Readacide

Readacide by Kelly Gallagher was amazing. I loved reading this book and the insights that came along with this book were extraordinary. Gallagher talks about the "epidemic" plaguing the nation called readacide. Teens are beginning to read less and less and it's showing hugely in schools. One point that Gallagher hits on over and over again is the fact that schools are now taking away novels and replacing them with a worksheet paired with an excerpt from a novel or short story. This is doing nothing. There were so many strategies that Gallagher listed in his book that I want to incorporate into my classroom. For example, SSR. Gallagher talks about the importance of silent reading any book that a student chooses (not one that is academic or for another class). I've always been a huge proponent of students choosing their own book and reading. I know that I will implement SSR in my classroom with no added work or book reports or anything that could discourage a student from reading. Even if it's only for 20 minutes a week, SSR will be part of my curriculum. One of my favorite things from this book was at the very end when Gallagher lists 101 books that his reluctant readers usually love to read. I feel that this is a great resource to give to your students or recommend a book off of this list to encourage reading. I will be using this list and recommending these books in a future class of mine. I also really like Gallagher's idea about how to acquire books for your classroom. Gallagher suggests having your seniors donate one of their favorite books and leaving it as their mark in his classroom. I think this is such a good idea and it's a great way to acquire books that teens actually like. I think the reading epidemic that is happening to teens all over the nation is a very real thing and we as teachers need to be aware of this. I think we as teachers could encourage readacide if we're not careful but I also believe that we are fully capable of curing readicide and encouraging adolescents to love reading again.