Some Myths About Reading

TERI LESESNE’S  EXPLODING  SOME  MYTHS  ABOUT  READING . . .

MYTH 1: Kids must read only “good” books and not be allowed to wallow in popular fiction. WRONG! We all have an appetite for some food that is not good for us. We all share some guilty pleasure when in comes to reading and books, some book that is not literary. We must extend the same courtesy to our students. See the discussion of subliterature in Chapter 2. There is another myth that generally follows from this one: It is not quantity but quality that matter in reading. WRONG! How much we read does matter. 

Take these statistics from NAEP, the National Assessment of Educational Progress:

Achievement Percentile	Amount of Outside Reading in Minutes/Day	Word Gain/Yr
90th %ile	40+ min/day	2.3 million
50th %ile	<13 min/day	6000,000
10th %ile	<2 min/day	51,000

 MYTH 2: Readers are easy to spot; they always have their noses in books. WRONG! Readers go dormant from time to time. Weeks pass without my picking up a book due to my schedule or my level of fatigue. Kids are no different. And not all readers select books to read, either. They may prefer magazines, comics, or even e-books.  Sometimes it is tough to spot the readers. Occasionally, someone who presents as a nonreader is actually a reader between books.

The Value of Pleasure Reading in Middle School

The Research Says . . .

Research based Facts from Stephen Krashen’s  The Power of Reading

1. FVR results in: better reading comprehension, writing style, vocabulary, spelling, and grammatical development.
2. Readers are better at writing.
3. Reading as a leisure activity is the best predictor of comprehension, vocabulary, and reading speed.
4. The relationship between Free Voluntary Reading and literacy is remarkably consistent.
5. Each time an unfamiliar word is seen in print, a small increase in word knowledge typically occurs.
6. If children read 1 million words in a year (easily attainable for middle class children) at least 1000 words will be added to their vocabulary.
7. Students who read a novel with many unique words actually learned the meaning of many of those words from context clues only.
8. Teaching vocabulary lists is inefficient—the time is better spent reading alone.
9. The less literate are the first to fail and drop out of school.

Larry Ferlazzo: The Best Articles (And Blog Posts) Offering Practical Advice To Teachers — 2010

The Best Articles (And Blog Posts) Offering Practical Advice To Teachers — 2010: "

The title of this “The Best…” list is pretty self-explanatory. What you’ll find here are blog posts and articles this year (some written by me, some by others) that were, in my opinion, the ones that offered the best practical advice to teachers this year — suggestions that can help teachers become more effective in the classroom today or tomorrow. Some, however, might not appear on the surface to fit that criteria, but those, I think, might offer insights that could (should?) inform our teaching practice everyday. Articles (And Blog Posts) Offering Practical Advice To Teachers — 2010 (not in order of any preference and, in fact, not in any order at all):

Larry Ferlazzo: The Best Year-End Collections Of Images — 2010

The Best Year-End Collections Of Images — 2010: "

I’m beginning my annual “The Best…” list highlighting “year in review” images. There aren’t a whole lot right now on the date of this post, but they’ll soon be coming out of the woodwork. I figured it would be helpful for teachers to get access to at least some of them prior to Winter Break. You might also be interested in:
The Best Year-End Collections Of Images — 2009; The Best Year-End Collections Of Images — 2008

Here are my choices for The Best Year-End Collections Of Images — 2010:
Reuters has their fifty-five Best Of The Year photos.; 2010 Pictures of the Year comes from LIFE.; The International Herald Tribune has the Year In Images 2010.; The Best of 2010 from The National Geographic.; The Best Photos From The Pages Of TIME 2010

WSJ: “10 Things Charter Schools Won’t Tell You”

via Larry Ferlazzo

10 Things Charter Schools Won’t Tell You is the headline of an excellent article from, of all places, The Wall Street Journal.

Mapping Our Neighborhoods, Mapping America - NYTimes.com

Mapping Our Neighborhoods, Mapping America - NYTimes.com

Mapping Our Neighborhoods, Mapping America

By SHANNON DOYNE

Go to related article »

6 Q’s About the News

Use the photo and related article to answer basic news questions.

• See all 6 Q’s About the News »

WHERE in the United States have more immigrants been settling in recent years?

WHY have they been moving to those areas?

WHEN did the biggest single data release in Census Bureau history take place?

WHO are the groups, according to the data, to have lower graduation rates?

