Topic: Electronic Books vs. Real Books.

Ten-second review: What are the values of printed books over electronic books? “The book is small, lightweight and durable, and can be stuffed in a coat pocket, read in the waiting room, on the plane…. Books give aesthetic and tactile pleasure…from the moment of purchase until the last page is turned. Books speak even when they stand unopened on the shelf. If you would know a man or woman, look at their books, not their software…. Nobody is going to sit down and read a novel on a twitchy little screen. Ever.

Source: EA Proulx. The Writer (November 1994) reprinted in The Writer (November 2004), 8. The Writer is a magazine by writers for writers.

Comment: Reading electronic books is reading a scroll. A long time ago people decided that reading pages was more comfortable than reading a scroll. And the point about reading books in any medium is ideas. Books are the source of ideas. RayS.

Topic: Basal Readers.

10-second review: What are some criticisms of basal readers?

Quote: “Most criticisms directed at basal reader stories concern the unreal characters which tend to depict only middle-class families and use unreal language patterns.”

Source: R Ross in CM Kirkton. “Once Upon a Time… Folk Tales and Storytelling.” 1028.

Quote: “Reading primers are narrative drills, not real books. Students should always have in the classroom real books for pleasure reading, and they should have time to read.”

Source: C Suhor. Elementary English (December 1971), 921.

Quote: “It is clear that we do not confine ourselves to reading in the basal reader. However, basal readers do lend themselves to skill development both in word recognition and comprehension and appreciation. But if they are to do so, they must be used intelligently, not mechanically. The given story or selection must be analyzed in advance by the teacher to see what kind of skill development would be suitable to it.”

Source: RE Sabaroff. Elementary English. 397.

Comment: As a K-12 language arts supervisor, my main criticism of using basal readers was the wooden manner of the teacher in working with the basal. I think the major advantage of the basal is to teach the teacher how to teach reading systematically. I find that after a period of time in working with the basal, teachers begin to use them intelligently and critically. But one thing the teacher must remember to do is to be enthusiastic in working with the students and the basal. Please! RayS.

Topic: Reading Aloud.

10-second review: Why should we read aloud to children even after they have learned to read on their own? “And even though children read well on their own, they never outgrow the pleasure of listening to good literature. Fifteen or twenty minutes should be regularly set aside for this.”

Source: RE Sabaroff. Elementary English. 399. Elementary English preceded Language Arts as the elementary school journal of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Comment: I don’t know if you can afford fifteen or twenty minutes in a 45-minute period, but 10 minutes to provide a sample of an interesting book, should increase students’ interest in reading the book on their own. Of course this requires that you have already read the book and have picked out selected passages that will be of interest to the students. RayS.

Topic: Reading Aloud

10-second review: What kinds of books are not usually read aloud? Notable lack of nonfiction read-alouds in middle school.

Source: LK Albright & M Arial. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (April 2005), 587. The secondary school journal of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Comment: The number of nonfiction books available in Young Adult literature is astounding, on almost any topic you can imagine, in science, biography, history, etc. If a topic is too complicated in adult texts, try reading Young Adult nonfiction on the same topic. RayS.

Topic: Teachers' Reading Aloud

10-second review: Why do teachers read aloud to their students? “The most common reason teachers gave for reading aloud (in middle school) was to model aspects of fluent reading, such as pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, and style. Another frequently cited reason for reading aloud was to make texts more accessible to students. Teachers also specified ensuring all students were exposed to the information in the text. We speculated that these teachers may have been attempting to provide access for students who were unable or unwilling to read the text. Teachers also noted goals of reinforcing content and increasing students’ understanding or comprehension of the text.”

Source: LK Albright & M Ariail. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (April 2005), 584. The secondary school publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Topic: Science Fiction

10-second review: What is the purpose of science fiction? The role of science fiction: the implications of technology; alternatives for the world’s future; help prevent consequences of uncontrolled technology.

