Customer Reviews

Vision & Voice: Extending the Literacy Spectrum

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As a teacher, this is the BEST book I have read in a long time because it offers real-life solutions to real-life problems. It's honest. It's real. It's beautiful! Professors in the Ivory Tower and officials in government continue the tinny discourse on ways to make reading "important" to students. In Linda Rief's middle school class, the future is taking shape NOW. Valuing the worth of each student, Rief continues to inspire their journey in language arts. Every story in the book is true. Like "Seeking Diversity", this book is full of examples from her middle school classes. She challeges her students to use all of their senses. We see how her students learn about the Holocaust and drug use by reading books, participating in discusions, then creating vivid murals. The artwork is vivid and incredible. Rief's core philosophy is that the expression to the written word is not limited. It can be in the form of art. Not all students can write that 10-page paper. The drawings and painting students create come straight from their souls. Is this not to be valued? The book is arranged clearly and consisely. There are many pages devoted to illustrations, including the color murals created by the students. Rief "teaches" the reader how to implement her program. The CD, which comes with the book, is extremely helpful. Even if you are not a teacher, treat yourself. In a world of negative voices about teachers and young people, this is a vision of hope. Bravo!

Vision & Voice reinforces the theories and practical applications introduced in Rief's first book, Seeking Diversity. As a fellow middle school teacher, I have relied on the examples and activity suggestions that are clearly organized in her book. Among a short list of dedicated educators who have transformed Language Arts, her approach to the subject matter is fresh and easy to apply in the classroom.