives' during the cultural era where women were seen but not heard. He also named an unheard of, for that time, number of women who strengthened the new church's power. These people are bold, courageous, and sacrificial. They press on despite the hard times, and they rely not on their own strength, but God's.

Choice Reading Response 15- Harvest Fest Skits

No response required; Group B log/blog collection

Reading Response 13- Wilhelm

No response required; Group B log/blog collection

Choice Reading Response 14- Chicken Soup for Teens

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul is a compilation of short stories, quotes, and poems written for, by, or about teenagers and their experiences. The book is divided into sections about relationships, friendships, families, learning, and several other topics. I know that several Chicken Soup books exist, and since I happened to be at the Library Sale where about five of these books appeared, I figured I'd pick them up and read them. I assumed they must be good if they keep putting more of them together for a variety of topics.

Written as a compilation, the authors explicitly give their purpose for the book (to encourage teens) and how to read the book so that teens can make it their own. Taking their advice, I have been jumping around in the book, skimming the table of contents for titles that appeal to me, and reading them as nightly devotionals. I think the main reason I enjoy this book is because it helps me get into a teenager's shoes and see through their eyes. This is especially important for me to do if I want to build relationships with my future high school students. Additionally, not only are some of the works written by adults looking back on their younger years, but some of these perceptive pieces of art were created, experienced, and submitted by teens. I even made a few personal connections with the stories about friendships, about suicide, and about parents, but I didn't connect so well with the lovey-dovey relationship ones. Regardless, I hope this book continues to help me be a confidant, a good listener, and an active helper to my kiddos during their struggles.


Canfield, J & et al. (1996). Chicken soup for the teenage soul: 101 stories of life, love and learning. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc.

Choice Reading Response 13- Gambit Comic

At the Library Book Sale a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a section of graphic novels. While a majority of this section consisted of jumbled Shounen Jump magazines, a couple of comic books found their homes there as well. It was here that I found Gambit. As a Marvel fan but never an official comic book reader (I'd always found graphic novels to carry more bang for their buck), I figured now was as good a chance as any to work on a comic book collection. Since I've yet to write a response about a comic, I figured this response was a good excuse to do so.

Gambit is an X-Man with the ability to fire explosive projectiles from his hands. Usually, Gambit needs only resort to his physical fighting capabilities to fend off foes. The comic opens with a Creole folkstale about The Tithe Collector. The TC has something to do with the two guilds in New Orleans--the assassins and the thieves, Gambit being one of the latter. After an assassin kills one of Gambit's dear friends, Gambit delivers vengeance. During his mission, however, he encounters his once dead brother-in-law Julien who bears strange news: Gambit's wife, thought dead, is alive. In search of answers, Gambit ventures to New Orleans.

Although I was able to follow the story easily enough, the comic contains full page advertisements which interrupt reading flow. Additionally, because the Marvel universe is so wide, the comic is barely self-contained. Certain plot lines connect back to other issues or are yet unclear, and certain off-handed comments are the same way. As much as I like reading comics and graphic novels, I notice I usually have to read them twice: once for the story/words and again for the art.


Marvel Comics. (2003). Gambit: At last! The cajun x-man in his own limited series! New York, NY: Marvel Entertainment, LLC.

Reading Response 12- Draper Chapter 10

This chapter, all about literacy in Visual Arts classrooms, deciphers some misconceptions about literacy. Especially in heavily visual classrooms like art (or heavily aural classrooms like music), literacy is usually forced in through traditional print texts. However, the vignette reveals the cooperation between the literacy specialist and the visual arts teacher without resorting to this traditional paper-and-ink idea of literacy.

I found the vignettes to be the most helpful in grasphing the chapter. Because of Mrs. Greene content area in the visual arts, students most likely wouldn't read textbooks or write papers. Her initial hesistation to team up with a literacy specialist proves her fear of yanking her content area in the wrong direction. Instead, her ability to make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections with visual media made the literacy relevant to students. Her text included physical items that connected to the culture: clothing, lunchboxes, magazines, etc. Using these non-traditional non-print items, Mrs. Greene was able to help students understanding their ideas about themselves as they related to the culture. In having them create their own visual pieces, she helps students bring the text to life and make it applicable to themselves.

As an English teacher, I found this classroom lecture exceptionally useful. I think I would be able to create a similar lesson with similar items, but instead of connecting it to a visual artist's style, I could connect it to an author. Instead of having my students create vests (which would still work in an English classroom anyways, I think), I could have them write a journal response or a short story which incorporated that day's lesson.


Draper, J. (2010). (Re)imagining content-area literacy instruction. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Choice Reading Response 12- Supernatural Love

I work for a professor in the Theology department who's also an English professor. Her Intro to Lit class was supposed to read and write a response on "Supernatural Love"; since I'd have to grade these responses, I figured I'd better read the poem. The response prompt was for readers to make connections between the narrator's understanding of herself, her father, and the Incarnation through the symbols of blood, flowers, and nails/needles.

