Subjects Matter: Exceeding Standards Through Powerful Content-Area Reading

by Harvey Daniels

Finally, a book about content-area reading that's just as useful to math, science, and history teachers as it is to English teachers! Lively, practical, and irreverent, Subjects Matter points the way to activities and materials that energize content and engage students across all subject areas. Harvey Daniels and Steven Zemelman, authors of a dozen influential books on literacy and cofounders of Best Practice High School, bring their trademark styleteacher friendly and kid wiseto the reality of today's middle and high schools.

Their book features:

23 practical classroom activities that help students understand and remember what they read, in mathematics, science, social studies, English, and more a tough analysis of today's textbooks, along with specific ways to use them more effectively a new "balanced diet" of reading, including 150 real books of interest to teenage readers instructions for growing a rich classroom library in your subject area plans for setting up student book clubs and reading groups in any discipline group-building techniques that create a productive community of readers a do-it-yourself exploration of the ways smart readers think models for developing ambitious thematic units within your classroom or with colleagues special help and materials for students who struggle scientific proof that the book's recommended activities do improve reading and learning. Punctuated by stories from real math, science, social studies, and other classrooms, Subjects Matter shows how young people can read and succeed across the curriculum, and how their teachers can help.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, College, Textbooks, Read For School, Professional Development

326 pages, Paperback

First published February 12, 2004

Reviews

[Scott Rhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I had to read this for a class, I was impressed enough by it to give it four stars, as it goes above and beyond a dry education textbook. Harvey Daniels and Steven Zemelman's "Subjects Matter: Every Teacher's Guide to Content-Area Reading" is an excellent overview of a non-mandated but highly-suggested program that many school districts have, with varying degrees of success, tried to implement. While some schools do it better than others (and some don't even try), it probably hasn't been embraced sufficiently enough to make a difference in public schools, which is why private school settings seem to have a better time with it.

I remember hearing about this during an in-service during my student teaching days (which was, sadly, ten years ago). As any teacher knows, in-services are a waste of time, literally. No teacher I know likes them, as they waste valuable time that teachers could be using to grade papers, write lesson plans, read a book, watch a movie, stare at nothing, or sleep. Unfortunately, administrators usually require teachers to attend them as a way to justify their own ridiculous jobs and pay. Occasionally, in-services do offer useful advice and ideas. As was the case that day, I thought, but no one else seemed very interested.

During that in-service, the program was called "Writing Across the Curriculum", but I have heard it called many different things: interdisciplinary writing, reading across content, content-area reading, etc. Essentially, it's the idea that reading/writing should be utilized in EVERY content area, not just Language Arts, as a way not only to improve reading/writing skills (which, according to studies, it has) but to also improve a student's understanding of the particular content area (which, also according to studies, it has). In other words, having students read and write more in science, math, art, and pays.ed. will not only make them better readers and writers in general, it will also improve their grades in those given classes.

It seems intuitive, but for many teachers---most of whom are already inundated with paperwork---the thought of them adding MORE to their already-busy daily schedule is frustrating, to say the least. As a teacher who has seen the ridiculous number of useless hoops teachers must jump through (some of which are federally-mandated), I can't blame them, despite the fact that content-area reading is a good idea.

Which is why I think Daniels/Zemelman's book should be required reading for teachers. It doesn't ask teachers to undergo a major paradigm shift. It offers very specific, detailed reading and writing strategies that any teacher in any content area can utilize easily. In some cases, the strategies may even reduce the amount of work a teacher has to do, as it enables students to self-learn, which is what any good teacher tries to inculcate in students.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers some material that might be familiar to many by now, but the information on how teachers can use reading outside the textbook in subject areas other than English is well organized with complete explanations but without repetition. The research underpinnings are mainly confined to the final chapter which makes it easier to get a good picture of the techniques first before reviewing the research.this is frankly more time efficient for busy teachers. Few repeats, examples carefully chosen and short, lots of different activities and options. Good stuff.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A textbook that doesn’t read like a textbook and allows all subjects to engage writing its pages the concept that reading should be taught, implemented, and examined for all students regardless of what class they’re in. The authors drive a hard fact into truth for even math teachers to embark on this quest and do so in an accessible, easy to read fashion.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many practical and appreciated strategies that made it a quick read. Still, I've heard most of it before - but that's the fault of my education classes, not the book. Not painful or patronizing - perhaps, sadly, the best that can be said of most books on secondary pedagogy.

[Jacob Runyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. I hated that I HAD to read it for grad school. As always, Daniels provides great ideas and strategies in a very real and understandable way.

[Laura Smith Ramsborg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent text for my Literacy in the Content Areas course.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

One day an announcement was sent through teacher e-mail: a book study for GT credit. I really don't need any more GT credit so I was about to delete it when I saw the author: Harvey Daniels. I learned about literature circles through his work. I was in.

