IGNITE Spring 2017 | Page 12

recommendations for AOPS teachers, by AOPS teachers It’s pretty typical for students to receive a reading list for their summer months off. But teachers have a lot they can learn during the break, too. We asked AOPS educators for a list of must-read titles they’d recommend for their peers. Here’s what they think you should pick up before the 2017-2018 school year. Kathy Szymborski English Teacher Archbishop Ryan High School Kathy’s Summary “Gallagher’s book is organized to help teachers move students deeper into text. He thoroughly explains the challenges we face in the classroom and offers specific strategies to help increase our students’ ability to become independent critical readers. As a high school classroom teacher, Gallagher walks the walk; the book is filled with research that he has gathered, as well as information about how to implement some of the most effective tools.” Why She Recommends It “As we move further into getting kids ready for college and career, one thing that is still problematic is helping kids deal with complex texts. My students who are studying AP English found the reading portion of the new SAT very difficult because the passages were so dense. This book offers ways to help our students deal with complex texts, no matter what the subject area. Close reading is not something that can be taught once. It is a development of skills that progresses most effectively over time. Classroom teachers will see immediate results when implementing his ideas, but the true measure of what could occur over years of this kind of attention to reading would be revealed in graduates who are prepared for ‘reading the world.’” 12 Deeper Reading: Comprehending Challenging Texts, 4-12 Kelly Gallagher PURCHASE ONLINE