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

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

July #BookSpinBingo and #ReadingStats
I read some interesting things but not necessarily books that will stick with me, other than the nonfiction titles I will refer to again. I will definitely be revisiting the tagged title as school starts this next month.

#MonthlyStats

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Great job! 3y

Daisey @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Thanks! It turned out to be a better reading month than I expected. 3y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Daisey And that‘s all we can really ask for…. Well that and someone to send us on a reading retreat somewhere, but realistically good reading is the goal. 3y

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Daisey

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

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This was a fantastic professional read. I appreciated that much of it focuses on what Gallagher calls a 50/50 approach. So often I feel I read about all intense instruction or all reading workshop and this book emphasizes balance. He considers both over teaching and under teaching detrimental; which fits well with my own experience. I may have read quickly instead of slowly considering, but I‘ll be revisiting those post-its.

#TeachersOfLitsy

Daisey @TheAromaofBooks This is my July #BookSpin! 3y

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y

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Daisey

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

This book is great, and this poem about reading poetry by Billy Collins is just one of many things I‘ve marked as I‘ve read.

#TeachersOfLitsy

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Daisey

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

“Read-i-cide: noun, the systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools”

This book has been on my TBR for entirely too long. I have so many middle school students that don‘t enjoy reading and want to try to do better. I‘m planning to read it slowly this month in between other books.

#TeachersOfLitsy #BookAndBreakfast

kspenmoll Looks like a great book. I love her work! 3y

Karisa Love Kelly Gallagher! I‘ve heard him speak a couple of times and always take away something to use in my classes from him. His article selections/reading guides for students are great too 3y

staci.reads I love this book and Kelly Gallagher! His books changed many things about the way I taught literature! 3y

Daisey @kspenmoll @Karisa @staci.reads I‘m thoroughly enjoying it so far, completely seeing things I recognize, and making notes. 3y

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Rachel.Rencher

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

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Every ELA teacher needs to read this book! Gallagher is the kind of teacher that I aspire to be. I took tons of notes and I already have an ambitious plan for my classroom next year. 🤓 Also, my ThriftBooks cart is packed full of his recommendations.

Buechersuechtling (1/2) Please don‘t laugh but while following your posts I noticed how (hopefully still) fundamentally different reading and textwork is done and taught in our different school systems, yours in the United States, mine in Germany, over in Europe. But I was really happy to read your review. That‘s the best thing reading books can you do to us: Provide us with energy to walk new paths, create something new and do things differently. 4y

Buechersuechtling (2/2) Very well done 👏🏼 and tons of good luck 🍀 and stamina for your plans and projects. May most of your future students appreciate them. 🔚 4y

ShelleyBooksie @DebbieGrillo - have you heard of this book? 4y

DebbieGrillo Yes! @ShelleyBooksie I own every book he's written! 4y

CoffeeK8 This book is amazing. I also highly recommend

Reading, Writing, and Racism: Disrupting Whiteness in Teacher Education and in the Classroom

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Rachel.Rencher

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

I'm so guilty of the Kill-a-Reader Casserole. Never again! Students need to experience flow in order to become lifelong readers. 📖📚

Readergrrl Great book!!! As we move away from whole book and literature analysis to targeted passages and skill-building (not that they don‘t have their place), I fear we will lose generations of book lovers. 4y

xicanti All my teachers used this recipe. To this day, I can‘t participate in buddy reads because they give me flashbacks. 4y

Rachel.Rencher @xicanti Maybe that's why I can't either! It feels like too much pressure. 4y

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Rachel.Rencher

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

"Kenneth Burke says the reason young people should read books is that it provides them with 'imaginative rehearsals' for the real world. When children read books, Burke argues, they are not just reading stories. They are being given an opportunity to understand the complex world they live in (1986)."

GingerAntics They also need free time to play. There is a reason why children play act what they read, have read to them, and watch in TV. They‘re rehearsing doing those actions for themselves and what the consequences (good and bad) might be. 4y

staci.reads I loved Readicide! 4y

mandarchy I like that phrase "imaginative rehearsals". It's similar to play, but more personal and independent. It makes me think of how positive mental imagery works. I always talk to parents and students about the importance of rereading. Parent get impatient when a kid reads the same book over and over. I think it had to do with this rehearsing and building back ground to support new learning 4y

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Rachel.Rencher

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

Gallagher asks the reader to think about how often teachers get together to find reading material for students. The last time faculty at my rural Idaho school met, they focused on finding ONE book that would help students understand "the black experience". You know what these five white teachers chose? The Help. Yep. Their justification was that students would be bored with anything else & there wasn't enough time for more authentic reading. ?