When I read these kinds of books, I tend to look at them through a struggling readers's teacher's eyes. I need ways to motivate my struggling readers. This book, though, applied to both my struggling readers and the preAP (honors) students.

A lot of the information is anecdotal. Causes and effects may or may not match. But I agree with the underlying philosophy (read more!) so I can ignore the lack of "real" evidence.

I'd recommend this book to any teacher who has a principal or administrator who wonders why the students are "wasting time" reading in the classroom.

[Janna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a textbook, but it's one that I'll be keeping. It took me a while to read it as an informative book rather than a textbook, because in the latter's light the text is almost frustrating. Once you read it from a "learning" perspective and not a "teach me" perspective, it's really a great book. The strategies it contains are interesting and I will be trying many of them. The list of trade books it contains I have bookmarked because many of them I want to read for fun!

I probably wouldn't recommend it for people who won't be teachers, but anyone who is interested in teaching students, or their children, about reading and connecting with reading, might benefit from checking out this book.

[Dana Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great resource for anyone who teaches reading and especially content teachers who should teach reading. The roughly 30 pages of content area reading titles as well as the 40 pages of before-during-after reading strategies make this a resource worth buying for the practicing teacher, but there is so much more. Authors Daniels and Zimmerman also provide research on why textbooks are not enough, how to use a textbook effectively, building a community of learners and creating reading workshops and book clubs, developing inquiry units, helping struggling readers and analyzing the current reading research. I taught from this book in a nonfiction reading strategies class, but it offers insights for season professionals as well as novice teachers.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite my irritation at taking this class (aimed at middle and high schol teachers, while I am a preschool speech-therapist) I thought this was agreat book with lots of good points. It has a list of recommended "trade" books (not text books)for subject area content from English novels to History to Math, and I plan to try to read some from each area, just to be a well rounded individual.
Excellent for any teacher (or parent) who has ever wondered why kids can "read" a whole text book and yet "not get it".

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good overview on such topics as differentiation, reading across the disciplines, and it also gave a pretty extensive book list of suggested reading in various subjects, for high schoolers. However, it did get to be repetitive after awhile, and I didn't necessarily agree with all of the authors' approaches.

[Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's an easy read, rather than a stuffy, research-y one. It's full of strategies that teachers could implement tomorrow, as well as overarching ideas that teachers will need to take the time to slowly implement into their classes. There are many stories of how teachers used these strategies in their classrooms.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource for adding reading strategies into other subject/content area classrooms. It is also an excellent book for reading/English teachers to gain ideas and strategies for all aspects of reading, particularly with non-fiction, informational materials. The authors make it a very reader-friendly, interesting text, too!

[Kathy McC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was asked by my principal to read this as part of our school improvement plan. I was skeptical at first. But, there are a significant number of educational studies,logical rationale, and arguments for justification of these ideas. However, while the authors admit that their plan is extremely time consuming, there are no solutions for making it less so.

[Mary Liquori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is geared more toward middle and high school content area teachers who may not have experience with teaching reading. There are some good ideas, though, on activities for reading content area materials that I could incorporate into my 5th grade classroom (Math, Science, and Social Studies)...

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm an English teacher, so my content area inherently involves literacy and reading, but the strategies outlined in this book, as well as the FABULOUS recommended book lists, have really changed the way I think about teaching reading.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this book and two PowerPoint presentations on portions of it as well! This was an easy book to read, full of great suggestions for teaching reading to middle school students. I would recommend it to any teacher, because truly all teachers are teachers of reading.

[GFCentralLiteracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harvey Daniels and Steven Zemelman outline how content area teachers can engage students in thoughtful reading. The book includes not only strategies and activities to help students read better, it also features content area books that students could read in addition to or in lieu of textbooks.

[Emily]

This book was completely focused on secondary education even though it is subtitled "Every Teacher's Guide to Content-Area Reading". It was not all what I hoped for. I did get a few useful strategies that I coupld adapt for my classroom, but all in all not worth the time for elementary teachers.

[jacky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for my second literacy class. Takes "Do I really have to teach reading" by Tivani further.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really practical and reader friendly. There's lots of concrete strategies to try out. Great chapter on how to use (and not use) text books.

[Hilary Herrmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for any secondary content area teacher. A easy to read introduction of reading strategies and literacy instruction tailored specifically for non-reading teachers.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

very practical - great examples

[Mindelei · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some interesting strategies for reading in here, but the book lists are for middle school and elementary school.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Textbook for my last class @ SPC!

[RRVWP · Rating 5 out of 5]

This must-read cross-curricular book examines reading across content areas and includes reading lists to support such reading.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chapters 3, 6, 10, & 12

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. With practical techniques to use in the classroom to encourage literacy. All subject area teachers can benefit from this resource.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good one for content teachers, although there are some things I will grab and use in reading class, too.

[Katherine Fountain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Available on Kindle! Easy read with great reading strategies and situational examples that we, as teachers, can all relate to!