The article in the U.S. News & World Report, 2/28/2005, entitled "A new read on teen literacy" should be distributed to all school faculty and parents.

 

Here is an experience I had teaching a high school class. The students were assigned a chapter to read and take notes. I walked around the room asking individual students “Tell me what you read.”

 

“I do not know,” some students said.

“You do not know how to read,” I responded.

“Yes, we do know how to read!” they rejoined.

 

They must understand that reading for ideas is not reading for words as they did in the 3rd grade.

 

I asked them what are the topics covered, the supporting arguments, and if they agree with these arguments. I asked them if they could think of another example somewhere else where these same arguments would apply. 

 

SEE THE BOOK FOR MORE DETAILS.