The poem's narrator is a woman looking back on her time as a four year old girl. Then, the girl called carnations "Christ's flowers," though at the time she didn't know why. She remembers her father at a dictionary in his study while she's cross-stitching a word she can't yet read: "Beloved". Her father reads the defintion of carnation, learning that its part of the clove family and its Latin root is "flesh." Flipping to the word "clove," her father finds its root word is Latin for "nail." The father comes to a sudden realization of flesh, nail, and the red carnation flower ("Christ's flowers") just as the girl stabs herself with her cross-stitching needle. She cries to her father, like Christ called for his on his cross for his beloveds, and the father comes to the rescue.

Obviously there are a lot of text-to-text symbol connections in this poem. I was able to visualize quite a bit of this poem because it was so full of imagery.


Schnackenberg, G. (1976?). Supernatural love. Chicago, IL: The Poetry Foundation.

Reading Response 11- Draper Chapter 8

This chapter explored content area literacy for English Language Arts classrooms. The section that stood out to me the most was the summary of the three models that English teachers incorporate into their classrooms: the mastery model, the cultural heritage model, and the process model. I hadn't realized before that English teachers followed any specific models; I just thought they taught English components from each of these models in specific class units. Another interesting point that Draper mentioned was the idea that because English is so traditional-print text heavy, literacy in the English classroom rarely includes other text forms.

Again, I read the chapter summary, but this time the summary was sorely lacking. I turned to the section about the three models because, as I mentioned before, I hadn't realized that actual models for an ELA classroom existed. (Actually, even typing ELA reminds me that English classrooms have a lot of different titles: language arts, communication arts, composition/grammar, etc.) The mastery model is all about gaining skills for grammar or writing or technical things that can be objectively measured. The cultural heritage model focuses on selecting classic novels for their ideas and views on values and society. Making a connection, at first, the cultural heritage model seemed like the model I would follow. However, noticing the author's tone, this model seemed to have its drawbacks too. The final model was the process model, which seemed like the model that would proceed the mastery model. This model is all about the discovery of a specific skill. Overall, the text suggested that integrating each model is the most effective.


Draper, J. (2010). (Re)imagining content-area literacy instruction. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Choice Reading Response 11- Pitch Black

Ever since I saw this set of brightly color-coordinated books lined up on a shelf in a bookstore, I have sought for the True Colors series. Unfortunately, because it's a Christian series, Christian bookstores sell each book for at least $10, which can get pretty steep considering the series has at least 10 books. After visiting the Library Sale a couple of weekends ago, I found Pitch Black, the fourth in the series, for a dollar. The books aren't necessarily sequential since each one deals with its own self-contained characters, plots, and themes, but I'm pretty sure they're all connected somehow. Regardless, I didn't mind starting with this one since it's got a deep subject--suicide.

Pitch Black's main character is Morgan, a girl with a drug addicted brother and a mother who's run off to Vegas to marry a man twenty years her junior. Morgan's best friend, Jason, commits suicide by downing a bottle of Tylenol. This news shocks Morgan to her core since Jason's life seemed so together especially because Jason was a devoted Christian. Unable to cope, Morgan and two friends bond over a suicide pact and decide to die the same way Jason did. Fortunately, God intervenes in a number of ways and a shocking secret undermines the suicide pact entirely.

I read the book a couple of chapters at a time for my nightly devotionals. I was surprised at how easy the read was and how easily I connected to the story. The timeline is also surprisingly condensed considering how much character depth Carlson included. I made a lot of personal connections and world connections to the text. While Morgan was relieved that she was able to talk a couple of friends out of suicide, I haven't been able to trust my words so dearly. Twice I've called the cops on two Christian friends because I was terrified that they'd commit suicide, and I would not be able to live with myself if they died because I didn't do enough. Granted, I probably could've called their parents or our pastors or something, but the police thing seemed the most logical. The two scenarios played out very differently, but, like in Pitch Black, both of my friends lived so that they could die to Christ.


Carlson, M. (2004). Pitch black: Color me lost (True colors series #4). Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.

Reading Response 10- Draper Chapter 2

Chapter 2 was all about the misconceptions between literary specialists and content area teachers. Additionally, this chapter covered the differences between traditional print and non-print/non-traditional  texts, texts which would vary in number depending on the content area. For example, English would naturally have the highest amount of print texts while music would heavily rely on non-traditional non-print sources.

My strategies for reading the text included reading the chapter summary first, and then I returned to the text to skim the headings and navigate the main points of the chapter. I made several connections in my understanding because I had some of these misconceptions from the chapter (like literacy meaning reading only traditional print text) before I took this class. I hadn't realized that literacy indicates an understanding for interpreting a particular medium. Because of this new understanding, I wonder if reading groups in schools where school time is devoted to teachers of every content area leading a reading group are the best idea. Technically, that content area teacher should be teaching literacy, but it won't always be the kind of literacy we usually think of--reading a traditional print text.


