Writing About Reading: From Book Talk to Literary Essays, Grades 3-8

by Katie Wood Ray

Janet Angelillo introduces us to an entirely new way of thinking about writing about reading. She shows us how to teach students to manage all the thinking and questioning that precedes their putting pen to paper. More than that, she offers us smarter ways to have students write about their reading that can last them a lifetime. She demonstrates how students' responses to reading can She even includes tools for teaching-day-by-day units of study, teaching points, a sample minilesson, and lots of student examples-plus chapters on yearlong planning and assessment. Ensure that your students will be readers and writers long after they leave you. Get them enthused and empowered to use whatever they read-facts, statistics, the latest book--as fuel for writing in school and in their working lives. Read Angelillo.

Genres: Professional Development, Education, Teaching, Writing

160 pages, Paperback

First published August 13, 2003

Reviews

[Donalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book includes great strategies and an instructional sequence that scaffolds and teaches children how to talk and write about the books they read.

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much everything you already knew about writing about reading.

[Shannon Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can say that this book has TOTALLY changed my way of thinking on writing about reading!!!!!!!!!!!

The premise behind it is that you have to scaffold your students with their writing about reading. Her belief is that you can't just jump in at the beginning of school and expect your students to write literary essays about the books they are reading. You have to start small. You have to model. Slowly. I love this. It validates the fact that I don't have to have my students MASTER a standard 3 weeks into school either. :)

The book includes examples of units of study lessons. You can use this book to create an entire year's worth of writing about reading lessons.

The only question I am left with (and it's a big one) is how can you fit this into your day? She talks about doing this during the reading workshop time not the writing workshop time. How do you still fit in teaching reading strategies and reading closely? So I'm off to research that, but you will love this book!

[Mary Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should probably add a shelf named "Skimmed," because I didn't really read every word of this. I will be sharing bits and pieces and at least one whole chapter with my grade level as we grapple with the idea of 4th graders writing literary essays. I would like to give the book a close read over the upcoming summer because is simply a fine-tuning or focusing of things I already do: writer's notebooks, literature circles, interactive read aloud, discussion, etc. That's what I like about reading and writing workshops: I'm never done learning, I never feel like I have it down so pat that I will do EXACTLY the same thing year to year.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Remaining static as a thinker is unlikely for those who read."



Accountable teaching= teaching students something new every day that they can use again and again, long after this unit of study is over, long after this school year is over page 86

"We rarely search for information in textbooks, so it makes good sense that most of the content-based reading students do should come from nonfiction trade books." page 101

We cannot lay blame on students when our teaching isn't good enough to reach them. page 124

[Nan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good guide for teachers who want to get beyond rote reading. What good are all those squiggles on the page when you can't think about them, talk about them, write about them?

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really useful, practical stuff. A lot is stuff I've heard before but still haven't fully applied and I don't know why!

[Susan Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes this book has too many ideas to think about. It's definately a reread. Read with Wondrous Words for maximum instructional impact.

[Beverly Kennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buy this book if you want to teach writing!

[Kim]

just couldn't read it this summer (2013). will try again next summer.