What do you think?
Rate this book
Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?: Content Comprehension, Grades 6-12
“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's 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.
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's 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.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
37 people are currently reading
415 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
April 24, 2009
This book is a great tool to teach literacy in the content areas. While this book is geared towards grades 6-12, the ideas, strategies, and other tools can be adapted and modified for elementary grades as well. This book is a great resource for teachers to use to help them teach their students how to examine different types of text. This book helps the teacher to re-evaluate how they have been teaching reading to their students and to see what changes they need to make.
July 26, 2018
This book was required reading for a literacy class I took this spring. I found the book to be full of insights regarding pedagogy as well as practical examples and tools for teaching literacy in the classroom.
I strongly recommend this book to teachers who are questioning if and/or how to incorporate literacy activities into their teaching.
I strongly recommend this book to teachers who are questioning if and/or how to incorporate literacy activities into their teaching.
October 20, 2016
Just a book for class
March 21, 2023
I had read another Cris Tovani book during grad school and enjoyed how she doesn't give a one size fits all solution. I definitely finished reading this book with more questions than answers, but I think that's the point. Although at times it feels a tad idealistic, overall this book has given me a lot of inspiration on how to take my expert-blinders off and encourage students to read.
July 28, 2022
Inspiring- much needed after this school year.
Practical - it’s older but still applicable.
Adaptable - the ideas have examples and are simple. I can see easy ways to make the strategies fit what I need for my classes.
This book is a must read for all teachers. I read it years ago for my MAT and read it again this week for another class. Much of this is a much needed reminder and the ideas are so practical.
No matter your experience, this is a worthwhile resource.
Practical - it’s older but still applicable.
Adaptable - the ideas have examples and are simple. I can see easy ways to make the strategies fit what I need for my classes.
This book is a must read for all teachers. I read it years ago for my MAT and read it again this week for another class. Much of this is a much needed reminder and the ideas are so practical.
No matter your experience, this is a worthwhile resource.
May 16, 2011
Exactly what I was looking for: concrete techniques for comprehension designed mainly for non-fiction, in a short book. This is reading comprehension instruction for the non-English teacher, geared primarily toward readers who can decode their texts but have trouble using it for any particular purpose. Although Tovani is writing for Gr 6-12, I don't think any of these techniques would be out of place in a first-year college classroom.
Tovani identifies these common breakdown points for dependent readers (p. 5):
- Noticing your thinking
- Holding your thinking
- Reusing your thinking for a purpose
She offers a small number of strategies for each one, reasoning that a few well-practiced strategies are better than a wide variety of strategies that you've only done once. If you've read other books on reading comprehension, they will look familiar:
- Make connections between new and known info
- Ask questions that clarify ambiguity
- Draw inferences
- Determine importance
- Use sensory info
Her definition of comprehension instruction interests me: instead of calling it "teaching reading," she says "I think of it as teaching students how to remember and reuse the information we ask them to read." (p. 7) She emphasizes that the goal is not to learn reading strategies, as some prepackaged curricula seem to imply; the goal is to "make connections or ask questions or visualize... [in order] to help them become more thoughtful about their reading."
I've read a half-dozen books about reading comprehension and this is the only one I bought. Every page was directly relevant to me, with a strong focus on "So what??". In other words, Tovani shows how to help students make connections that help them understand -- not just connections for their own sake. And she walks her talk: the focus on purpose is evident not only in proposed exercises but in her own writing. Other books on reading comprehension often include long expositions of why I should care about reading comprehension (I already know that, or I wouldn't be reading this!) or extended descriptions of classrooms (I've got my own, thanks). Not a word is included in this book that doesn't make a clear contribution to my purpose: helping my students use their reading to solve problems.
Notes
=====
How to find my reading patterns: stop at the end of every paragraph and tell me what you're thinking (p. 26) (try it with a text that is difficult for me)
To find accessible text that is not "low level or dumbed down," look for news or other text that is: (p. 39)
- well written
- interesting
- pleasant to the eye
- timely
- well-written
- short
Instructional Purpose worksheet for teachers (p. 55)
Finding a purpose before beginning to read (p. 61)
Modelling:
- Use student responses as examples in a lesson. Students love seeing their writing on the board. (p. 70)
Designing a comprehension constructor (p. 76)
- designed to scaffold a strategy or strategies
- think about how would I read this?
