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Scott article:
Something that struck me as odd was that the article says that dictionaries are poor tools for helping students learn the meaning of words. It basically says that student will read a words definition and apply it to a sentence incorrectly. The article also states that 50% of the time, students are generating sentences that are incorrect as far as vocabulary usage goes. I always assumed that dictionaries were helpful. And I still think they are. This article takes a bold chance by saying that it's a poor tool. I think it can be a useful aid in learning vocabulary but no one should only use a dictionary when learning words. I often see my students looking in dictionaries to help them understand a word. I can remember looking up words in the dictionary when I was young and then asked to write a sentence of my own using the word. It seemed to work for me. I don't know...just my opinion I guess.

Tompkins Chap 10
The Basel reading program seemed great until I read that all students would read selections at their grade level, the students wouldn't have much time to explore on their own, and that there were many work book assignment instead of hands on activities. I think this goes to show that no program is completely perfect. As Nate had mentioned in his post, one way might work for one student and for another, it might be a complete disaster. There might be many students in my class that the Basel reading program would work for but we're trying to do what's best for every body. I also don't see much of a point to reading this section if we're trying to steer away from programs where there are teacher directed activities or the students are reading at the same level regardless of what they are capable of.

Chap 11
Again, we're presented with the many ways of teaching literature such as Basel Readers, Literature Focus Units, Literature circles, Reading workshop and Writing Workshop. All have their pros and cons. However, I think i like the literature circles the best. I've seen them work in my placement this year and it's always good to give each student their own role to fulfill. I also like the idea of rotating roles so every student gets a chance to get some experience in a different area.
What I love about this chapter is that it gives some ideas for teachers when they come across the many different types of writing problems. I plan on referring back to this book many times throughout my career because it's got some great ideas as to how to approach students with difficulties.