Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?

Content Comprehension, Grades 6 12 Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? Cris Tovani Stenhouse Publishers Portland, Maine

Stenhouse Publishers www.stenhouse.com Copyright 2004 by Cris Tovani All rights reserved. Except for the appendix forms that may be photocopied for classroom use, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders and students for permission to reproduce borrowed material. We regret any oversights that may have occurred and will be pleased to rectify them in subsequent reprints of the work. Credits Page 8: From The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston, copyright 2002 by Richard Preston. Reprinted with permission of Random House, Inc. Page 30: From Integrated Mathematics, Book 2 by Rheta N. Rubenstein, Timothy V. Craine, and Thomas R. Butts. Copyright 2002 by McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company. Page 48: Using Nonfiction Genres to Promote Science Practices by Margaretha Ebbers, in Language Arts. Copyright 2002 by the National Council of Teachers of English. Reprinted with permission. Page 64: From Letters to the Editor. Time. October 28, 2002. Reprinted with permission. Page 73: Jennifer Mooney, Littleton Library Patron, 12, Pleads Guilty. The Denver Post, July 12, 2002. Reprinted with permission. Page 76: Copyright 2003 by BuddyT (http://alcoholism.about.com/), licensed to About Inc. Used by permission of About Inc., on the Web at http://www.about.com. All rights reserved. Page 77: From The Winter Room by Gary Paulsen, copyright 1989 by Gary Paulsen. Reprinted by permission of Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc. Page 78: From Glencoe Physical Science, copyright 2002, by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. Reprinted with permission. Page 120: Did I Miss Anything? from I ll Be Right Back by Tom Wayman, copyright 1997. Reprinted with permission of Ontario Review Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Tovani, Cris. Do I really have to teach reading? : content comprehension, grades 6 12 / Cris Tovani. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 1-57110-376-7 (alk. paper) 1. Content area reading. 2. Reading (Middle school) 3. Reading (Secondary) I. Title. LB1050.455.T69 2004 428.4 071 2 dc22 2003065348 Published simultaneously in Canada by Pembroke Publishers 538 Hood Road Markham, Ontario L3R 3K9 Pembroke ISBN 1-55138-170-2 Manufactured in the United States of America on acid-free paper 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Pete, who helps me sing my life song

Contents Acknowledgments 1 Introduction: I m the Stupid Lady from Denver... 1 2 The So What? of Reading Comprehension 11 3 Parallel Experiences: Tapping the Mother Lode 23 4 Real Rigor: Connecting Students with Accessible Text 37 5 Why Am I Reading This? 51 6 Holding Thinking to Remember and Reuse 67 7 Group Work That Grows Understanding 89 8 What Do I Do with All These Sticky Notes? Assessment That Drives Instruction 101 9 Did I Miss Anything? Did I Miss Everything? Last Thoughts 117 Appendix 123 Double-Entry Diary Comprehension Constructor with Connections Guide The Three Bears Translation Sample Text Set Guide Sheet Instructional Purpose My Answer Comprehension Constructor Template for Reading Response Logs Silent Reading Response Sheet Weekly Calendar Double-Strategy, Double-Entry Diary Highlight and Revisit Group Observation Form Bibliography 137 v vi

Acknowledgments When I leave Colorado to do presentations, I am often asked how I do it. Teachers want to know how I can still be in the classroom, write books, and travel to work with other teachers. I tell them I can do what I do only if I give up something. I mention that I don t cook well. As a matter of fact, the best thing I make is reservations. I have messy cupboards and drawers out of sight, out of mind. I don t iron. My garden is an embarrassment, and I buy Christmas cookies instead of making them. However, the real truth is I do what I do because: My high school principal, Jeannine Brown, supports my work. She insulates me from tasks that take me away from teaching. She listens to my concerns and works very hard to accommodate instructional needs. I have challenging students who share their thinking. Their questions propel me to discover why reading is so easy for some and so difficult for others. My editor Brenda Power has a magic touch. Her ability to organize my random thoughts into a cohesive book astounds me. At Stenhouse, I can always depend on Philippa Stratton, Tom Seavey, and Martha Drury to answer questions and guide my work. Stephanie Harvey encourages me to look outside my comfort zone and notice what s provocative in the field of education. Ellin Keene challenges me to find a better way to teach adolescents how to read. I learn from the visitors who observe my classroom and if I didn t have Sam Bennett and Chryse Hutchins naming the thinking and guiding the learning, I wouldn t be able to take the risks it requires to teach in front of my peers. My colleagues at Smoky Hill High School push me to think. Their content expertise humbles me. Their willingness to open their doors reminds me how important it is to never stop learning. For this particular book, Winter Caplanson, Sarah Malinoski, Ruth Shagoury, Lee Ann Spillane, and Suzanne Kaback read early drafts and provided direction for revision. Rhiannon and Sara teach me that works in progress are worth the wait. And the real truth is, none of this could happen without the support of my husband, Pete, who helps with the cooking and cleaning and car pooling. He encourages me and believes in me whenever I ve lost faith. Without him none of this would be possible. Last and most important, I have Carrie, who is the inspiration for everything I do. vi