Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about itRead-i-cide n: The systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools. Reading is dying in our schools. Educators are familiar with many of the factors that have contributed to the decline--poverty, second-language issues, and the ever-expanding choices of electronic entertainment. In this provocative new book, Kelly Gallagher suggests, however, that it is time to recognize a new and significant contributor to the death of reading: our schools. In Readicide, Kelly argues that American schools are actively (though unwittingly) furthering the decline of reading. Specifically, he contends that the standard instructional practices used in most schools are killing reading by: - valuing the development of test-takers over the development of lifelong readers; - mandating breadth over depth in instruction; - requiring students to read difficult texts without proper instructional support; - insisting that students focus solely on academic texts; - drowning great books with sticky notes, double-entry journals, and marginalia; - ignoring the importance of developing recreational reading; and - losing sight of authentic instruction in the shadow of political pressures. Kelly doesn't settle for only identifying the problems. Readicide provides teachers, literacy coaches, and administrators with specific steps to reverse the downward spiral in reading--steps that will help prevent the loss of another generation of readers. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
1 The Elephant in the Room | 7 |
2 Endangered Minds | 27 |
3 Avoiding the Tsunami | 59 |
4 Finding the Sweet Spot of Instruction | 87 |
5 Ending Readicide | 111 |
101 Books My Reluctant Readers Love to Read | 119 |
BookoftheMonth Forms | 125 |
OnePagers | 127 |
Hard Talk Checklist | 135 |
137 | |
143 | |
Other editions - View all
Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It Kelly Gallagher Limited preview - 2023 |
Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it Kelly Gallagher No preview available - 2023 |
Common terms and phrases
academic achievement actually American approach assigned become begin brains building chapter classroom close comes completed comprehension consider course curriculum deeper dents developing difficult discussion District Education effective English example exams experience FIGURE flow focus give given grade hand hard high school ideas important instruction interesting issues Kelly Gallagher kids Killing Reading knowledge learning less literacy lives look materials means minutes never notes novel occurs once opportunity passage percent play points practice problem question raise readers Readicide reason recognize recreational result says Schools are Killing scores side skills spend standards Step stop story strategies struggling summer taught teachers teaching test preparation things thinking turn understand Unfortunately United writing young readers