HOW does the interactive map of the New York metropolitan area reflect what demographers say about racial integration?

WHAT, according to the interactive map that accompanies the article, is the racial makeup of the place where you live?

WHAT differences do you notice as you look at other nearby Census tracts?

Related: Our lesson plan Making Sense of the Census: Ideas for Classes Across the Curriculum and reader idea Population Studies with English Language Learners.

Must See: Daily Show Clips I Want Our 8th Graders To Appreciate

Lame-as-F@#k CongressEpisode #15158Here's a tribute to a few Republican senators who find comfort and advantage in invoking the heroes of 9/11 but refuse to give them health care. (08:16)

Must See: Daily Show Clips I Want Our 8th Graders To Appreciate

The Best F#@king News Team Won't Stop EverEpisode #15159While other news networks claim to move or lean forward, no one is as relentless as the Best F#@king News Team on TV. (02:37)http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-december-14-2010/the-best-f--king-news-team-won-t-stop-ever

Must See: Daily Show Clips I Want Our 8th Graders To Appreciate

Big Brother, Where Art Thou?Episode #15159The government is never going to be the perfect Big Brother, so maybe America should opt for a big sister. (06:13)http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-december-14-2010/big-brother--where-art-thou-

New Issue of "History Now" - New Interpretations of the Civil War

The Institute is pleased to present the latest issue of History Now, a quarterly online journal for historyteachers and students, available at www.gilderlehrman.org/historynow.

In this final issue of 2010, History Now offers readers a selection of the latest interpretations of the Civil War era by four leading historians. These essays remind us that this critical moment in the history of our nation deserves reexamination.

Sending ‘That’s so gay’ on Vacation – Permanently

Sending ‘That’s so gay’ on Vacation – Permanently:
The Ad Council of America and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) launched an ad campaign, “Think Before You Speak.” The ads challenges people to consider how hurtful their language can be when the identity of someone is used as an insult.

Wisdom From A Trailblazer: Ruby Bridges Talks Racism In Education

Wisdom From A Trailblazer: Ruby Bridges Talks Racism In Education: In 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges made history when she integrated a New Orleans elementary school under the escort of US Marshals. She is widely known as the first African-American to attend an all-white school in the South. In our occasional 'Wisdom Watch' series, host Michel Martin speaks with Bridges about her experience and about her spearheading of the launch of New Orleans’ first-ever children's book festival this weekend.

Alfie Kohn: Remember When We Had Higher Standards? Neither Do I

Alfie Kohn: Remember When We Had Higher Standards? Neither Do I: "'In recent years, parents have cried in dismay that their children could not read out loud, could not spell, could not write clearly,' while 'employers have said that mechanics could not read simple directions. Many a college has blamed high schools for passing on students ... who could not read adequately to study college subjects; high schools have had to give remedial reading instruction to boys and girls who did not learn to read properly in elementary schools...'

On and on goes the devastating indictment of our education system. Or -- well, perhaps I shouldn't say 'our' education system, since few of us had much to say about school policy when this article appeared in 1954.

Steve Nelson: The Disservice of a 'Rigorous' Education

"At each end of the economic spectrum we are pressing children harder and harder in the service of a 'rigorous' education. It is not mere semantic coincidence that the word 'rigor' is most often paired with the word 'mortis."

Steve Nelson: The Disservice of a 'Rigorous' Education: "Tests, standards, accountability, economic competitiveness, managers, vouchers, data, metrics... does anyone actually care about children?

Public discourse about education is unbearably impersonal. Nearly all the heated rhetoric suggests that children are nothing but small units of future production, especially in the saddest precincts of South Central, Baltimore, Harlem, Cleveland, Detroit and the other abandoned parcels of our divided nation.

NYTimes: What Works in the Classroom? Ask the Students

What Works in the Classroom? Ask the Students: "Gates Foundation research found that students who rated their teachers highly also scored better on standardized tests than their peers.

NYTimes: Obama Administration Rethinks Education Plan

Obama Administration Rethinks Education Plan: "Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the Republican-led Congress would force him to shift gears on the administration’s education agenda.

Visualizing Slavery - NYTimes.com

Visualizing Slavery - NYTimes.com

The map reaffirmed the belief of many in the Union that secession was driven not by a notion of “state rights,” but by the defense of a labor system. A table at the lower edge of the map measured each state’s slave population, and contemporaries would have immediately noticed that this corresponded closely to the order of secession. South Carolina, which led the rebellion, was one of two states which enslaved a majority of its population, a fact starkly represented on the map.