- what would i need as a reader?
- which strategies will help most?
Why discuss reading in small groups? (p. 90)
Maybe this is a useful application of groups, especially if the discussion had a clear purpose. Might be more applicable to fiction.
- take notes about contributions that help the group function, help with the purpose
- debrief these conversations by showing some of the notes, naming those who modelled helpful techniques (acts as motivator if students want to see their contributions in the notes)
Process for creating assessments (p. 103)
- what will these techniques look like as they become more sophisticated?
- What are the applications of these techniques in the field?
Tovani's philosphy of assessment: Assessing in context, strategy by strategy (p. 103)
What to assess (p. 105)
Listed by technique
Some assessments that can't be evaluated (p. 114)
- but might be worth doing anyway.
Did I Miss Anything? (p. 120)
(poem by Wayman, 1997)
"Nothing. None of the content of this course
has value or meaning..."
Use of the word "technician" (p. 121)
"But then I was relieved that she thought it was a 'far better thing' to have a thinking teacher in the classroom than a technician distributing worksheets."
Tovani identifies these common breakdown points for dependent readers (p. 5):
- Noticing your thinking
- Holding your thinking
- Reusing your thinking for a purpose
She offers a small number of strategies for each one, reasoning that a few well-practiced strategies are better than a wide variety of strategies that you've only done once. If you've read other books on reading comprehension, they will look familiar:
- Make connections between new and known info
- Ask questions that clarify ambiguity
- Draw inferences
- Determine importance
- Use sensory info
Her definition of comprehension instruction interests me: instead of calling it "teaching reading," she says "I think of it as teaching students how to remember and reuse the information we ask them to read." (p. 7) She emphasizes that the goal is not to learn reading strategies, as some prepackaged curricula seem to imply; the goal is to "make connections or ask questions or visualize... [in order] to help them become more thoughtful about their reading."
I've read a half-dozen books about reading comprehension and this is the only one I bought. Every page was directly relevant to me, with a strong focus on "So what??". In other words, Tovani shows how to help students make connections that help them understand -- not just connections for their own sake. And she walks her talk: the focus on purpose is evident not only in proposed exercises but in her own writing. Other books on reading comprehension often include long expositions of why I should care about reading comprehension (I already know that, or I wouldn't be reading this!) or extended descriptions of classrooms (I've got my own, thanks). Not a word is included in this book that doesn't make a clear contribution to my purpose: helping my students use their reading to solve problems.
Notes
=====
How to find my reading patterns: stop at the end of every paragraph and tell me what you're thinking (p. 26) (try it with a text that is difficult for me)
To find accessible text that is not "low level or dumbed down," look for news or other text that is: (p. 39)
- well written
- interesting
- pleasant to the eye
- timely
- well-written
- short
Instructional Purpose worksheet for teachers (p. 55)
Finding a purpose before beginning to read (p. 61)
Modelling:
- Use student responses as examples in a lesson. Students love seeing their writing on the board. (p. 70)
Designing a comprehension constructor (p. 76)
- designed to scaffold a strategy or strategies
- think about how would I read this?
- what would i need as a reader?
- which strategies will help most?
Why discuss reading in small groups? (p. 90)
Maybe this is a useful application of groups, especially if the discussion had a clear purpose. Might be more applicable to fiction.
- take notes about contributions that help the group function, help with the purpose
- debrief these conversations by showing some of the notes, naming those who modelled helpful techniques (acts as motivator if students want to see their contributions in the notes)
Process for creating assessments (p. 103)
- what will these techniques look like as they become more sophisticated?
- What are the applications of these techniques in the field?
Tovani's philosphy of assessment: Assessing in context, strategy by strategy (p. 103)
What to assess (p. 105)
Listed by technique
Some assessments that can't be evaluated (p. 114)
- but might be worth doing anyway.
Did I Miss Anything? (p. 120)
(poem by Wayman, 1997)
"Nothing. None of the content of this course
has value or meaning..."