Draper, J. (2010). (Re)imagining content-area literacy instruction. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Professor Crawford's Comments 2

Hi Rachel,

I always enjoy reading your blog!

It still will not let me leave comments even though I am signed in? Do you have the setting where you have to approve followers that can make comments? If so, will you allow me to comment? It would be easier than doing it all through email.

I think I fixed it. If you comment on this post, then we'll know for sure. :)

What was your motivation for choosing the How to Write a Novel book? Are you thinking of writing one? That would be amazing!

I was moved to tears by your Captivating response. Your heart is in exactly the right place! You are beautiful and God’s plan for you is more important than anything else. You referred to that in your response and I think those truths are so important. So…hold on to those truth that God has given you and he will definitely put you where you are to be!! Great attitude!

Thank you. Your kindness is overwhelming. :]

Nice job fully exploring your thinking on the Jo Draper chapter! I like how you explore connections and then evaluate your own reading of the text. What a powerful connection you made to your own text book teaching sample! AWESOME job!

On The Spitfire Grill you did a great job of what is known as triangulating the data. You used 3 sources, so even if you are unsure of the credibility of the sources (which I am so glad that you brought attention to) it’s always a great idea to seek out further information. I also liked how you told the “story” of the information trail you were on!

Can I share your Lance article blog with a member of the administration? I’m not kidding…let me know. I think those are all very valid points that you have made. If Homecoming were more about building a bridge between current and former students…everyone would have a stake in it…right? Great job on this! I love how you analyzed your own point of view as well.

Well, sure, go for it. I wouldn't mind.

So…how does the Parable of the Tenants relate to your own life? Good job with your questions!

With all that grammar knowledge…could you help some of my students? Ha! We all make mistakes as far as typos, but it is amazing how many mistakes are made out of a lack of knowledge!

Ahaha, I had a fantastic grammar professor last semester, so I owe her for the knowledge I have today.

I like how you zeroed in on how required reading is linked to lifelong strategies. As an English teacher I feel that this is KEY for you!

“Bad Girls of the Bible” was one of my favorite Bible studies I have done. It was quite a while ago, but I still remember it very well. The author does an amazing job of modernizing the stories of the Bible. I love that it really does help us, as women, to see that we don’t have to be perfect to be used by God…we just have to be open to be obedient to what he asks us to do.

Great job on your blog!

Thank you for inserting my comments from last time. It helped me to remember where we left off.

Choice Reading Response 10- How NOT to Write a Novel

In this section of How Not to Write a Novel, aspiring writers are sarcastically encouraged to change narrative points of view and verb tenses often in order to confuse readers.

I think this book's use of humor allows me to see my errors as a writer in a new light. I made a personal connection to the verb tense section. The writers noted that the English language has six ways to use past tense, so the beginning author can construct a variety of sentences without accidentally slipping into different tenses. I have definitely switched verb tenses in academic papers and in my own personal writing. The other section about switching points of view helped me understand how I can best present my writing (which eyes will I write through). I have struggled with this problem before in my writing. I activated some of my prior knowledge about verb tenses and points of view to apply and connect the new information this novel used.


Mittelmark, H. et al. (2008). How not to write a novel: 200 classic mistakes and how to avoid them--a misstep-by-misstep guide. New York, NY: Harper Paperbacks.

Choice Reading Response 9- Captivating Ch. 2 and 3

Our connect group from North Point Church is reading Captivating for our small group discussions. The book focuses on the heart of a woman and how we as women have hidden the desires of our hearts.

Co-authored by a Christian couple, Captivating explores the three things that every woman longs for: to be romanced, to be an irreplaceable part of an adventure, and to unveil her beauty. The book also explores the reason we women fail to live out these three things, starting with Eve's choice in the garden which led to the Fall of all of her daughters ever since. Because of Eve's curse, women have become dominating and controlling because they feel only they have the ability to fulfill their own lives, that everyone is holding out on them (like Eve felt in the Garden, so she took the fruit, and her life, into her own hands). On the other side of the curse, women have become desperate, clingy, and mousy because they feel that they are not worth love, beauty, and adventure. Obviously, we were not meant to play these roles; as the pinnacle of creation, women were meant for greater things and were meant to reflect God's  beauty and desire to be pursued.

I've read this book before (and its counterpart Wild at Heart for men), so I am remembering and recalling old connections and prior knowledge as I relive this book's message once more. When I read this book last year, I was convinced I would never marry because no man had ever seemed interested enough in me to even ask me on a date. I was also convinced that this was because I was abrasive, ugly, and generally undesirable. Since then, God has been working in my heart to convince me of my beauty, so reading this book is creating several new connections for me and building upon my prior knowledge and experiences. I know now that I am made in God's image to reflect His compassionate heart, and He made me to live the abundant life He has called me to. Whether I am called to marriage or not, this book has reminded me that I still have an adventure to live and a beauty to reveal.



