In Tompkins Chapter 2, the beginning example talks about the class reading the book ,The Giver. (that book is a personal favorite of mine) I wish that I had read such an elaborate, thought provoking book when I was a seventh grader. It is strange but I cannot remember any of the trade books we used in school. They were usually dry and uninspiring. It is not until high school that I remember having any deep discussions about trade books.( I remember reading Catch 22 and Beloved in a modern US novel class in 9th grade) If as a younger student I had gotten the chance to have "grand conversations" about different text I think it would make a smooth transition into the analytical style of writing that is expected of students later in life. In the chapter they also talked about how in stage 2 one of the activities you can introduce is buddy reading. This is used in my classroom on a daily basis. The students can choose to buddy read during their free reading. I have seen great results when you have the right combination of kids. One of the kids ,James, has a tendency to not stay on task however when he does buddy reading he treats it like a chance to show off. The problem becomes that he often gets a little boisterous and has to be reminded that we do buddy reading quiet so others can read around him. I wonder if students would be more reluctant to read with a buddy in older grades.