CONTINUING TO RESPOND TO LITERATURE

Further sessions in the Response to Literature section of the Reading Workshops become less directed. Participants and volunteers are encouraged to continue to read together and respond to stories as part of the natural process of constructing meaning. Group tarts becomes the focus.

As instructors, we must be prepared to expect, respect and accept a variety of responses. Listening to how others interpret the text helps participants question the* own ideas and move beyond them to reflect upon broader and more inclusive issues than those suggested by the text itself.

The Weaving of a Dream has the most complex story structure of all the stories introduced to this point. While the stories in Tales of Gold Mountain are not as complicated in terms of structure, they have adult messages. Instructors may notice that stories of this nature are too challenging for some participants. They may be overwhelmed because of the difficulty. More differentiated instruction may be appropriate on the one hand to continue to challenge the more advanced readers, and on the other, not to defeat those who are at beginning levels. Dividing the participants into groups and having each group focus on a different selection helps alleviate this problem. As described below, fables, chapter books or novels at increasing levels of complexity serve as appropriate material.

Fables

Fables are stories that teach a lesson about life. The lesson is usually presented in a one line moral at the end. The characters are usually animals. Arnold Lobel has published an anthology of fables, entitled Fables published by Harper and Row in 1980. One advantage of using a book such as his is that the fables are delightfully illustrated, and are complete on one page with the moral appearing in italics at the bottom. The fables appeal to adult readers as well as to children.

Novels

Some participants and volunteers may continue reading novels. Novels contain the elements of story grammar presented earlier. In a novel, however, the plot may not be as straight forward. The setting is apt to be more complex and the characters more complicated. In post reading discussions, participants may be guided to discuss the sequence of events that lead the story to its climax and how flashbacks or foreshadowing build suspense and help advance the plot, how the setting establishes mood, shapes characters or is a key element in the plot. How the characters grow and change as they are affected by the events of the story and what lessons are to be learned from the story and how these might apply to life outside of the story. Introducing novels helps participants overcome their inhibitions to reading longer text with less pictorial support.