I Read It, But I Don't Get It

This book was interesting.  It was an easy read but very repetitive.  I think there were a lot of good tips but some are common sense or we have learned the tips in other classes.  I have personally don’t remember struggling with "being" in a book while reading.  I do know lots of people like that.  It seems fairly common with people who don't actually like to read.  I have also found that it isn't that people don't like to read, but that they don't know what they would like to read.  Once you find something that catches your interests it is easier to read.  Once you get practice in reading what you like it is easier to take those skills and new confidence to a different type book. 

 

I really learned the most from some of the examples of getting out of reading!  I was amazed at the efforts students out into not reading a book for a book report.  One author looked for a book that hadn’t been checked out and read the first and last parts, then returned the book and put it in the wrong spot in the library so a teacher can’t check her work… Wow!  Another kid made up a book.  These kids are obviously smart. 

 

The book was right on with the CCSS.  The author was upset when she hear teachers of middle school and high school teachers who were claiming it wasn’t their job to teach students to read.  A lot of times it isn’t actually teaching them how to read letters but instead how to comprehend what they read.  Which the author seems to think these students can’t read. 

 

The author gives tips to keeping students heads in the book to help them focus on what they are reading.  One of my favorite examples was marking in the book.  Giving students codes or highlighters when reading a text can help them stay involved.  They can use the codes to show parts of the book they relate to or they can highlight what they aren’t understanding. 

 

There are a lot of tips to using follow-up strategies.  This is the part that I thought was repetitious.   All the bulleted points seem to be obvious to me.  For instance, making connections to text and your life, visualize, retell what you’ve read. 

 

I found it funny but interesting that the author’s daughter was supposed to read 40 pages in a night and was flustered by it.  It was a book about the Revolutionary war but the young girl was intimidated by the text.  It wasn’t until her mom helped her realize that she actually is learning about the war in her social studies class.  The girl was relieved that she knew so much already before she read the book.  The weird part to me and the point I took from this example is that the English and Social Studies’ teachers weren’t connecting the two points for the students.  It would have been very easy to tell the students that they would be reading a book about the Revolutionary War and that is what they are learning in Social Studies.  Instead the students are left to figure out the connection and many aren’t going to make that connection. 

 

I think the man thing is to get students reading and asking questions.  Whether they completely understand the text or not, there should be questions.  Following a reading with a discussion is a good way to help students understand their reading.  And Practice Practice Practice.