Customer Reviews

Reading Reasons: Motivational Mini-Lessons for Middle and High School

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a middle school Reading teacher for 14 years, I have been exposed to more theories than I can count on how to get kids to read and improve their skills. In the last few years, the focus has been on specific reading strategies--teaching them to students to help them improve their comprehension.

I see now that a major piece of the puzzle has been missing. We are so focused on teaching kids HOW to read that we have forgotten to teach them WHY they should read. Those of us who are good readers do not need any such convincing. Increasingly more students, however, do not see any value in reading and therefore do not do it, or do not do it well.

Gallagher's book outlines nine reasons WHY students need to read and read well. They are set up in the format of mini-lessons to teach directly to students. The lessons are simple and would appeal to most students. Throughout the book there is great insight, and there is also a lot of great advice for setting up a true reading-inspiring classroom.

I have shelves full of reference books on reading. This is the one I will go back to again and again.

I learned about this book at a workshop on reading and literacy in my district last year. I checked it out from my local teaching library and after 3 renewals and a bunch of late notices later I realized I never wanted to return it! I had my own copy two days later. I use this book every week in the classroom. Mr. Gallagher developed a resource that kids can relate to because it was written in part (or at least inspired by) his students. There are 40 mini lessons that are broken down into 9 categories of why reading is important. They are very interesting and they made the kids think. I noticed as the year went on I saw many more novels and magazines appearing in my class as the year went on. Buy this book. You won't be disappointed!

The lessons in this book are wonderful. It gives students a practical reason for reading. It is the kind of book you can read and immediately put it into practice. You don't have to sit back for weeks and figure out how to incorporate it. It's all there right in front of you. I want to hear more from Gallagher!!!

The 9 reading reasons in this book are nothing new or ground breaking. I feel like we all already know what they are but he just happened to write them down and charge us for it. The descriptions were brief and don't actually serve to get students reading. The rest of the book consists of mini-lessons to use in the classroom that are supposed to get students to see the value he set out, but I don't think they serve the purpose of providing students with an intrinsic motivation for reading at all. Waste of money for a little bit of insight and a bunch of handouts on lessons. Would've never bought it if weren't required for my class.

A co-worker recommended this book to me, and it should be a REQUIRED resource for any ELA (English Language Arts) teacher--excellent mini-lessons as well as insightful ideas about the importance of reading. This book will guide my reading lessons for the rest of the year.

as a middle school english teacher, i'm always looking for inspiration and good ideas that are not cutesy or a waste of time. not only does kelly gallagher provide inspiration, but he also delivers the goods. his book includes a lot of food for thought, research to back up his theories, practical ways to increase students' reading time, mini-lessons, and two annotated bibliographies (m.s. & h.s). this book reminded me a lot of nancy atwell's book, in the middle, but it's more current and deals with the frustration many teachers experience in this era of NCLB and high stakes testing. gallagher does not delve into a bunch of boring anecdotes from his days in the classroom. instead, he assumes that anyone who is a teacher already knows the challenges they are facing, and so without wasting our precious time, offers some creative ways for teachers to revive/restore/renew their students' interest in reading.

This book is filled with ideas that I will use in my classroom. It shows, rather than tells, why students should read. The book arrived in perfect condition and on time.

Kelly Gallagher's book is full of well-thought out reasons why reading is crucial, and mini-lessons to support them. While I don't think I'll be using all of the mini-lessons in my class, I sticky noted a ton of them! Gallagher's writing is easy-to-read and full of humor - I laughed out loud many times. Besides the mini-lessons, he offer a discussion of why reading is crucial, as well as information about his own classroom and teaching habits, and a helpful appendix of books you need to have in your classroom library, ways to promote books, sample forms, and more. This book isn't just for English Language Arts teachers - these mini-lessons are meant to be used across the content areas because promoting reading and literacy is the job of ALL teachers. There are mini-lessons that would be great for home-ec, econ, social studies content that also show students why literacy is critical.

A must-read for all reading teachers, librarians, and parents! After 31 years of teaching reading, this book really addresses the issue of motivation for middle/high schoolers. Great mini-lessons and practical info!

ANYTHING from Kelly Gallagher is going to be terrific. As a middle school teacher, I use all his materials. He knows how to connect with students, and his ideas bring a spark to my classroom. I would highly recommend any product of his.