Reading

Taking Care of Classroom Library Books (Survey Results, Part 1)

My classroom library is my curriculum, finally. I inherited hundreds of book from my mentor Diane DuBois, and for a few years I used these books to supplement the curriculum. I’d even hide certain books in boxes until we started a unit on immigration, for …

Reader, Who Are You? Reflections on Teri Lesesne’s Making the Match

What would your English teacher have to know about you to find that “just right” book? Lesesne makes explicit the complexity of adolescence and the hard work it takes to match readers and books. There is no short cut to knowing your students as individuals or being well-read so that you can indeed “make the match.” You have to put in the time and effort, but she helps teachers with many book suggestions, lists, strategies, and stories.

Book Review: The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism

I found myself wondering how often I failed to allow the time and space for my students with autism to fully articulate their thoughts. Moreover, I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of all inclusion teachers reading this text in replace of the many Professional Development pieces that reinforce the deficit narrative of students with autism.

Reading Genocide Novels with Teens: A Rhetorical Approach

At the International Literacy Association’s recent conference in Boston, I had the opportunity to talk about genocide novels and how we can support our students in confronting the unimaginable human suffering of genocide but also humanity’s resilience to survive and bravery to tell and read stories about that survival. In this post, I share some book suggestions, an overview of rhetorical reading, and a sample book discussion from my 7th grade ELA class.

FOMO: So many books, so little time

It’s one month into summer, and I think I have FOMO, fear of missing out. Yes, I am afraid of missing out on that one young adult novel or that one professional development book that is going to life changing.

Reading Workshop: Losing the Fear of Sharing Control, an Epilogue

Originally published September 7, 2015. Lesley Roessing has been an invaluable resource for Ethical ELA, and her contributions on the Facebook page Teaching Teens and its book groups are just priceless. Thank you, Lesley. ____________________________________________________________ In Losing the Fear of Sharing Control: Starting a Reading Workshop, Lesley …

Read Everything: Why What Teachers Read (and Don’t Read ) with Students Matters

Deliberate or not, reading teachers privilege certain voices and experiences over others when they choose this author or that, this poem or that, this book or that. Some teachers may not want to take on political or social justice issues, but they are doing just that.