[MOSAIC] Nancie Atwell

[Bill Roberts]

  Haven't all of us chimed in here to mention how
> our own reading improved once we were metacognitive about these 
> strategies.
> I consciously stop myself sometimes in difficult text and try a fix-up
> strategy.

I use the analogy of riding a bike.  You can ride a bike without knowing how 
all the parts work, so knowing all the parts isn't going to matter (That's 
old school:  nouns, phrases, adverbs, etc.).  You do have to know how to 
ride which means using your balance, moving the pedals, holding the 
handlebars, etc. in conjunction with one another (that's strategies.  One 
doesn't do the job, but all working together does).  For some, this is in 
intuitive.  You get on and ride.  It took me most of a day to figure out how 
to ride.  I could balance, but fell over.  I could pedal, but I would lose 
my balance.  I finally figured out how to do all of it at once and rode  I 
can remember the thrill of riding...wind in my face...speeding up....and 
learning a valuable lesson about bike wheels and soft sand, but getting hurt 
didn't stop me because I enjoyed it too much.  No matter HOW you learned, 
you rode the bike because you ENJOYED it.

No matter how we teach reading, the kids need to read because they enjoy it.

Bill