In Mosaic of Thought the author Ellin Keene examines what happens when a reader interacts with text. In Chapter 1, Keene analyzes her own thought process after reading the poem First Reader by Billy Collins. She realizes that by rereading certain sections of the poem she is taken on a journey that ranges from her first grade classroom (where her background allowed her to enjoy reading Dick and Jane, but did little for her ability to create meaning and opinions about what she read) to her high school Honors English class where she was asked to look beyond the text and find symbolism in literature (a task she found difficult due to its newness).
At the end of the chapter, Keene writes that the journey she took through the poem is one that good reader's frequently take, but rarely discuss. The importance of having this discussion with ourselves and with children is invaluable in our efforts to construct meaning as we read. Keene writes that meaning from text is constructed socially and by conversing about text we deepen our understanding of virtually everything we read.
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I was impressed with the amount of thought she put into the poem. I started reading the poem as just a narrative of fond memories, I did not dive as deeply as she did but could see her points. She did say that our active reading process would change even as we read that book and mine already has a bit. I enjoyed how she related her own personal anectdotes to show her connections. I'm hoping for more of that to come, it makes for interesting reading.
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