Readicide

I enjoyed Readicide as a general guide to encouraging readers in the classroom. Where Tovani walked through specific students and scenarios, the theories presented by Gallagher are a great starting point for creating life-long readers.

The account of Chloe coming home and being frustrated by picking apart a book in class and wishing she were still in Australia where she would have been through four books in the same time frame is a great reminder that we need to support not only our struggling readers in class, but to support and encourage our student who enjoy reading as well. On page 117, he says we need to encourage fun reading, to do more reading in class, and to do it without grading it all the time. Teaching students to be good readers and to even enjoy it is life-changing.  Having the capability to read something and understand it fully and have the skills to apply it to your life is invaluable, not to mention the personal enrichment that can be gained from reading.

I thought Gallagher's take on reading the classics was interesting.  The idea that we develop cultural literacy and can share in that reading experience as a mode of communication is a departure from most of what I've been hearing lately.  Teaching in the "sweet spot" is a great concept that I would expect will serve me well when I get started teaching.  I don't expect to have a lot of control over what I get to teach initially, so having a teaching style that can help make any text palatable or accessible for my students will be a great resource. Referring back to what makes a classic valuable in finding what appeals to us in it as a teacher can be a great encouragement to students; the universals that are present are what make a classic a classic. Finding the balance of working through a text without over-teaching it is something I know I need to reflect on even as I am preparing my unit plan. I feel like it's easier to err on the side of over-teaching than to let students enjoy the text fully by keeping up a good reading flow.