Eldredge, J. et al. (2005). Captivating: Unveiling the mystery of a woman's soul. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

Reading Response 9- Draper Chapter 1

Draper's first chapter lists the struggles that literacy specialists and content area teachers encounters. These struggles demand that the two must work together towards the same four aims for increasing adolescents' literacy. Each brings different strengths to the team: teachers know their content area thoroughly while literacy specialists know how to help teachers understand their own thinking so that they may teach more effectively.

I really like the book's layout and style; everything connects together. Draper mentions how teachers and specialists can evaluate their instruction as it matches to the curriculum standards and aims of improving students' literacy. I inferred that Draper also touches on "blind spots" in a content-area teacher's curriculum upon which literacy specialists seek to shed light: Draper specifically mentions that teachers should include varied kinds of text and teach students how to read these texts; I know I almost encountered a blind spot like this one in my Textbook Teaching Sample project where I knew how to read a play (column to column), but I almost didn't realize that my students might not know that (so they might read across the columns). I skimmed this chapter for summary statements (which Draper uses often, and correctly, in the text's paragraphs and sections. I also made connections between the text and the anticipation guide statements. I even changed up my reading pace to (faster to skim summary statements and slower to notice any graphical information like lists or word formats).



Draper, R. (2010). (Re)imagining content-area literacy instruction. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Choice Reading Response 8- The Spitfire Grill

While skipping around in my textbook for my Christianity at Work class, I stumbled upon a movie description for The Spitfire Grill (1996). I had seen the musical performed at a high school in my hometown, and I'd rather enjoyed it; however, this movie summary described a much different ending than I'd remembered from the musical. Thinking I'd just forgotten the ending, I went to Wikipedia for a quick synopsis of the musical. I was right; the musical did not end as sadly as the movie.

Because, I assume, the author of this textbook wanted to prevent major spoilers, I couldn't figure out what the tragic redemptive ending to the movie was. So my search on Google began where I stumbled upon IMDB's website with viewer comments. One commenter explained it all.

The Spitfire Grill is a movie about Percy Talbott, who, after her time in prison, is relocated to a small town named Gilead to work for Hannah, the owner of the restaurant named after the movie. While the town is initially suspicious of Percy because of her mysterious past, eventually, the citizens grow to love her for her genuineness. When Hannah breaks her leg, Percy and Hannah's niece Shelby work together to keep the restaurant running. Becoming too old to wish to run an entire restaurant, Hannah considers selling the business; the three women decide to raffle off the restaurant in a national contest for $100 per entry: whoever submits the best essay about why he wants this restaurant will win it. Meanwhile, Percy comes to learn that Hannah's son Eli disappeared after serving in the Vietnam war, which shocks the entire town, and an interesting plot twist occurs because of this subplot. Aside from the ending, the musical and the movie pretty much match up entirely.

While reading all of these resources, I visualized the text as I connected it to the musical performance I'd seen. I asked questions of the texts, and I searched and compared sources to build my knowledge about the movie and its musical counterpart. Although I realize my sources might not be the best sources because of their ambiguity or possible inaccuracies, I figured I would rely on sources that I knew would answer my questions best: viewers who had seen either the play or the movie.


Johnston, R. (2006). Reel spirituality: Theology and film in dialogue. Grand Rapid, MI: Baker Academic.

TxMike. (2005). The spitfire grill reviews & ratings: A really good movie. Houston, TX: IMDB.

No author. (5 June 2011). The spitfire grill (musical). Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.

Choice Reading Response 7- The Lance article

Since I've yet to write a response about a news article and I've rarely read an entire article in The Lance, I figured this reading response would be the perfect time to expand my reading choices. "'A Brand New Beat' ushers in Homecoming" by Kelsey Reinhard is the headlining article for this week's Lance and an introduction to all things Homecoming related. Reinhard interviewed the Alumni Board Director Chuck Cox about the Homecoming events he and the rest of the committee have put on to make this Homecoming bigger and better than previous years. Mixing the old and the new, Cox mentioned that the marching band, being completely new to Evangel this year, was the integral theme for this year's Homecoming while old events from previous years like "EU's Got Talent" would return as featured alumni events.

