Resources
The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research
by Stephen D. Krashen Our problem with language education, as Frank Smith pointed out, is that we have confused cause and effect. We have assumed we first master language “skills” and then apply these skills to reading and writing. But that is not the way the human brain operates. Rather, reading for meaning, reading about things that matter to us, is the cause of literate language development. p 150 
Punished by Rewards
by Alfie Kohn “What rewards and punishments do is induce compliance, and this they do very well indeed. If your objective is to get people to obey an order, to show up on time and do what they’re told, then bribing or threatening them may be sensible strategies. But if your objective is ... to help students become careful thinkers and self-directed learners, or to support children in developing good values, then rewards, like punishments, are absolutely useless. In fact, as we are beginning to see, they are worse than useless—they are actually counterproductive.” 
Game Changer:
Book Access for All Kids by Donalyn Miller & Colby Sharp “When young readers choose what they read, it builds agency and confidence, and they are more likely to develop a positive orientation toward reading and stronger reading ability.” P.102 
The Book in Question: Why and How Reading is in Crisis
Carol Jago “Students ascribe value to what interests them. Again and again I have seen achievement driven by interest. Students are much more willing to persevere with a long, complex text if they care about what it contains or when they have immediate use for the information presented.” P.4 
The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child
Donalyn Miller “Reading changes your life. Reading unlocks worlds unknown or forgotten, taking travelers around the world and through time. Reading helps you escape the confines of school and pursue your own education. Through characters – the saints and the sinners, real or imagined – reading shows you how to be a better human being.” |
Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About it
Kelly Gallagher “Let me be clear: if we are to have any chance of developing a reading habit in our students, they must be immersed in a K-12 “book flood”…Students must have ready access to a wide range of interesting reading materials. “P.32 
Beware the Roadbuilder Literature as Resistence
P.L. Thomas From his blog radical eyes for equity 2.14.19 "Although I tire making this point, no one in literacy recommends skipping direct phonics instruction. WL (Whole Language) and BL (Balanced Literacy) both stress the need for the right amount and right time for direct phonics instruction (depending on student needs) and recognize that most students eventually need rich and authentic whole reading experiences to grow as readers (not phonics rules, not phonics worksheets, not phonics tests). 
Book Love: Developing Depth, Stamina, and Passion in Adolescent Readers
Penny Kittle “The amount of reading students do matters. To be engaged in deep reading literature, you first have to be comfortable with words, lots of them over hundreds of pages. Our students need to read dozens and dozens of books a year…Let’s start with at least 25 books a year, grades 6-12, so that all students reach for a goal of 175-200 books in adolescence. Many will read more. Some of these books will be read slowly over time with a teacher, but others will be read a the student’s own rate for interest and joy. This is possible.”P 23 
From Striving to Thriving: How to grow Confident, Capable Readers
Stephanie Harvey and Annie Ward “…children who had steady access to books read more and followed a dramatic upward growth spiral…students without reliable access to books read far less and followed a downward spiral of avoidance and disengagement.” P.93 
Passionate Readers: The Art of Reaching and Engaging Every Child
Pernille Ripp "If reading is merely something we teach, and not something we live, then why should students take us seriously when we tell them how important reading is to future success?" |