Rachel.Rencher I CANNOT wait to move to a different state. Idaho schools are failing and are unwilling to change because they think they're doing a stellar job. The governor is cutting our budget almost monthly at this point, and teachers are quitting left and right. It's embarrassing and sad. I wish everyone would read this book & take it to heart but I don't see that happening here. 4y

LiteraryinPA Yikes. That‘s really frustrating. 4y

GingerAntics That is truly terrifying...and quite frankly a cop out. The Help. It‘s a good movie and a good book (probably chosen because of the movie from the sounds of it), but come on. 4y

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MicheleinPhilly They‘d be bored with anything else??? Have they read a book recently? What a lazy choice. 4y

Rachel.Rencher @GingerAntics I'm just frustrated that they think students will understand the black experience after reading a fiction novel by a white author. 🤦‍♀️ 4y

Rachel.Rencher @MicheleinPhilly Honestly, lots of them have not. I chose 8 short stories outside of what has been taught in the last 20 years to give students some choice on their final. The teacher who will be grading their finals said it was too much work to read all of those short stories in order to understand what the students are writing about. It took me only about 2 hours to read and annotate all of them. It's infuriating how lazy they are. 4y

GingerAntics @Rachel.Rencher I‘m betting that didn‘t even come into the equation for them. 4y

GingerAntics @Rachel.Rencher wow, that is profoundly lazy. Read 2 short stories each weekend for the next four weeks, look at that you‘re done and it took you just a few minutes out of your weekend. I wonder how much time they spend death scrolling. 4y

TheLudicReader How frustrating. Are these English teachers who are saying it‘s too much work? Yikes! 4y

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Rachel.Rencher

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

I've sadly seen The Paige Paradox in action a LOT. This year has been especially bad. I was only allowed to teach one full text (Romeo and Juliet) and was given 3 weeks (which meant about 7 instructional days per student) to teach it. I got pushback from my school when I used short stories that interested students rather than the ones on the state test for my next unit. My students ended up being the only freshmen who did well on the test, though.

Rachel.Rencher @Buechersuechtling 4y

Come-read-with-me Sounds like you made the right choice! 4y

Rachel.Rencher @Come-read-with-me Thank you! I'm a firm believer in learning to think critically and analyze rather than memorize. The other teachers were literally showing movies based on required reading so that students would do well on multiple choice tests. I was told to do the same, but I made students read and write in a reading log every day and when we got to the end, I had a few students ask if they could take some stories home for spring break. 😢💕 4y

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GingerAntics @Rachel.Rencher oh, I love when kids really connect with what you‘re teaching. That‘s awesome! Movies have taken center stage WAY too much. 4y

Rachel.Rencher @GingerAntics I agree! I think they can be a fun tool to help students visualize a particular scene or have a discussion about creative liberties, but when it replaces the book then it's a hard no for me. 4y

Come-read-with-me @Rachel.Rencher Wow! You enrich their hearts and minds! A good teacher is like a cook, following the recipe. A great teacher is like a chef, knowing when to add something more. Sounds like you‘re a great chef! (edited) 4y

GingerAntics @Rachel.Rencher I completely agree with that. It‘s good for visual learners and everyone else to be able to see key scenes or see different creative interpretations, but it‘s not replacement for reading. Those bloody tests have GOT to go for every single subject. They are nothing but a waste of money. 4y

SaunteringVaguelyDownwards This is one reason I was really glad that the high school state test prep 'elective' class built independent reading into every class session. Nothing was more rewarding than seeing a resistant reader get hooked on a true crime book! 4y

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Rachel.Rencher

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

Happy Monday! I'm on spring break, but work never stops. ? I got this PD book after reading Gallagher's article, "Moving Beyond the 4x4 Classroom". He's changed the way that I assign and grade writing, so I'm really excited to learn how to help students also read more!

Buechersuechtling I‘m curious now and would appreciate if you would post more about that one. 4y

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baberj

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

The statistics in this book should shock me, but do not. I hear so many people say they don't read. We need to change this and help people enjoy reading again.

rubyslippersreads Not only do I know people who don‘t read, they‘re kind of proud of being “too busy” to read. 😏 5y

baberj I know. They just brag about how much tv they watch. 5y

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Twocougs

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

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Excellent book for teachers on the concern of students not reading. This is making me think deeply and make some changes.