Use of the word "technician" (p. 121)
"But then I was relieved that she thought it was a 'far better thing' to have a thinking teacher in the classroom than a technician distributing worksheets."
April 30, 2012
This book addresses the question posed in its title: do teachers of content other than language arts really need to teach their students how to read in their content areas? Not surprisingly, the author's answer to that question is a resounding "yes". Somewhat surprisingly, she makes a good enough case for that answer that many if not most readers of the book will be persuaded.
Reading a math textbook (or other math instructional material) or science, or history, or even industrial arts, all require different skills than reading a novel, and for the most part, different from each other. Each content area has its own jargon, its own standard methods of expressing its concepts, and its own priorities in terms of what students need to be looking for when they read. A student who is a good reader of literature may or may not be able to figure out, on their own, how to transfer those skills to the reading of other content areas. Some will manage it, others will need explicit instruction. It is the job of the teachers of those content areas to make sure that their students are given that explicit instruction. Some strategies and skills will have value for several areas; some may even apply across the board. But it's important for teachers to help students see how reading in their particular content areas differs from reading elsewhere, and what strategies will NOT apply. It seems obvious to say that looking for plot, characterization, and symbolism, while helpful in the reading of literature, will not be of any use in reading a math or science text, and students probably would not consciously do so. But if that's how they're used to approaching a reading assignment, they may find that they have no skills to replace those with in order to make sense of their assignment; they may not be aware that that lack is what is making the reading difficult. That's where explicit instruction comes in: point out to them how they are used to reading and the obvious ineffectiveness of those skills to the job at hand, and then give them some suggestions of approaches to replace those with.
This is the gist of this book, and it's a very good point that needs to be made. What's more, the book is written in a very accessible, conversational style, with a minimum of ed-psych jargon. It contains many helpful suggestions of ways to help struggling readers, both in general and in regard to specific content areas. Highly recommended.
Reading a math textbook (or other math instructional material) or science, or history, or even industrial arts, all require different skills than reading a novel, and for the most part, different from each other. Each content area has its own jargon, its own standard methods of expressing its concepts, and its own priorities in terms of what students need to be looking for when they read. A student who is a good reader of literature may or may not be able to figure out, on their own, how to transfer those skills to the reading of other content areas. Some will manage it, others will need explicit instruction. It is the job of the teachers of those content areas to make sure that their students are given that explicit instruction. Some strategies and skills will have value for several areas; some may even apply across the board. But it's important for teachers to help students see how reading in their particular content areas differs from reading elsewhere, and what strategies will NOT apply. It seems obvious to say that looking for plot, characterization, and symbolism, while helpful in the reading of literature, will not be of any use in reading a math or science text, and students probably would not consciously do so. But if that's how they're used to approaching a reading assignment, they may find that they have no skills to replace those with in order to make sense of their assignment; they may not be aware that that lack is what is making the reading difficult. That's where explicit instruction comes in: point out to them how they are used to reading and the obvious ineffectiveness of those skills to the job at hand, and then give them some suggestions of approaches to replace those with.
This is the gist of this book, and it's a very good point that needs to be made. What's more, the book is written in a very accessible, conversational style, with a minimum of ed-psych jargon. It contains many helpful suggestions of ways to help struggling readers, both in general and in regard to specific content areas. Highly recommended.
May 12, 2014
Building upon her first book, I Read It, but I Don't Get It: Comprehension Strategies for Adolescent Readers, in which she offers techniques for developing reading comprehension and critical thinking skills in adolescents, Cris Tovani now lays out techniques for teachers to engage students in content-area reading.
How do you help students to understand a science text, or a math text, or any kind of text? How do you read differently in each subject? Why should you care? Tovani answers all of these questions, as always, through anecdotes and stories, and provides a wealth of appendices with Comprehension Constructors, Double-Entry Diaries, and other graphic organizers to ground her stories in practice.
My big point of contention with this book is Tovani's reliance on short-term objectives when working with students. When her classes ask her why reading matters, what's the point, why suffer through a science textbook, blah blah blah... Tovani points out that they are "reading for the test," "reading for the essay," or otherwise reading for clear, tangible goals that have no broad applications to their lives. It felt very pro-NCLB, with none of the inherent values of reading surfacing beyond their practical, testable applications.
