Individual Reading Plans in the Secondary ELA Classroom
High School teachers and Middle School teachers across the nation are embracing a more individualized approach to education, and English teachers can individualize their instruction by providing students time to practice reading and discover who they are as readers.
“To hand you a great book, I don’t just need to know about books; I need to know about you.”
–Anne Bogel I’d Rather Be Reading
Latest from the Blog
Read to Broaden Your Worldview
We all have a lens through which we view the events that happen to us and around us. That lens is largely built by how we are raised and what media we consume. I teach a course called Senior World Literature, and in the first year that I taught it, I discovered that my high…
Read to Connect with Others
A fun benefit of being a reader is that you get to connect with other people: book clubs, Goodreads, your social media platforms, professional development, and just in daily conversations. Yes, conversations. Can we talk about that idea? I’ve observed in many of my students a lack of ability to have a conversation. Albeit some…
The Value of Reading for Pleasure: Gary D. Schmidt
Read this excerpt from an interview with young adult author Gary D. Schmidt and then try to tell me that I waste time having kids read books in my High School English classroom. Getting GOOD books (not necessarily difficult books) in front of kids helps them become confident readers! If you have a middle school…
My Reading and Teaching Influences
| My Mother | The one who taught me to read. The one who encouraged my creativity and taught me to wonder. The one who made sure I had access to books at home, in the library, and at school. My mother was a Title I Reading and Math teacher at my elementary school, beginning when I was a 3rd grader. There is no doubt that she is the reason I do what I do today. In fact, several of these books I first discovered in HER personal library. Thank you, mom! I love you! |
| Penny Kittle | Book Love: Developing Depth, Stamina, and Passion in Adolescent Readers; 180 Days: Two Teachers and the Quest to Engage and Empower Adolescents |
| Kelly Gallagher | Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and What You Can Do about It; 180 Days: Two Teachers and the Quest to Engage and Empower Adolescents |
| Donalyn Miller | The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child |
| Cris Tovani | I Read It, But I Don’t Get It: Comprehension Strategies for Adolescent Readers |
| Perneille Rip | Passionate Readers Book Club (Facebook Group); Her book Passionate Readers is on my TBR list. |
| Karen Swallow Prior | She is my role model! A professor of English, she has written two books about the reading life. Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me; On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books |
“Reading well adds to our life . . . in the way a friendship adds to our life, altering us forever.”
–Karen Swallow Prior On Reading Well
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
Reading Fully 