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GatheringBooks

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

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#ANewChapter Day 9: A few years back, I wrote this piece about Accelerated Reader and how it can serve to diminish the #Motivation of a diverse reader who devours books. This piece references the tagged book and is one of our most commented posts. This has also been shared by Larry Ferlazzo in his list of great posts about Accelerated Reader. Would love to hear your thoughts about it. Here is the link to my post: https://wp.me/pDlzr-6wc

vkois88, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

SassyBookworm I really liked your AR post! Personally AR killed my passion for reading during school and has killed it for my oldest daughter. I hated to read the books I was required to read (honestly still do, I stay away from many challenges due to this feeling). But during the summer I remember many hours reading books of my choice. It wasn‘t until many years later did I gain my passion back for reading. (edited) 6y

SassyBookworm For my daughter, who to begin with isn‘t a good reader, it was a dreaded chore. She would read the smaller 1 point books just to obtain her required points. At her school they didn‘t care what she was reading as long as she met the ‘points goal.‘ To her now reading is still something she hates. I have tried every avenue to see the joy of reading books she would love, buying whatever she wanted, getting her ebooks, graphic novels or audiobooks. (edited) 6y

SassyBookworm So from my personal experience, not only as a child whose been through it but now as a parent to a high school student, it has not been a positive one. 6y

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GatheringBooks @SassyBookworm everything you shared here resonates with me - and is the reason why i felt COMPELLED to write that post. 6y

SassyBookworm @GatheringBooks I really want to check out the book you tagged! Maybe I can used some of the research to help with my youngest daughter who loves reading and I have been hoping AR won‘t kill her passion when they start giving her goals. 6y

Lcsmcat My kids‘ school dealt with one of the issues you raise - books not being on the list - by allowing the student to create a test for that book, instead of taking a test to get “credit.” My kids are grown (my “baby” is 24) so this was a while ago. I didn‘t have to compete with screen time, and my kids were expected to bring a book with them to amuse themselves anytime we might have to wait somewhere. It became something that was commented on 👇🏻 6y

Lcsmcat as the four of us would each be reading as we waited for parent-teacher conferences, for example. That being said, we had some negative experiences too. During a period of individual reading in eighth grade my daughter giggled quietly to herself over Aristophanes‘ The Frogs. (It hilarious, even if we don‘t get all the political references.) But her teacher told her “You can‘t possibly understand that.” She proved him wrong by writing the AR test. 6y

GatheringBooks @SassyBookworm it is a super engaging read, never too overwhelming but backed up with strong empirical evidence. one of the best professional development texts out there when it comes to reading and literacy. i am sure you will enjoy reading it. 6y

GatheringBooks @Lcsmcat great to hear your experience with AR. creating a test for the book to get credit seems like an inspired way of going about it, particularly with titles that are not published in the US or Canada. I just feel that AR is too Western-centric, and its imposition of books that “deserve” credit is misguided and assumes a centrality (even a superiority) of narrative which rankles at me. 6y

Lcsmcat @GatheringBooks I agree with that assessment. I think we need to help each other (adults too) find things to read that stretch us or are outside our comfort zone. Litsy helps me with that. I purposely sought out people to follow who were different from me (along with people who loved my favorite books) and I have read more diversely these past three years. 6y

Leniverse Our first meeting with AR has been when my 11y/o started secondary school this school year. They didn‘t use it in primary school. Her goals for the year were set uselessly low, and she completed them in the first month. They wouldn‘t allow her YA books even though she has tested to a reading age of 16+ but I had a chat with the librarian, and send in notes about YA books I approve. (It‘s daft, Jane Austen is in the restricted section!) ⬇️ 6y

Leniverse On the bright side my daughter, in a fit of pique, grabbed the book with the highest difficulty she could find that wasn‘t age restricted. It was “The Mill on the Floss” by George Eliot and she had an amazing reading experience. She is also feeling competitive. After 1mill words read they get their name on the library wall. She was second to achieve it. She and the boy who was first have between them read more than the rest of their entire year. 6y

enidkeaner I never really minded the AR program when I was in school, but my middle school years ended in 1999-2000, so it could be different now. I‘m a lifelong lover of reading, was a reader before starting school, so it wasn‘t a chore. Some of the AR books I wanted to read anyway and I‘m a fast reader, so those I didn‘t want to read didn‘t interrupt my reading either. 6y

