| OK, so maybe this book does not have mass appeal. | | | | wide spectrum of abilities with the kids in the |
| It is written by a teacher and aimed at other teachers, | | | | classroom, it may be grade 8, but there will be some |
| the plot, how to entice school kids to read. Reading is | | | | kids that read at grade 4 level, there may even be |
| the very cornerstone of learning. Without the skill life is | | | | some at grade 10. To aim only at the grade level |
| pretty darn hard for a school kid, and even worse for | | | | results in only teaching to a small percentage of the |
| an adult. | | | | class. Some will be lost and not able to keep up, while |
| I am an avid reader, and have been since a very small | | | | others will be bored, not feeling challenged, and |
| child. I read for fun then, and I read for fun now. | | | | generally frustrated. |
| Reading is escapism, reading is learning, reading is the | | | | The key, Robb explains is to develop techniques |
| gateway to knowledge. Alas it is also often treated as | | | | where everyone wins. Why does the entire class |
| a boring subject by both teachers and pupils. I know | | | | have to read the same book? Why not use a theme |
| that during my Grammar School (High School in the | | | | rather than a text? And why not engage the class in |
| US) days I hated English Lit, it was taught in an | | | | talking about the theme? By making the class thematic |
| incredibly boring fashion. I defy any 14 year old to get | | | | and using multiple texts suddenly you can gear material |
| excited about Thomas Hardy's 'The Mayor Of | | | | to the varied abilities of the class, a win-win situation, |
| Casterbridge,' or just about anything by William | | | | everyone can operate within their comfort zone, and |
| Shakespeare. Kids don't want to read these books, | | | | learn! |
| they are too difficult. With Shakespeare you have to | | | | Even when it is necessary from a curriculum |
| deal with archaic language and metaphors that even | | | | standpoint to use a standard text, by being creative in |
| well read adults have problems grasping, Thomas | | | | your teaching methods everyone can gain. |
| Hardy on the other hand just wears you down, page | | | | I am not a teacher, well not by the traditional definition, |
| after boring page of dreary narrative! | | | | but I am peripherally involved in the adult literacy arena, |
| Maybe the high spot of my school career was Orwell | | | | and many of Robb's ideas could be converted to |
| and '1984,' but even this classic was reduced to | | | | work in the adult world. One of the biggest problems I |
| nothing. It was about 5 years after I finished school that | | | | find with many poor readers is that they can read the |
| I actually picked up a book for fun. The fun had been | | | | words, but cannot assimilate the words into a cohesive |
| beaten out of me by the ridiculous approach taken by | | | | idea. Differentiating Reading Instruction is chock full to |
| the school system. | | | | the brim with strategies to resolve this problem. |
| Robb is an educator and innovator who has used her | | | | This should be a must read book for anyone working |
| teaching experience to create a format where reading | | | | within the teaching profession, the ideas are applicable |
| can be once again fun. Reading is maybe the most | | | | in just about every subject. |
| important aspect of teaching, it matters little what the | | | | You can get your copy of Differentiating Reading |
| subject is, the pupil needs to be able to read to learn. | | | | Instruction from Amazon. |
| One of the biggest issues facing any educator is the | | | | |