The Answer Sheet - What Tom Friedman got wrong about schools and why it matters

By Valerie Strauss

The great New York Times columnist Tom Friedman wrote in a recent piece that if he were a cub reporter today, he’d want to be “covering the epicenter of national security -- but that would be the Education Department.”

Then he goes on to quote liberally from Education Secretary Arne Duncan, taking no account of what veteran teacher Anthony Cody, in a recent piece on his blog, described as a serious mismatch between the secretary's words and actions.

If Friedman the cub reporter had turned this piece in, a veteran education editor would have sent it back, asking him to back up his contentions with research. He’d have a hard time.

Look at just a few things Friedman got wrong. 

iCivics | The Democracy Lab

iCivics | The Democracy Lab

iCivics (formerly Our Courts) is a web-based education project designed to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy. iCivics is the vision of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is concerned that students are not getting the information and tools they need for civic participation, and that civics teachers need better materials and support.

Larry Ferlazzo: “The corporate takeover of American schools”

The corporate takeover of American schools is an article appearing in the British Guardian newspaper, and it’s one of the best pieces on school policy that I’ve read all year.

Its subtitle is “The trend for appointing CEOs to the top jobs is symptomatic of a declining commitment to public education and social justice.”

I’m adding it to The Best Blog Posts & Articles About Joel Klein’s Departure & The Question Of Who Should Be Leading Our Schools.

Thanks to Mike Klonsky for the tip.

Larry Ferlazzo: The Best Posts & Articles Analyzing Charter Schools

I’ve previously written several times about my concerns about charter schools and how they are often described by some school reformers as the answer to all that ails public education.

I thought it would be useful to readers, and to me, to bring together some article that I’ve found useful in learning about charters.

Here are my choices for The Best Posts & Articles Analyzing Charter Schools:

Schools Of Last Resort by Walter Gardner at Education Week.
The Myth of Charter Schools by Diane Ravitch at The New York Review of Books.
Charters vs. public schools: Behind the numbers by Valerie Strauss at the Washington Post.
What charter schools really tell us about education reform by Raina Kelley at Newsweek.
Charters: To Skim or Not to Skim? by former Executive Director Claus von Zastrow at Learning First.
What’s not to like about charter schools?
Question raised about new KIPP study (with update) by Valerie Strauss

Feedback is always welcome, including additional suggestions. If you found this post useful, you might want to consider subscribing to this blog for free. You might also want to explore the 500 other “The Best…” lists I’ve compiled.
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Larry Ferlazzo: “A teacher’s guide to using audio and podcasting in the classroom”

A teacher’s guide to using audio and podcasting in the classroom is a nice overview of applications to use in the classroom, including videos. It was created by Kit Hard.

I’m adding the link to both The Best Sites To Practice Speaking English and to The Best Places To Learn Web 2.0 Basics.

Thanks to Mariel Amez for the tip.

The Learning Network: Creative State of Mind: Focusing on the Writing Process

The Learning Network: Creative State of Mind: Focusing on the Writing Process: "Lesson Plan | Examining Jay-Z's lyrics, considering his writing process, and then starting writer's notebooks to record and develop writing ideas.

Diann Woodard: School Reform or Permanent Underclass?

Diann Woodard: School Reform or Permanent Underclass?: "The recent spate of resignations by heads of school districts in Chicago, Washington and New York City who advocate the so-called business model of school reform has predictably been followed by new appointees as ill-prepared for the challenge of improving student performance as their predecessors.

The common theme in the message of these departing chancellors and the politicians who appointed them is that controversy equals success, with little or no evidence to support the rhetoric, an increasingly disturbing trend among policy elites who are joined at the hip by their neo-liberal proclivities for privatizing public services and empowering corporate domination of policy making.

In New York, for example, Joel Klein, an anti-trust lawyer who had been appointed by Mayor Bloomberg, was replaced by Cathleen P. Black, herself a media executive like Mayor Bloomberg, with no experience as a public school educator.

As with the postmortem on Michelle Rhee's departure from Washington, the departing New York chancellor was praised by his political benefactor for 'stirring things up. That was his job,' the Mayor crowed, 'and the great beneficiaries of that stirring were our children.'