Source: MJ Greenlaw. Elementary English (April 1971), 201. Elementary English preceded Language Arts as the elementary school journal of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Topic: Responding to Literature.

10-second review: How teach students to read literature? Teach students to ask questions as they read, questions that they eventually use for discussion in class.

Quote: Focus on students’ questions, not on teachers’ questions. “Rich discussion does not rest on a ‘real meaning’ of the text as determined by the teacher. The student-led novel discussions generated genuine give-and-take that exceeded my expectations. My letting go of the control of the questions meant that students were not only empowered but were also discovering how to comprehend text using a strategy.

"Self-questioning as they read helped them understand the process as a tool that good readers use to understand texts.” p. 123

Source: SL Lloyd. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (October 2004), 114-124. The secondary school journal of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Topic: Literature.

10-second review: Distinguish between re-telling a story and summarizing it.

Source: TR Haffner. Notes Plus (October 2004), 3-4. A practical secondary publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Comment: Interesting distinction. For what purpose? Can the two be separated? RayS.

Topic: Measuring Reading Fluency.

10-second review: How evaluate fluency of oral reading? Fluency should measure three components: oral reading accuracy, rate of oral reading and quality of oral reading—together, of course, with comprehension.

Source: JJ Pikulski & DJ Chard. Reading Teacher (March 2005), 510-519. A publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Comment: Fundamental elements in reading fluency. RayS.

Topic: Reading Fluency.

10-second review: What role does fluency play in successful reading?

Quote: “Reading fluency is one of the defining characteristics of good readers, and a lack of fluency is a common characteristic of poor readers.”

Quote: “…lack of reading fluency is also a reliable predictor of reading comprehension problems…. Once struggling readers learn sound-symbol relationships…and become accurate readers, their lack of fluency emerges as the next hurdle they face on their way to reading proficiency…. This lack of fluent reading is a problem for poor readers because they…focus on decoding at the word level that makes comprehension of the text difficult, if not impossible.”

Source: Hudson, Lane and Pullen. Reading Teacher (May 2005), 702. A publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Comment: A fundamental article on the importance of reading fluency. RayS.

Topic: Second-language Reading

10-second review: How prepare ESL students (English as a Second Language) or ELLs (English Language Learners) for reading? Emphasizes the importance of pre-teaching vocabulary and establishing questions to be answered for ESL students before reading.

Quote: “One technique that is helpful in supporting ELLs’ reading and learning in academic content areas is ‘frontloading’ a lecture or assigned reading with activities that highlight key language. Such activities may include discussions aimed at eliciting and linking students’ related background knowledge, hands-on experiences that invite key questions, and highlighting of key vocabulary. In this way, important concepts, vocabulary and questions are identified before a lecture or reading begins.”

Source: C Harper & E deJong. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (October 2004), 157. The secondary school publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Comment: The importance of preparing ESL students (or ELLs) for reading, relating what they are going to read to their background knowledge, highlighting unfamiliar vocabulary and establishing purpose for reading. RayS.

Topic: Phonemes and Learning to Read

10-second review: How does knowledge of phonemes affect learning to read? Inability to segment phonemes (i.e., unable to divide a word into its individual sounds) results in ineffective phoneme synthesis (i.e., unable to connect the sounds to form words).

Source: M Smith, et al. Reading Teacher (November 2004), 302. A publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Comment: Interesting definition of phonemes (sounds of letters) and readers’ need to be able to segment and synthesize them into words. RayS.

Topic: Reading in the Content Areas

10-second review: How incorporate reading in the content areas into a basal program in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades? Use chapter from a science, social studies text as a basal reading lesson.

Source: RE Sabaroff. 398.

Comment: Interesting idea. Will need to use the approach that is used in the basal, the directed reading assignment. Build students’ background information. Pre-teach unfamiliar vocabulary. Set purpose for reading by having the students survey the chapter (title, sub-title; illustrations, charts and graphs; first paragraph; first sentence of each middle paragraph; last paragraph), formulate questions to answer from students’ reading of the chapter, and, last, but not least, students apply or extend what they have learned. RayS.

