Teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle

Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in helping struggling readers build fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.

We're all hyphenated Americans

We're all hyphenated Americans really. It's the way we identify our backgrounds and that's fine. If, however, identification by self or others becomes a way to maintain separation, well, that's not fine.

I was reminded recently that books are important as both "mirrors" and "windows" as I introduced books to a group of teenaged parents. They were learning about their children's development and the role of literature and language in it.

How sharing books with babies and toddlers develops empathy came up when we read Ten Little Fingers & Ten Little Toes (Harcourt) by Mem Fox.

One young mother exclaimed that the babies were multicultural — and that one looked like her 8-month old daughter. She figured out that the range of faces in Helen Oxenbury's simple but appealing line and watercolor illustrations reflected the diversity of the world in which this child was growing up; that the child would eventually grow beyond her family.

What this suggests is that books introduce readers to myriad people of all backgrounds — even in homogeneous communities. Children need to see themselves and meet others. These books must have a universal appeal, an emotional authenticity, and enough story to keep readers engaged.

Ezra Jack Keats' Snowy Day (Viking) celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year. Peter, a young African American boy, enjoys a snowy day in the city — just like children everywhere. That the book is older than the teachers and parents sharing it is a testament to the book's widespread appeal.

I'm no longer in 3rd grade, my parents didn't divorce, but I do remember trying to make new friends like Dyamonde Daniels. Dyamonde is a bright child whose everyday ups and downs in her new neighborhood ring true not only for newly independent readers but for readers of all ages. And Dyamonde is an African American girl.

For middle school readers, the difficulty and joys of growing up in Planet Middle School (Bloomsbury). An African American girl gradually comes to accept the inevitable changes of growing up in this sometimes funny, sometimes touching, novel in verse. All girls (and guys) old and young will see themselves in Joylin as she starts to come of age.

It's Black History Month. Let's try to continue it beyond February. African Americans and other hyphenated Americans should be recognized and celebrated throughout the year. It's sure to help children develop empathy to last a lifetime.

My teacher gives more homework

Do you ever hear this complaint? Kids know which teacher gives the most homework AND which teacher gives almost no homework at all. I think there are two issues here: how much homework is good? And should teachers at the same grade level give the same amount of homework?

How much homework is good? If you've seen the documentary Race to Nowhere, you may be thinking that no homework is good homework. The research on homework, including a summary from a meta-analysis by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics suggests that recommendations vary by grade and subject matter. For example, homework that involves studying for discrete tests such as those at the end of a unit seems to be beneficial for younger students (although the studies didn't examine long-term retention of that information). Outside of preparing for a specific test, homework appears to be only mildly helpful for younger students. For high-school students, there appears to be a threshold of benefits to homework, suggesting a 90 to 120 minutes maximum.

To the second question, should teachers within a grade level at a school give the same (or similar) amount of homework? I can't find any research that answers that question, but anecdotally I think the answer is a resounding YES. I think it presents a united effort to meet curricular goals. I think it also helps parents feel as though their child is getting the same level of preparation, regardless of teacher.

I'm curious! Do the teachers at your school (within a grade level) collaborate on homework? Or is there disparity among classrooms?

Related reading:

Key Lessons: What Research Says About the Value of Homework

What does good homework look like?

Five Homework Strategies for Teaching Students With Learning Disabilities

Homework Tips for Parents

And the winner is ... children!

It's always heartening to be with other booklovers — especially those who recognize that the younger we start sharing the power and pleasure of language and story with children the more likely they'll grow into lifelong learners.

It was exciting to attend what has become known as the Youth Media Awards announcements at the midwinter conference of the American Library Association.

I sometimes wonder about the effect of too many awards (it sure made for a lengthy program). Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? Are there too many honors given? But I've concluded that awards can help identify books (in one form or another) that are in some way outstanding in this overcrowded field.

Sometimes authors and illustrators are recognized more than once, as was the case with this year's Caldecott Medal winner.

Chris Raschka received the 2006 Caldecott for The Hello Goodbye Window (Hyperion) and the 2012 Medal for A Ball for Daisy (Schwartz & Wade/Random).

While Raschka has a unique style, he uses it very differently in ...Daisy. The story, which is told almost entirely without words, unfolds rather like a comic book. The visual storytelling, however, needs no words to convey the small dog's joy in a toy, the devastating loss, and ultimate friendship. Young children are the most likely to take the time to carefully examine the illustrations, but readers of all ages will recognize the emotions in this seemingly simple presentation.

So congratulations to all the award winners and especially to Chris Raschka who has joined a select group of artists who can claim more than one Caldecott Medal!

Teacher appreciation a few months early

Teacher Appreciation Week is typically the first week of May. But January can be long, cold, and drab with mid-year assessments and paperwork taking up too much time. This seems like a good opportunity to remind all teachers just how important and wonderful you are! Every day you stand before very special people, and every day you have the power to ignite a spark that will last a lifetime.

Need some inspiration to get through January? Read How Mrs. Grady Transformed Olly Neal from last Sunday's New York Times. Olly was a poor, tough kid who gave Mrs. Grady (and other teachers) lots of grief. From the story, as reported by Nicholas Kristof:

One day in 1957, in the fall of his senior year, Neal cut Blakely's class and wandered in the library, set up by Grady, the English teacher whom he had tormented. Neal wasn't a reader, but he spotted a book with a risqué cover of a sexy woman.

Called "The Treasure of Pleasant Valley," it was by Frank Yerby, a black author, and it looked appealing. Neal says he thought of checking it out, but he didn't want word to get out to any of his classmates that he was reading a novel. That would have been humiliating.

