No More Fake Reading: Merging the Classics With Independent Reading to Create Joyful, Lifelong Readers (Corwin Literacy)

As one writer put it, it's the 800-pound mockingbird in the ELA classroom (see William J. Broz). English teachers know that it's a problem, yet too often it is disregarded. Our students are not reading assigned texts, and even those who do only do so to preserve their "A" without gaining a genuine appreciation for the text, much less growth in their ability to think critically about a text. We dismiss the problem claiming that it is an issue that is to be solved by our elementary teacher colleagues. "It is too late by the time they get to me," some teachers say. Still, we achieve nothing by settling with the problem in our classrooms.Berit Gordon offers one of the most practical approaches to begin solving this issue. I should emphasize the practicality that you'll find in this book, for many have written on the subject, and, yes, they offer strategies to overcome this great dilemma. However, Gordon's book, from beginning to end, is full of step-by-step instructions on how to fight against the fake-reading epidemic.Berit takes readers through the process, from building up your classroom library with high-interest texts to reforming your instructional strategies with approaches that bridge student-interest reading and classical texts.Any teacher who can accept the reality of the literacy environment that our students inhabit needs to buy this book. Perhaps like me, you are aware of the problem but feel helpless when faced with the challenge of changing the reading lifestyles of 100+ teenagers. As impossible as the task may seem, there is a lot that can be done, and Berit offers great ideas in her book.After implementing her strategies in my class, I've seen students joyously return to reading. Yes, return, because many reflected on how much they missed reading. I think about my student who is working his way through his 6th book this school year after not reading a single book all last year.Know that it can be done! If you're the teacher who's been looking for help, this book is for you. Buy it and say no to fake-reading in your classroom!

This book is a must read for ELA teachers. While targeting middle and high school teachers, this book offers strategies that can be utilized in any ELA classroom. In order to become better at anything - you need to practice it. Our students aren't reading. Gordon's book offers practical, ready-to-use advice that will transform your class into actual readers. Her experience in coaching teachers and working in classrooms makes the book practical and authentic - not just full of theory. And what's best? Gordon's book is easy to read - as though a trusted colleague or mentor was sharing her best tips. The book is filled with lots of ideas for charts, record-keeping, as well as unit and lesson-planning. A great way to energize your teaching!

I have read all of the gurus on reading education. Every writer talked about in this book, I have read their work. What I loved about this book is that the rigor of the strategy is preserved, but written in a way that a teacher could easily access and implement it. I think it would be a great introductory book as a teacher transitions more into a workshop model. As someone who has done workshop for many years I found that the strategies offered presented them in a way that I could take back something new. If I were an instructional coach I would start here to build a strong reading community with teachers.

This book's title is what grabbed my attention, and the book's content met me right where my teacher heart is now. Berit Gordon does a fabulous job of walking the reader through the steps of creating a culture of reading in a secondary classroom. Her wit, expertise, and realistic understanding of tween and teen readers is inspiring. I will be using this text for professional development with teachers in my district. It is truly a handbook that will help us fix the brokenness of our current reading practices in middle and high school and instead cultivate independent readers who love books.

I've been doing independent reading in my high school English class for years, but I've already gotten several great ideas from this book. I will definitely be implementing some of them as soon as we return from break.

I could not put this down. I found myself having aha moments on practically every other page. It made me want to immediately revamp my entire curriculum. For years I've been "teaching novels" and feeling like I'm not reaching all my students. This book gives practical suggestions for how to teach strategies, expose students to classics through mini- lessons, and get them to apply those strategies to texts of their choosing.

I really like this book. Plenty of practical advice. Excellent questions to ask students about their reading experience. I read this in a day and a half and dog-eared half of it.

No More Fake Reading is a gift to teachers! How can we get kids to really become readers? Give them opportunities to read what excites them. Yes, it's that simple. Berit Gordon's book offers an ingenious (and practical) approach for increasing kids' reading and making it more authentic. It is a MUST read. Buy it today and get one for a friend! It's a terrific book.