How do we turn students into lifelong readers? How do we help students to see reading and learning as an ongoing process, which will fulfill them in more ways than a multiple-choice test can ever capture?
Tovani doesn't answer these questions, but she still gives great advice.
Buy this title from Powell's Books.
How do you help students to understand a science text, or a math text, or any kind of text? How do you read differently in each subject? Why should you care? Tovani answers all of these questions, as always, through anecdotes and stories, and provides a wealth of appendices with Comprehension Constructors, Double-Entry Diaries, and other graphic organizers to ground her stories in practice.
My big point of contention with this book is Tovani's reliance on short-term objectives when working with students. When her classes ask her why reading matters, what's the point, why suffer through a science textbook, blah blah blah... Tovani points out that they are "reading for the test," "reading for the essay," or otherwise reading for clear, tangible goals that have no broad applications to their lives. It felt very pro-NCLB, with none of the inherent values of reading surfacing beyond their practical, testable applications.
How do we turn students into lifelong readers? How do we help students to see reading and learning as an ongoing process, which will fulfill them in more ways than a multiple-choice test can ever capture?
Tovani doesn't answer these questions, but she still gives great advice.
Buy this title from Powell's Books.
January 27, 2019
I saw this book in the Teacher Resource Center of my school and thought the title seemed engaging enough while capturing the essence of what any non-literacy teacher thinks often.
Tovani offers practical advice regarding how to improve the literacy of students in content-related ways, which I was surprised. I will note, there is a light references to mathematics courses, specifically; however, that was to be expected.
Given that the book is so short, I had to temper my expectations regarding how in depth Cris would go with details. There are a ton of anecdotes and any reader should and will likely find themselves picking through those strategies that work best for them and their classroom/style of teaching. Overall, the central idea to this work is that students approaching different disciplines with the same literacy strategies does not always work. Each content area often requires a unique set of vocabulary and abilities and as such, students may struggle with trying to find the best way of transferring from one to another--seems quite obvious, but the manner in which Tovani illuminates this is more simple that just stating it.
Tovani also does a great job of providing readers with several ideas for getting students to probe into a text to get beyond basic comprehension of a text to creating personal meaning from text. Her techniques are for every student, the talented and the struggling. The only frustrating thing I found about the book is she assumes all teachers work in ideal teaching environments.
Tovani offers practical advice regarding how to improve the literacy of students in content-related ways, which I was surprised. I will note, there is a light references to mathematics courses, specifically; however, that was to be expected.
Given that the book is so short, I had to temper my expectations regarding how in depth Cris would go with details. There are a ton of anecdotes and any reader should and will likely find themselves picking through those strategies that work best for them and their classroom/style of teaching. Overall, the central idea to this work is that students approaching different disciplines with the same literacy strategies does not always work. Each content area often requires a unique set of vocabulary and abilities and as such, students may struggle with trying to find the best way of transferring from one to another--seems quite obvious, but the manner in which Tovani illuminates this is more simple that just stating it.
Tovani also does a great job of providing readers with several ideas for getting students to probe into a text to get beyond basic comprehension of a text to creating personal meaning from text. Her techniques are for every student, the talented and the struggling. The only frustrating thing I found about the book is she assumes all teachers work in ideal teaching environments.
August 16, 2012
Although I gained so much from reading this as an English teacher, I believe this is an absolute MUST for teachers in subjects outside of English. For such a short volume it is bursting with intelligent insights, lessons and practical ways to scaffold and build upon reading comprehension skills that are necessary for student's success. Since it was only comprised of a mere 120 pages I breezed through it but simultaneously didn't feel that it should have been longer or that chapters lacked proper development or explanation.
What this book has that many other excellent professional books lack is outstanding refinement and editing. There are no long digressions, anecdotes or extensive emotional appeals that I find muddle many other books about teaching. Tovani is succinct, to the point and shows you how to adapt her strategies for any classroom subject and grade level. It is organized brilliantly so you can retrieve quickly the information and suggestions you need to reference. Her chapters are divided up with comprehensive headings that clearly define what you are looking for and echo the elements of the teaching points that are focused on for each chapter. I also loved how her chapters ended with a recap of teaching points and objectives that were delineated in the pages before.