Reading this article, I realized I was technically looking at it from the future because I'd already seen the football game where the Crusaders did indeed exterminate the Jackets, I'd already known the winner of EU's Got Talent was Jim Benecasa, I'd already known that Landon Johnson and Sam Burks won Homecoming Court, and I'd already read a piece at Epiphany. I guess in a way, then, I was applying my prior/futuristic knowledge to the article. I also made a connection with one particular quote Cox made about creating events to integrate current and past students at Evangel. I have felt like Homecoming was really more for alumni because they have all of these special events planned for them; the current students, or at least me if I'm the only one that feels this way, don't seem to have much interaction with the alumni because few of our events overlap. I'm not a fan of focusing everything around some past students who've donated ridiculous amounts of money to Evangel. What I mean by this is I don't understand why our entire chapel week is dedicated to people I don't know, why our cafeteria food is suddenly high-end, and why are our events focused on catering to these former students? What about the current students? Why can't we integrate some of these things so current students have a better cohesion with former students?



Reinhard, K. (2011). 'A brand new beat' ushers in homecoming. The Lance, LVII (VII).

Choice Reading Response 6- Mark 12

I've been jumping around in the Bible for my nightly devotions over the past couple of days, so I decided to read "The Parable of the Tenants" last night. Activating my prior knowledge and using the text's context, I am fairly certain that Jesus is telling this parable to the Pharisees. The parable itself is about this man who plants a vineyard, builds a winepress, guards the land with a wall and a watchtower, and then he rents his vineyard to some other people while he goes on a trip. The master of the vineyard wants some of the crops at harvest time, so he sends one of his servants to collect them. The renters beat the servant and send him off empty handed. The master sends another servant, and the renters do the same thing. The master then sends his son to collect the crops, but the renters kill him so they can inherit the property. For some reason, this parable really agitates the Pharisees, so they try to arrest him, but the crowd of people serves as a deterrent.

I know based on my prior knowledge that this parable is an allegory for God "the master" sending "servant" prophets to "reap a harvest" of followers, but they are persecuted; the renters killing the master's son are directly symbolic of the people that will crucify Christ. I'm also asking questions of the text, such as, if the master is on a journey, why is he asking his servants to collect the harvest crops? To sell them or to store them for his return? Why would the renters think they would inherit the land if they killed the master's son?



(1984). The holy bible: New international version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Choice Reading Response 5- The Elements of Style

The Elements of Style is an English grammar handbook, similar to Diana Hacker's A Writer's Reference. Strunk covers punctuation rules, research guidelines, and a few pages of commonly confused words.

As an English Education major, I rather enjoy grammar books because I know that reading these books will help me identify my own writing errors. Making connections between the text and my life, last year, I was in English 298, an English grammar practicum where I teach English 102 students basic grammar concept skills. I am currently a Writing Fellow for the Humanities department, meaning I help students in English Composition labs bring their writing up to college level standards. I also grade English papers for a professor, and I was having some concerns about punctuation rules that I may have overlooked or forgotten since my English 298 class. I no longer own Hacker's book (which is a mildly depressing confession), so I decided Strunk's book would be suitable. Unfortunately, I realized that this edition must be abridged because it is so lacking in page length. Nonetheless, I was able to refresh my memory regarding comma rules, possessives, and confused words (such as "alright" and "all right").



Strunk, W. et al. (2000). The elements of style. Boston, MA: Longman Publishers.

Choice Reading Response 4- The Saga of Larten Crepsley

The Saga of Larten Crepsley: Birth of a Killer is, what I assume to be, the first book in Darren Shan's prequel series to his Cirque du Freak series. Before he was ever a vampire, Larten Crepsley (Darren's vampire master in Cirque du Freak) was just another child factory worker in the 1800's in just another dirt-poor family with too many mouths to feed. But after the factory supervisor flies off the handle and kills Larten's cousin, Larten retaliates in kind, flees for his life, and meets Seba--a vampire General. From there, Larten's life spirals onto a new path as a fellow child of the night.

Darren Shan is one of my favorite authors because of his ability to suck me into the reading flow. To memory, he's only written one book which seemed to drag on for me; otherwise, all of his books have been very quick reads with rare interruptions. At first I intended on reading a couple of chapters, but soon hours few by, and I was half-way through the novel. My reading strategy for Shan's books tends to be visualization, and in this case, I also made several textual connections between this prequel and his earlier Cirque du Freak series. I had a couple of practical questions at the start of the book that I thought I could search and answer or answer right there, so I tried rereading certain spots, but the answers didn't seem to be concrete. Then again, this copy I'm reading is an ARC, so maybe that's why. Then again again, maybe not; Shan tends to have vague descriptions for certain plot-irrelevant elements.



Shan, D. (2010). The saga of Larten Crepsley: Birth of a killer. New York, NY: Little, Brown Company.

Reading Response 8- Gallagher, Chapter 4

Gallagher's article is all about finding the middle ground between overteaching and underteaching the material/curriculum in the classroom. For English teachers, this problem arises when we constantly analyze everything in the given text, causing students to halt their "reading flow" to assess their own reading strategies and the author's intents. We underteach when we give our students a text and expect them to do their own independent thinking. "Finding the Sweet Spot" is about incorporating elements from both of these extremes to provide the most effective instruction.
I asked a lot of questions of this text and made a couple of personal connections for my own classroom. Some of my questions included the following: How does Gallagher hold his students accountable for reading the assigned/selected recreational book? Would such accountability even matter? Didn't Tovani disagree with rereading because assigning a rereading would mean we didn't give an instructional purpose for the first read-through? Why couldn't Gallagher first tell students to look out for opposites in the Jekyll and Hyde text rather than have them struggle through it the first time?

