Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It

I came across this book in my search for a professional book that would help me to become a better reading teacher.  This book, an examination of teaching practices, helped me to see the light in so many ways.  Kelly Gallagher reaffirmed some of my teaching practices:  SSR and teaching one novel to a whole class, while showing me the importance of a more guided approach with my students.

One point that struck me, with the advent of No Child Left Behind and the push to have students test well, is that our national reading scores are going DOWN!  Surprising?  One would hope that if a greater emphasis is placed on a skill, that scores would increase.  However, this is not the case.  Our students are no longer being exposed to a variety of reading materials, rather excerpts intended to improve test-taking ability.  When we remove a variety of texts, Gallagher contends, we are also removing the ability for our students to gain background knowledge.

I have gained a few ideas that I plan on implementing into my classroom repertoire of instructional methods:  a chart of "What Good Readers Do" that we will add to as we experience and share strategies during class, the "One-Pager" assignment as accountability for independent reading books and the Article of the Week to infuse my classroom with better connections to the real world. I am excited to share this book and the ideas I've gleaned with my colleagues!