I believe that ANY teacher reading this book will walk away inspired, informed and empowered. If there is only ONE book you ever buy about reading make it this one.
What this book has that many other excellent professional books lack is outstanding refinement and editing. There are no long digressions, anecdotes or extensive emotional appeals that I find muddle many other books about teaching. Tovani is succinct, to the point and shows you how to adapt her strategies for any classroom subject and grade level. It is organized brilliantly so you can retrieve quickly the information and suggestions you need to reference. Her chapters are divided up with comprehensive headings that clearly define what you are looking for and echo the elements of the teaching points that are focused on for each chapter. I also loved how her chapters ended with a recap of teaching points and objectives that were delineated in the pages before.
I believe that ANY teacher reading this book will walk away inspired, informed and empowered. If there is only ONE book you ever buy about reading make it this one.
January 13, 2016
While I am still somewhat at the beginning of my teacher preparation program, and I foresee many other assigned texts in my future (some in the mail as I write this), I have to say that this is probably my favorite assigned text so far. It makes sense, there's no complicated jargon that I have to decode, and it's honest and straightforward. Tovani clearly knows what she is talking about here, and there is much to learn from her and this book. I would have no problems rereading it or cracking it open in the future for quick reference. The only thing that sort of bugged me ( bummed me out more than bugged me, really) was how quickly and mysteriously she danced around the topic of state assessments. She makes it clear that she doesn't necessarily approve of them and moves on. That's fine and all, I am still forming an opinion on them myself, but what about those of us who HAVE to deal with them? As in, we have no choice? I live in a state where the testing has become the central focus, and some insight to that would have been great. But I don't think it fair of me to criticize Tovani for that. She makes it clear in the final chapter that that topic is not her focus. So I'm not too bugged by it. I give the book five stars. Read it.
November 20, 2012
My favorite thing about this book is how genuine the author sounds when she talks about her own experiences teaching reading... Especially to students in non-language arts classes, or students who are struggling readers. I have no doubt that this woman LOVES her job. There are some very moving stories. That being said, it's still a bit on the idealistic side for a person who is teaching, let's say, strictly math. I know everything's supposed to be all about integrating reading & writing nowadays, but let's face it, that's pretty dang hard to do. At least, it's hard to do it well and on a daily basis. It's definitely something worth considering and attempting, though, and the basic premise is that "good" readers are able to monitor their thinking while they read and adjust as necessary, which I liked. Solid.
September 11, 2008
This book would best be suited for pre-service or first-year teachers. The author describes various strategies that can be incorporated into any middle or high school classroom to help students who struggle with reading. She uses a familiar, personal tone, and the book is a quick read. To me, the research base was lacking, and I would have liked to have seen more strategies and fewer personal anecdotes. However, the appendix provides some great templates that could easily be copied for immediate classroom use. (If looking for a book on this topic, I would recommend "50 Content Area Strategies for Adolescent Literacy" (Fisher,et al, 2007) or Deeper Reading (Gallagher, 2004) instead.
September 24, 2009
The reading specialists in my building recommended this book and boy am I glad they did! This book is incredibly empowering. It proves that reading is a critical part of my social studies curriculum. I always felt I was stealing the Language Arts teacher's thunder when I introduced reading instruction into my classroom. Tovani's suggestions are accessible and she has a firm grasp of the content teacher's struggles with overwhelming content. I cannot wait to establish text sets for each of my units and discuss the Conversation Calenders with my team. Thanks Kate & Lisa!
March 28, 2010
As a secondary teacher, reaching students with reading difficulties is a major struggle. Where to begin to help these students is extremely confusing. Do I stop teaching my content in order to assist these struggling readers? Do I even know how to help this type of student? Tovani's book is a down to earth approach on how to strategically begin this as a teacher. Her strategies empower the teacher to students have a deeper understanding, as well as the teacher an approach to teach effectively.
