Welcome Back!

This year the Reading Club will take a different approach.  For the past two years we have used a variety of methods to improve our students' reading skills. Many teachers have adopted various reading strategies into their students' learning experiences to help them better understand course content.  Thank you for your willingness to try out strategies and explore ways we can help our students become better readers of our content, but more importantly better thinkers and learners.  Please continue using the strategies you think fit your content area.  If you are interested in more strategies, this year's focus will be perfect.

This year the Reading Club will offer ideas you can roll into your classroom.  We'll use this blog to explain the ideas and benefits they proffer.  The Reading Club blog will be like a Wal-Mart for teaching strategies.  We'll throw some strategies on the shelf and you can shop for those you think fit your various classroom needs.

Cris Tovani's text, Do I Really Have to Teach Reading says it all.  It acknowledges the uncertainty of how to teach reading and why it's important - and really not that difficult.  I wish every teacher could read this book.  That's why I applied for a MEEMIC grant that will hopefully put this text into your hands.  I'll let you know about this exciting possibility as soon as MEEMIC announces its grant recipients for 2011 - 2012.

"But teaching strategies for the sake of teaching strategies isn't the goal.  Being able to make connections or ask questions or visualize isn't what matters most.  The only reason to teach kids how to be strategic readers is to help them become more thoughtful about their reading.
Meaning doesn't arrive because we have highlighted text or used sticky notes or written the right words on a comprehension worksheet.  Meaning arrives because we are purposefully engaged in thinking while we read."    - Cris Tovani, Do I Really Have to Teach Reading