I was really surprised when the chapter opened up saying that "Language Arts, more than any discipline, has lost its way." (pg. 93) I have always felt as an upper elementary teacher that I received more trainings and have read more professional literature on literacy than any other subject. After reading the chapter though I did kind of agree and see Schmoker's point though that we have overcomplicated teaching literacy in some ways. Schmoker asserts that if we want students to learn, "the actions we must take are stunningly simple: We must ensure that all students complete hundreds of hours of reading, every year." (pg. 101) As I thought about my own journey of learning a second language, I realized that growth didn't always come because of a wonderful mini-lesson or mastering a grammatical concept, it normally came more from just continuous exposure and practice with vocabulary, reading and speaking and getting feedback.
Also Schmoker makes the point that reading for pleasure is critical (pg. 105) which I found true in my own language learning journey---when I was interested in the topic I learned more. But independent reading time is something I have struggled with in my classroom in Lebanon. I give my students about 20 or so minutes of free choice reading each day but normally have about 5 or 6 kids that no matter what you do or try (accountability quiz, note sheet for points, buy them books they want to read, choose "just right" books at their level, give points or rewards, just let them read with no points to be earned, meet with them after they read to discuss, lay down on the rug instead of their desk, partner read, listen to books on tape or via computer, etc.) will still not be able to focus during these 20 minutes and won't be engaged in actively reading unless I have them read to me for a portion of the time. We try building stamina but overall on a day to day basis they don't read---how can we help them use this important time for reading for pleasure? Ideas welcome! Thanks!
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