June 25, 2010
Tovani understands the plight of the modern student. She recognizes that current academic trends bombard students with content and limited time and skill instruction to digest this content. She gives sound advise to teachers on practical approaches to helping students of all ages and levels of reading grow in their comprehension and digestion of text.
Her focus on annotation as a way of capturing thinking, paying attention to the conversation you are having with text, and assigning purpose to reading are all strategies I will begin to give greater focus in my classroom.
Her focus on annotation as a way of capturing thinking, paying attention to the conversation you are having with text, and assigning purpose to reading are all strategies I will begin to give greater focus in my classroom.
February 20, 2008
i picked this up accidentally from some teacher's desk while i was substitute teaching high school this winter. it changed my entire understanding of reading! finally i understand the reason that i can stare at pages of non-fiction and not absorb it is that i was never taught to read it and understand it... i think it comes to some naturally but i need to work to actively "get it." yay, there is hope. i can now finish something besides a novel.
August 9, 2008
It's comforting to know that there are so many great ideas out there for teaching reading comprehension. I really think that teachers (especially English teachers) tend to flail around when they assign reading and their kids don't absorb much of the text. The underlying argument is that reading for speed or completion is like not reading at all - good readers take their time with texts, mark them up, write responses, etc.
March 30, 2007
A great book for helping teachers to start using and teaching reading more effectively. It presents ways of dealing with texts that allow students to get far more out of their reading. This book is written for content teachers, but reading / English teachers will get plenty out of it as well, especially an understanding of reading in other classes.
May 21, 2008
Cris Tovani describes her approaches to helping teachers understand how they can improve their students comprehension of different texts throughout academic study.
This book remains one of the best textbooks I ever used in a college course. It is the most concise sensible book of advice to English teachers that I can list.
This book remains one of the best textbooks I ever used in a college course. It is the most concise sensible book of advice to English teachers that I can list.
Read
June 17, 2010Debbie & I are going to CCIU in October to see Cris Tovani speak. Her other book I Read It, but I Don't Get It is a MUST for those who teach struggling adolescent readers. I'm reading this book now since one of our "new things" this year is to incorporate more literacy into the content areas.
October 23, 2008
I heard Cris Tovani speak at a reading conference and really enjoyed listening to her so I bought her book. I don't always enjoy reading professional texts, but this book was very enjoyable with lots of practical examples. I've gone back to it more than once to refer to it. It reads more like a novel than a professional text.
June 25, 2009
Cris Tovani provides strategies for addressing the different reading skills needed to comprehend math, science or social studies textbooks and materials. This is an outstanding book on teaching reading skills across the curriculum. It gives practical strategies for immediate use regardless of the subject area.
January 22, 2008
Not quite as engaging as her first book - I read it, but don't get it. But a good fit for a PLC that is seeking a text to study in the area of content area reading. She has the tone and disposition of a teacher's teacher.
October 29, 2010
Cris Tovani's writing style is pleasant, and I liked some of her strategies a lot. As with all education textbooks that I am forced to read, I didn't really enjoy reading this. But I can see how this could be useful, and it is one that I will keep.
June 19, 2012
If you're going to be a teacher you need to read this book. There are great routines to implement. It's very accessible and encouraging. I enjoyed it and will be reading it again as I begin teaching. :)
October 7, 2012
This book has great reading strategies that you can use in any content area. It also reads more like a narrative versus a text, which made me actually enjoy reading it. I also like that there are student examples as well as blank examples that you can use in the classroom.
September 27, 2013
Another excellent resource for all high school teachers to help them incorporate good literacy instruction into their current programs. Like her other books, very easy to read and filled with practical suggestions for improving reading comprehension of students in the content areas.
December 1, 2014
I found this book very insightful and it presented me with a lot of different strategies to use in my classroom. I'm teaching a remediation level and a mainstream level of ELA this year, so her comprehension techniques really helped me better understand effective strategies.
December 9, 2014
I loved this book! I recommend it for all teachers to get a deeper understanding of reading comprehension, assessing in the classroom, and the importance of reading comprehension. It is a life long tool that not only produces great readers, but great thinkers of our future!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews