English Teachers Chat

This is part 3 of my series Becoming a FITT Reader.  Be sure to read  Volume 1: Frequency here  and Volume 2: Intensity here . This is going to seem like a no brainer, and in theory it is. But theory and practice are two different things. In order for students to become FITT readers, they need to read for periods of time that make sense. The Power of the Binge and Giving Students Momentum There was a time in our lives where the idea of binging on media was viewed as wasteful. Now, it's seen as a badge of honor. The advent of streaming services gave us the power to binge watch television shows in a way my 90s childhood self could never imagine. If you were lucky, a marathon session of your favorite show was on (Real World Miami anyone?), but even that was met with commercials and no ability to pause. With that noted, it's funny how different we treat television and books.  Binging is pervasive in our culture across all age groups. c/o CivicScience We all know the...

Yesterday during a discussion (as a 9th grade teacher), I chatted with a few10th grade teachers. This year all 10th grade teachers are teaching Just Mercy  by Bryan Stevenson. One of the teachers said, "it's a hard read, the kids really struggled." It's probably been half a decade since I read Stevenson's novel, but I do remember moments that the text is mired in legal language. Another teacher remarked, "well... they need to become discernible readers and figure out what is essential to the story and what's not." Discernible readers? 10th graders? Who are these 10th grade discernible readers?  A larger discussion unfolded about close reading and now to navigate a tricky text. The four of us kibitzed about the successes and failures in each of our classrooms. The conversation naturally steered towards close reading. But what became quickly evident: when we talked about close reading, the four of us were talking about entirely different concepts. It...