Regarding personal connections, I had considered using a reading strategies unit for the first unit of the year, but after reading this article, I wondered what texts I would use for this unit. I wouldn't be able to use a classic, because during this particular unit we wouldn't bother discussing the book nearly as much as we'd discuss the strategies we used to tackle it. I wouldn't be able to use anything recreational since that might encourage readicide. Instead, I'm thinking Gallagher was right to use a couple of minutes in class time to build reading strategies. That way, required content is linked to lifelong strategies.

Gallagher, K. (2009). Readicide: How schools are killing reading and what you can do about it. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Choice Reading Response 3- Marriable

Aside from reading a variety of handbooks, devotionals, self-help books--or whatever people want to call them--for the past couple of CRRs, I've decided to respond to one more because of the reading techniques I used in it.

First, however, is the summary. Marriable was written by a Christian married couple who met on an online dating site. Meant to take the single man or woman from desperate to marriable, the book is crammed with information on gender roles, gender mentalities, and gender advice about the opposite sex. Blunt, honest, and hilarious, Marriable explores the two sides to relationships: the man's and the woman's. On a quest to find permanent security with a compatible life partner (because marriage, they insist, is forever; friendships, club buddies, and cohabitations are not), this couple's frankness whips readers into shaping themselves into people who are marriage material and committed to the fullest.

Being single my entire life (which, to be fair, my life has been rather short), I have often wondered what was so wrong with me that no guy (other than the occasional creeper--two, max, in my life, which I'm sure most girls would envy, but it made me wonder if I wasn't even attractive enough for them) has ever been interested enough in me to even ask me out on a date (forget the emotional "trauma" of never having a boyfriend). Because of this, I have often wondered if I am supposed to be married at all; since those doubts, I have tried to hide my real feelings behind walls of "I'm intentionally single just like Paul the apostle," "I don't need a man," and "Dating is just too much effort."

After a friend recommended the book to a mutual friend, I decided I could skim through it too out of morbid curiosity.

I read this book a lot differently than I usually read books. I think it was Tovani who mentioned that English teachers tend to read books from start to finish; this is my default, unquestionable way of reading. For this book, however, because of its layout with blurbs, side notes, and chapter divisions, I begin skipping around in the book. If I noticed a side note that caught my eye, I read the section it was explaining; if a certain blurb stood out, I read that; on a couple of occasions I read backwards, starting on one paragraph, then reading the one before it to build my background knowledge so I could make connections; if I saw a cool picture or interesting graph, I read it, followed by the paragraphs around it so I had an understanding of what the visual actually meant. Overall, I think I was still able to come away with just as much knowledge doing this than if I'd labored through the ADD style of the book from start to finish.



DiMarco, Hayley et al. (2005). Marriable: How to take the desperate out of dating. Ada, MI: Revel Books.

Reading Response 7- Gallagher, Chapter 1

Answer these 2 questions:

Is our quest for higher test scores harming our students' long-term reading prospects?

Why is it that the higher the grade level, the higher the chances that students are turned off to reading?

I think these two questions have answers which are tied together. Gallagher's research shows that if we as teachers teach our students to read and write well, the students will perform well on standardized tests; if we focus too much on the test scores, however, then the students will have very little ability to do well on these tests. Why is this? Because learning to read and write well develops transferable knowledge that students can use not only on tests but in other relevant areas of their lives as well.

Because we focus so heavily on improving scores, we drain the creativity and originality out of reading. Reading at the very earliest school level becomes tedious and mundane--sectioned into repetitive drills that cover width but not depth, knowledge but not evaluation (if we want to use Bloom's terminology).

Literature, then, is seen as no longer alive with any prospect of being explored; it has been scanned for gold over and over and over and has become dead and useless to the typical bystander. (because someone else has already taken the valuables, so what point is there in repeating the success without the successful results?) We as teachers are to blame for this; instead of encouraging depth, encouraging exploration, encouraging students to get down and dirty and PAN for gold rather than cast a naked eye around the flowing river, we have told them everything they need to know for the test. We have taught them the material but not how to think critically about such material.

Gallagher, K. (2009). Readicide: How schools are killing reading and what you can do about it. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Choice Reading Response 2- Bad Girls of the Bible

Bad Girls of the Bible is a book devoted to ten women in the Bible. The chapter I read last night focused on the nameless Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well. Each chapter begins with a vignette which modernizes the particular Bible story; this particular chapter depicts the Samaritan woman as Crystal, a bartender with five divorces and a live-in-lover named Mick, who meets a mysterious stranger in her bar. After the story, the chapter breaks down each verse of the woman's story and includes social commentary and applicable advice for readers to follow today.

