The problems encountered by the mentors and the children demonstrated that the children were responding in a critical and fully engaged manner. They felt safe enough with the mentors to complain and often raised more questions than they answered. That is what the researchers hoped would happen in this implicit rather than explicit study.
A review of the written responses in the anonymous student response books is categorized as follows: Book Ratings and Book Reviews: Narrative and Nonfiction. These response prompts were designed to encourage the students to use higher order thinking skills and critically respond to the Read Aloud. From an overview of the student responses, the researchers feel the students were thinking and questioning as they wrote or drew in these booklets.
"...everyone likes to get read to." A female student explains why the program should continue.
As the mentor program neared the conclusion of the Boys' and Girls' Literacy Project's timeline, it became apparent that there was no way to actually stop the mentoring. The mentors, the children, the teachers, and principal in the research school, all wanted to continue into the New Year (2004). Consequently, the reading continues.
By September 2003, the Male Mentor Reading Program had expanded to include Grades 3-5 English and Grades 4-5 French Immersion at the research site and two Grade 6 English classes at a local Middle School.
The evaluation method included reviewing and analyzing data collected from the children's' log books and feed back sheets; from the mentors' logs and group interviews; from the teachers' focus group meeting; and from the researchers' observation and field notes.
Previous sections of this chapter outlined child and mentor responses to the read aloud collection and to the literacy activities they engaged in after reading. The next part of the data comes from the children's assessment of the mentor program itself. This is followed by mentor self evaluation and teacher response to the program.