Topic: Measuring Reading Comprehension

10-second review: What is the purpose of questions in tests of reading comprehension? “No question should be devised only to defeat a child or to embarrass his emerging confidence.”

Source: C Washburne. “Short Papers on Readiness, Reading Interests, Vocabulary Development and Comprehension.” 551.

Comment: What are the purposes of the questions used in the SAT’s Reading Comprehension section of the Verbal SAT? A. Purpose of reading. B. Questions on the SAT. C. Measure reading. D. Measure comprehension. E. Both C and D. In my opinion, the purposes of the questions in the Reading Comprehension (or Critical Reading or whatever they call it these days), is to trick the test-taker. RayS.

Topic: Electronic Portfolios for Pre-Service Teachers

10-second review: Pre-service teachers put together electronic portfolios that are used in job interviews. What image do they want to create?

Source: HL Hallman. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (March 2007), 474-485. The secondary school publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Comment: Need to think this idea through. What goes into the electronic portfolio? Lesson plans? Resume. Photos of the teacher at work? Completed class assignments? Running commentary connecting each component? RayS.

Topic: Portfolios.

Ten-second review: What can teachers learn from reviewing students' portfolios? Teachers reflect on the contents of students’ portfolios and are able to assess not only the students’ progress but also their teaching.

Source: T Hicks, et al. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (March 2007), 450-458. The secondary school publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Topic: Portfolios.

10-second review: What are the values of portfolios? Portfolios support students’ reflection that can help them understand their own learning and document growth over time.

Source: HL Barrett. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (March 2007), 436. The secondary school publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Comment: Better think about being there when the students reflect, both to learn about how well you have taught and to help the students determine their progress—after the students have tried to reflect themselves. RayS.

Topic: American Reading Habits

10-second review: To what degree do Americans have the reading habit? “…only 5% of North Americans can be thought of as habitual readers, or, to put it rather more urgently, 95% of all those who attend school will probably never take to reading as a matter of habit.”

Source: LF Ashley. “Children’s Reading Interests and Individualized Reading.” 1088.

Comment: I think I would amend this statement to “…never take to reading books as a matter of habit.” President John F. Kennedy said that he never saw his father read a serious book. My own father told me that when he finished law school, he told himself that he would never read another book and he never did. I guess with the requirement to read books in school, books became something to avoid when one was free to do anything one wanted. I don’t think teachers “sold” books as a way of gaining ideas. RayS.

Topic: Contemporary Reading Habits

10-second review: How much time do people today devote to reading? People 65 and over read about an hour a day. Ages 15-24, 8 minutes a day. Overall average, 19 minutes a day for men and 24 minutes a day for women. Spend 2.5 hours a day watching TV.

Source: US Dept of Labor, 2003. The Writer (January 2005), 10. The Writer is a magazine by writers for writers.

Comment: The 15-24 age group amazes me—no reading in school or for school? Or, is this based on reading when not required? RayS.

Topic: Narrative and Expository Reading in Elementary School.

10-second review: What should be the roles of narrative and expository material in the reading program? Strike a balance between narrative and expository reading in the elementary grades.

Source: LB Gambrell. Reading Teacher (March 2005), 588-591. A publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Topic: Children with Special Needs

10-second review: What are UN goals concerning special needs children? UN Heads of State, 2002: “Each boy and girl is born free and equal in dignity and rights; therefore all discrimination affecting children must end. We will take measures to ensure the full and equal enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including equal access to health, education and recreational services by children with disabilities, and children with special needs to ensure the recognition of their dignity; to promote their self-reliance and to facilitate their active participation in the community.”

Source: K Edwards, et al., Language Arts (March 2007), 389. The elementary school publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Comment: The UN resolution concerning special needs children deserves careful thought for its implications in the classroom. RayS.