I Read It, but I Don't Get It: Comprehension Strategies for Adolescent Readers (Paperback)

by Cris Tovani (Author) "This is reading workshop, and I am Cris Tovani..." (more)
Key Phrases: fake reading, resistive readers, ponderable question, Cris Tovani, Stenhouse Publishers, Connecting the New (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

I Read It, but I Don't Get It is a practical, engaging account of how teachers can help adolescents develop new reading comprehension skills. Cris Tovani is an accomplished teacher and staff developer who writes with verve and humor about the challenges of working with students at all levels of achievement—from those who have mastered the art of "fake reading" to college-bound juniors and seniors who struggle with the different demands of content-area textbooks and novels.

Enter Cris' classroom, a place where students are continually learning new strategies for tackling difficult text. You will be taken step-by-step through practical, theory-based reading instruction that can be adapted for use in any subject area. The book features:

• anecdotes in each chapter about real kids with real universal problems. You will identify with these adolescents and will see how these problems can be solved;
• a thoughtful explanation of current theories of comprehension instruction and how they might be adapted for use with adolescents;
• a What Works section in each of the last seven chapters that offers simple ideas you can immediately employ in your classroom. The suggestions can be used in a variety of content areas and grade levels(6-12);
• teaching tips and ideas that benefit struggling readers as well as proficient and advanced readers;
• appendixes with reproducible materials that you can use in your classroom, including coding sheets, double entry diaries, and comprehension constructors.

In a time when students need increasingly sophisticated reading skills, this book will provide support for teachers who want to incorporate comprehension instruction into their daily lesson plans without sacrificing content knowledge.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Stenhouse Publishers; illustrated edition edition (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157110089X
• ISBN-13: 978-1571100894
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 6.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,146 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

136 of 136 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read for all teachers!, January 13, 2001

By A Customer

Cris Tovani's book is fabulous! As a reading teacher, it helped me to find ways to help my students understand what they were reading AND to help them understand when they were understanding. It is obvious that the author knows her readers well and is able to help them to read for real purposes and to give them strategies for monitoring their own comprehension. I have read Strategies that Work by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goodvis as well as Mosaic of Thought by Ellin Keene and Susan Zimmerman. I Read It But I Don't Get It adds to the things I learned about comprehension from these books. Although this book is written about middle school and high school students, I have used many of the ideas in the book with my upper elementary grade students. So many of the issues are the same. Many of my elementary colleagues are also finding this book helpful and have added it to their professional libraries. It also has great insights for content teachers--thoughts for helping students comprehend content reading. I highly recommend it for all teachers.

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Help for frustrated English teachers, May 19, 2001

By A Customer

I teach seventh grade English in a district that expects 12-year-olds to read classics--and some really can, but others are stuck at a third or fourth grade reading level. I Read It, But I Don't Get It has some very practical suggestions that I can incorporate easily into my class to enrich the learning for all levels of readers. As I read this book, I became aware of the strategies I use to read difficult texts. Now I can pass those strategies on to my students. Few secondary teachers have the training to teach, or the time to gain the knowledge provided in this little text. Thanks to Cris Tovani, we now have a fine new resouce.

70 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo!, June 14, 2001

By	Sarah Campbell (sitka, ak United States) - See all my reviews

As a high school English teacher I am always looking for ways to make the invisible process of reading more accessible to my students. Tovani's book is wonderful! She not only provides sound advice for all teachers, but also models good teaching throughout her book. Usually, I am disappointed with educational authors as they offer impractical strategies that would never work with real students in a typical classroom. Tovani's book made me happy that I signed up to teach summer school and I am jazzed to try out her practical suggestions with students. Bravo!