GatheringBooks @Leniverse it is definitely not without its perks and advantages and i am thrilled to hear that your daughter had a lovely experience with it. :) 6y

GatheringBooks @enidkeaner i didn‘t realize AR has been going on for that long. and glad to hear that it wasn‘t such an onerous experience for you. i am really just examining its long term benefits and who it serves more: the students or the librarians/administrators/teachers. :) and of course the many titles it fails to capture with its simplistic metric system 6y

vkois88 I'll have to check this out! 6y

enidkeaner @GatheringBooks honestly, I don‘t think it really serves any well. It seems like a good idea in theory, but I think it can harm students who don‘t read well/don‘t like reading by making reading seem like something that‘s not fun and is a chore. This seems like it would then make the parents‘/teachers‘ job harder 6y

GatheringBooks @enidkeaner totally agree. sadly, there are educators who think only in terms of short-term goals with the least amount of effort, thought, and deliberation. AR simplifies things by having a list of titles at the students‘ disposal, hence teachers/librarians don‘t have to go through providing recommendations or even discussing books with them as it is now “taken cared of” by AR. 6y

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CoffeeK8

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

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Great read! Lots of good ideas about how teachers can build a love of reading in their students at any age. #teachersoflitsy

CoffeeNBooks Yes! I love this book! I love Kelly Gallagher! 📚🍎📓✏ 6y

CoffeeK8 @CoffeeNBooks he‘s amazing! I read this years ago, but need the reread to get myself motivated for next year. 6y

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CoffeeK8

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

I ❤️”Waiting for Godot” because when I was in High School 2 random and oddly dressed teachers burst into my stunned English class unannounced to act out the first few pages as our introduction to the work. The class was completely hooked, and the teachers were ingenious. #teachersoflitsy

Swe_Eva That's a brilliant way to introduce someone to that piece! 6y

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CoffeeK8

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

A recipe I can follow 📚📚📚

kspenmoll ❤️ 6y

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Readergrrl

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

So excited for this swap! So nice to have something to look forward to in September that‘s just for me!! The book I‘ve tagged is by one of my favorite teacher authors!! #teachersoflitsy #teacherswap #newschoolyear

CoffeeK8 I‘m reading this now, it‘s amazing! 7y

Kelican17 @AndreaReads @hermyknee is it too late to sign up? I got the dates wrong and I was out of town and without a cell signal the whole time. 7y

hermyknee @Kelican17 I‘ve already made all the matches, but I will ask and if I can find someone who would like two matches, and if not, I will swap with you (it just won‘t be from a surprise sender!) ☺️ 7y

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hermyknee @Kelican17 would you be okay with exchanging with me?! 7y

Kelican17 @hermyknee absolutely!!!! 7y

hermyknee @Kelican17 okay let‘s do that! Just email me at hermykneegoespostal@gmail.com and tell me about your job, the things that help you deal with it, and other general helpful info. I‘ll email you back with the same thing! 😁 7y

Kelican17 @hermyknee email sent! 7y

hermyknee @Kelican17 great! I just emailed you back! I think we‘ll make great exchange partners 😊 7y

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CoffeeK8

Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and what You Can Do about it | Kelly Gallagher, Richard L. Allington

In order to get kids excited to read as we near the end of school, we instituted 10 minute silent reading in all classes and I got permission to start a Free Little Library for the students and a Bookswap for the staff... we want to get a flood of books going through the end of the year. #teachersoflitsy

tournevis 👍👍👍👍 7y

DivineDiana Good work! 👏🏻📚👏🏻 7y

JoScho That‘s awesome! One thing my school did last year was post summer reading pictures of staff and students on Facebook. 7y

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CoffeeK8 @JoScho that‘s a great idea! 7y

Coco Awesome! 7y

tammysue That‘s wonderful!👏🏻 7y

kspenmoll Fantastic idea! 7y

Eyelit Very cool! 7y

Nute That is fabulous!!! 7y

CoffeeK8 @tournevis @DivineDiana @coco @whatshesreadingnow @kspenmoll @Eyelit @Nute thanks guys! It‘s been so exciting getting everything set up 7y

shanebeth love the idea of a Little Free Library at school! I have thought about asking if we could do one for teachers. 7y

CoffeeK8 @shanebeth it took me 18 months to get approval, but it was worth it... I got some teachers on board by getting them into the idea of a good home for some books they‘re bored of in their classroom. Good luck! 7y

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