I had heard about this book (and its sequels) several years ago, but I'd never pursued reading it until I went to Book Jungle a couple of days ago. (Instead of paying $16 for it at a Christian bookstore, I only had to pay $3 from this quaint used bookstore.) Once I purchased it, I decided I would start using it as my nightly devotional book. So far my discipline in reading its detailed chapters has only led me through Eve's and Lot's wife's chapters.

Making connections and tapping into my prior knowledge for the biblical study portion of the chapter, I had already known the Samaritan woman's story from Sunday School. More recently, I'd heard her story through an online biblically based addiction-breaking program. I visualized the vignette as Crystal moved through the bar and argued with the stranger. I reread certain verse portions of the text so I could experience more context (because the author tends to break up certain phrases within verses to provide commentary).


Higgs, L. (1999). Bad girls of the bible: And what we can learn from them. Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbook Press.

Reading Response 6- Adler, Chapter 1

Asking Questions:

Does their idea of reading include reading Internet text, or must the reading be physically present in book or newspaper article form?

How can you be an expert without knowing a majority of the content in your field of expertise?

How can understanding/comprehension/application transcend knowledge if knowledge is what is being applied and understood?

Am I reading this article passively or actively?

Is baseball the only thing these authors could find to accurately compare writing/reading?

How is that simple? (p.7, first paragraph)

So how are their two definitions different? Just because the second person has to work for understanding while the first one achieved understanding effortlessly?

What does that even mean, literally speaking, anyways? "Pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps"? How would a person even physically do that?

Are the authors purposely making this text seem more difficult so that their readers can "increase their understanding"?

How can they talk in absolutes like this: "not every book read for entertainment can be read for understanding"? How would they know? Have they read every book published for entertainment and understanding?

When they talk about "learning by discovery" and "learning by instruction," are they referring to Vygotsky's theory of scaffolding?

Which stance are they taking- learning without help ("reading nature") or learning with help ("reading discourse")?


Adler, M. & Van Doren, C. (1940). How to read a book: The classic guide to intelligent reading. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Professor Crawford's Comments

Thanks for sending me your link. For some reason blogster will not allow me to comment even though I am signed in and following your blog??

Here are my comments:

Great strategy to try...reading aloud to be able to discuss. Talk is a great way to clarify your own thinking AND a great way to prevent yourself from becoming anti-social! Ha! It is ironic to be commenting about social media on social media. Thanks for pointing out that connection. I think you are right that the author was talking about antisocial outside of the internet. Is it even possible to be "social" solely in front of a computer screen?

You really have a great tone in your writing! No wonder you are pursuing English. You will be able to model writing for your students so well!

Great job targeting your own strategies throughout the reading. You are right quality over quantity. Continue to think about how this applies to English...how are you going to be "choosy" about what texts you teach to avoid overload??

Questioning is a great strategy to use and I am glad you were not only aware of the questions you asked, but also the answers you found in the text. Continue to ponder about your "blind spots" we all have them, but I guess that is why they are hard to identify...the aren't called "visible spots" for a reason...right?

It's important to make the connection between overwhelming students and overwhelming yourself. That is a good barometer for gauging when your students are overwhelmed. If you feel you cannot keep up with what you are teaching, they most likely cannot keep up with the learning. That's a great connection about the silent day. Your conversation voice is alive and well!

Wonderful job! To receive your grade for this first section I need to see your AOW responses. Where can I find them?

Thank you!

Mrs. Crawford

Choice Reading Response 1- How NOT to Write a Novel

No response necessary; Group B log/blog collection

Reading Response 5- Tovani Text Chapter 6

No response necessary; Group B log/blog collection

Reading Response 4- Tovani Text Chapter 5

Chapter 5 introduce two ideas for reading in the classroom: the first idea was for teachers; the second idea focused on students. For teachers, as we reread our content area information, we become experts in that information and become overwhelmed by the amount of material we should cover in our classes. To counteract this, Tovani suggested an instructional purposes worksheet which demands we decide what is essential for students to learn. For students, we need to help them distinguish purposes for reading and which internal voices they need to activate to encourage active reading.

Tovani comments on essential learning for overwhelmed teachers answered some general questions I had about my future teaching years. I feel I will be able to apply her worksheet to my curriculum so that I know what my students absolutely need to learn without overwhelming them or myself.

I connected with Tovani's explanation of internal reading voices; I have read about such a thing before, but my internal voice doesn't seem to be entirely vocal; instead I tend to see certain words (instead of hearing myself read) or experience emotions (such as confusion instead of internally asking questions). I do, however, think to myself with a conversational internal voice; once for my Exceptional Student class, we were assigned live a day of silence-- one day where we were not allowed to speak--but because my thoughts were so loud, I'd accidentally spoken to someone because I'd thought I'd been speaking to myself for so long.

