Academic

“Do I really have to teach reading?” This is the question many teachers of adolescents are asking, wondering how they can possibly add a new element to an already overloaded curriculum. And most are finding that the answer is “yes.” If they want their students to learn complex new concepts in different disciplines, they often have to help their students become better readers. Building on the experiences gained in her own language arts classroom as well as those of colleagues in different disciplines, Cris Tovani, author of I Read It, but I Don't Get It, takes on the challenge of helping students apply reading comprehension strategies in any subject. In Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?, Cris shows how teachers can expand on their content expertise to provide instruction students need to understand specific technical and narrative texts. The book includes: examples of how teachers can model their reading process for students; ideas for supplementing and enhancing the use of required textbooks; detailed descriptions of specific strategies taught in context; stories from different high school classrooms to show how reading instruction varies according to content; samples of student work, including both struggling readers and college-bound seniors; a variety of “comprehension constructors”: guides designed to help students recognize and capture their thinking in writing while reading; guidance on assessing students; tips for balancing content and reading instruction. Cris' humor, honesty, and willingness to share her own struggles as a teacher make this a unique take on content reading instruction that will be valuable to reading teachers as well as content specialists.

This book helps teachers to infuse literacy instruction into all content areas! The authors present a rich panoply of engaging instructional strategies that research has shown to be effective for improving reading and writing in middle and secondary school students. After discussing common questions asked by content area teachers, a full chapter is devoted to each of eight strategies—anticipatory activities, read-alouds/shared reading, questioning, notetaking/notemaking, graphic organizers, vocabulary instruction, writing to learn, and reciprocal teaching—coupling discussions with examples from the author's own research in a diverse, urban secondary school. Additionally, in order to meet the challenge of today's inclusive, multicultural classrooms, the book presents only those strategies that have been proven effective with all learners - including struggling readers and those for whom English is not their first language.

An inspiring account of ordinary teachers who are doing extraordinary things that could transform education What School Could Be offers an inspiring vision of what our teachers and students can accomplish if trusted with the challenge of developing the skills and ways of thinking needed to thrive in a world of dizzying technological change. Innovation expert Ted Dintersmith took an unprecedented trip across America, visiting all fifty states in a single school year. He originally set out to raise awareness about the urgent need to reimagine education to prepare students for a world marked by innovation—but America's teachers one-upped him. All across the country, he met teachers in ordinary settings doing extraordinary things, creating innovative classrooms where children learn deeply and joyously as they gain purpose, agency, essential skillsets and mindsets, and real knowledge. Together, these new ways of teaching and learning offer a vision of what school could be—and a model for transforming schools throughout the United States and beyond. Better yet, teachers and parents don't have to wait for the revolution to come from above. They can readily implement small changes that can make a big difference. America's clock is ticking. Our archaic model of education trains our kids for a world that no longer exists, and accelerating advances in technology are eliminating millions of jobs. But the trailblazing of many American educators gives us reasons for hope. Capturing bold ideas from teachers and classrooms across America, What School Could Be provides a realistic and profoundly optimistic roadmap for creating cultures of innovation and real learning in all our schools.