Tovani, C. (2004). Do I really have to teach reading?: Content comprehension, grades 6-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Reading Response 3- Tovani Text Chapter 3&4

This week's reading assignment from Tovani's text includes a couple more details on modeling reading and comprehension, such as slowing down while reading, asking questions about the reading aloud, and jumping to various places in the text. The main point of chapter three expresses the multiple literacies different content areas have (such as reading blueprints, reading schematics, reading equations, and even reading page layouts to understand what the publisher considered important enough to notice in a text). Chapter four discusses the necessity of alternative texts for students to read aside from the textbook or aside from readings that may prove too difficult or too simple for a particular student.

I'm amazed at how quickly I can read through these chapters and how disappointed I become when the chapter ends. I think the things that impacted me the most from this week's reading include the expert blind spot so many teachers have about their own content area literacies in chapter three and the texts sets idea in chapter four.

The expert blind spot was especially noticeable when Tovani was teaching in a math class, and a couple students admitted that they considered the textbook graphic, which appeared whenever a new math property was introduced, to be the necessary mathematical equation to solve their math homework. The math teacher naturally ignored it as a graphic, and he assumed all of his students--and Tovani--would do the same thing. This example made me wonder what blind spots I may have when I teach English; ironically, I can't yet name anything I would consider a blind spot.

The text set idea had me asking questions about what exactly Tovani was talking about. Luckily for me, as soon as I developed a myriad of questions, the text gave examples of text sets while continuing to explain their characteristics. I think this idea is fairly obvious for an English classroom, but at least now I know what other texts I can include in my text sets aside from novels.

Tovani, C. (2004). Do I really have to teach reading?: Content comprehension, grades 6-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Reading Response 2-Tovani Text Chapters 1&2

Chapters 1 and 2 in Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? includes several reading strategies that good readers use to comprehend their texts, such as visualization, asking questions, summarizing, and making connections. However, the quantity of reading strategies, notes Tovani, should not outweigh the depth of knowledge only a few strategies could bring to reading comprehension.

I have heard the phrase “holding thinking” a few times in my studies, but I did not fully comprehend its meaning until Tovani listed several techniques readers use to do this very thing. Making my own connections while reading this text, I considered how often I employed these “fix up” strategies in my other readings to hold my thinking. I have often visualized what the text relates; I have stopped to reread certain paragraphs to refocus my thoughts and to find answers to my questions; I have also highlighted and sticky noted specific areas of my readings. As Tovani mentioned with her students, I think my thinking has been stopped short because of time pressures or too many simple assignments before I could delve into my readings.

Tovani’s comment regarding too much pressure on teachers struck me, especially when her answer was so simple: as teachers, we will have to let something give, whether it is the amount of content material we teach or the number of strategies we employ so students may increase their reading and learning skills. As a fellow English teacher, I think my job and Tovani’s job is almost exempt from this “something’s gotta give” mentality since our content material is all about reading! At the same time, however, I suppose that means that I will still need to give up some classics so we as a class can deeply dive into other ones. Quality, it seems you conquer quantity yet again.

Tovani, C. (2004). Do I really have to teach reading?: Content comprehension, grades 6-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Reading Response 1- Facebook: Detrimental to Health?

I almost feel guilty writing my response post to these articles--"Too much Facebook time may be unhealthy for kids [Updated]" by Daniela Hernandez and "Facebook: Public Health Danger" by Keith Ablow--on a social networking site. Both articles refered to the same study Dr. Rozen presented at a convention in Washington, D.C.; the study revealed that frequent use of Facebook and Twitter leads to an increase in paranoia, anxiety, narcissism, and, ironically, antisocial personality disorders. Teenagers, obviously, are the most susceptible to these detrimental health changes since they are the most targeted social network users. Because Facebook and Twitter provide instant access to proclaiming oneself, a user often finds his self-esteem boosted by the amount of friends or followers he has and the idea that that audience is captivated by every thought he displays. In conclusion, the articles were generally negative towards social networking sites despite admitting the connections they bring between people and the potentially positive affects they may have on a shy person's self-esteem.

Social networking does seem to overtake some lives, including mine; I often find myself checking my notifications throughout the day despite my determination to complete homework or study (which, according to the articles, explains some of my awful scores). I can also understand how Facebook or Twitter distracts from reality and allows users to live in a cushion fantasy world where few people can reject them; however, I am not sure I understand how this would make users antisocial. When the article says antisocial, does it mean antisocial in life outside of the Internet? In which case, I suppose I understand since the user would not have much experience in live conversations where responses may be impulsive and imperfect rather than edited or deleted.

I read the articles outloud to my friend which allowed us to share our thoughts about the articles together. This partner sharing encouraged me to continue reading the articles and continue expanding my thoughts about them.