"So I stole it."

What happened to Neal? What secret did Mrs. Grady hold for years? You'll have to read the story to find out. Or listen to Neal tell his story on StoryCorps.

Need more inspiration? Read Lisa Belkin's post Teacher's Words That Changed My Life or visit Thanks for Teaching.

Thank you, teachers!

Text sets: One theme, several books

Teachers often have a specific theme or content they want to cover, but have a wide range of reading levels in their classroom. One way to handle that situation is to have many books on that one theme, but the books are written at different reading levels. These are often called text sets. I wrote here about a text set on persistence. ReadWriteThink has some good guidelines for creating text sets.

Lit for Kids calls text sets Book Flights, and they've gathered book flights for various topics, including Ancient Egypt, Cinderella, the beach, teachers, and more. Book Flights include read aloud suggestions, and books that range from toddler/early reader levels to tweens to young adult. Lit for Kids has also created also book pairings, where one they recommend one adult book and one kid book about the same topic, or by the same author.

Booklist Online offers something similar, although with less of a range of reading levels. They call them read-alikes, and offer one theme with a range of books on that theme. The Green Thumbs one might be fun for spring, or in this election year maybe your students would enjoy Pint-Size Presidents. (You'll have to search the site to find the actual lists.)

Do you use any other resources for developing your text sets? If so, please let me know!

Super Ambassadors for young people and reading!

What do a red cape, a magic wand and a light sword represent? Each seems to be a sign of magic, heroics, something more than mere human, right?

What happens when the writers who hold these objects come together in one room? They become the superheroes and spokespeople to let the world know about the importance of reading.

These are the Super National Ambassadors for Young People's Literature! Together, their power can change the world! And that's just what current and former Ambassadors have set out to do.

Newly inaugurated Ambassador Walter Dean Myers flanked by outgoing Ambassador Katherine Paterson, and Jon Scieszka, the first Ambassador, talked to a standing-room-only crowd at the Washington, D.C. independent bookstore Politics and Prose Bookstore on Tuesday.

They talked about the power of reading. Each shared personal stories about their passion and power of story and reading. They have each seen the power of story, how books change lives — even save lives.

It's a big job to catch and keep the country's attention to remind them of something as seemingly simple yet powerful as the power of reading, books, and libraries. Learning to read requires time, patience and resources. Libraries have to be open, materials accessible. It's a never-ending job — but one with endless rewards.

I am confident that the current Ambassador — with the support of his predecessors and of teachers, parents, and others — is more than up for the position.

So as your work continues, congratulations again, Mr. Ambassador! We're behind you 100%!

How e-book reading changes reading behavior

I feel like I barely go through a week without reading about a school or district adopting e-readers for classrooms. Even at home, e-readers are becoming commonplace. Families are spending more time reading books with e-readers, even with their very young children.

Researchers at the Erickson Institute at Temple University seeking to understand the effect of an e-reader on the amount and types of verbal interaction between child and parent found some startling patterns. From the press release:

"It turned out that reading electronic books became a behaviorally oriented, slightly coercive parent-child interaction as opposed to talking about the story, relating it to the their child's life, or even talking about the book's pictures or text," Parish-Morris said. "Parents were under the impression that when you are sitting down with a book, you are supposed to read it," she added. "But what was happening with the e-books is that reading was not even part of the process, probably because these books literally read the story to the child. So parents are not needed. The book makes commands and tells the child what to do; it encourages them to play games and reads to the child, so parents are essentially replaced by this battery-operated machine."

This is bad news for those of us who know how valuable and irreplaceable parent–child conversations are for young children. As educators, we must recognize the role of e-readers in today's world, but also continue to advocate for traditional book reading experiences filled with language experiences as well.

Some recommendations for those with e-readers:

• Don't let the e-reader drive the whole reading experience. Take the time to stop the reading of the book, to talk about what's happening and to enjoy the pictures.
  
• Continue traditional book reading, and read together every day! Talk about the content and use interesting words as part of the conversation.
  
• Regardless of the format, help your child make connections between the book and their own life. Engage in rich conversations and circle back around over and over again to books you both love.
  

There's a workable balance between traditional and e-books out there. Let's help our families find it!

A new year and a new National Ambassador

A new year has started and with it a new National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Our new Ambassador continues a short but highly distinguished group of spokespeople for the importance of literature in the lives of children and young adults.

Walter Dean Myers will assume his newest role next week at a ceremony at the Library of Congress.

Walter Dean Myers writes books for every age. Each unique book reflects a particular interest of the author, his passion for history, and a depth of understanding about young people's emotional response to difficult situations including war.

Mr. Myers has been a longtime presence in our home.

One of my son's favorite books as a young child was Brown Angels (HarperCollins). He enjoyed the lively, rhythmic poetry and meeting children who lived long ago. It didn't matter that the children in the old photographs dressed differently and didn't really look like my son. He instinctively understood that they all shared something more meaningful; perhaps it was simply childhood.

My son was introduced to the Viet Nam war (in which his favorite uncle was involved) in Fallen Angels and later what soldiers experienced in Iraq through Sunrise Over Fallujah (both Scholastic). He was able to glimpse prison and the justice system, pondering guilt and innocence — from the outside and from the inside — with Monster (Amistad).

Readers of all ages can go on a Blues Journey (Holiday), listening to its music in the poetry while envisioning the period from which it grew through the evocative illustrations by Myers' son, Christopher Myers. They can meet a real African princess taken to England At Her Majesty's Request (Scholastic, o.p.) and feel the pressure of guns and gangs with Jamal in the Newbery honor Scorpions (Amistad).

So, congratulations Walter Dean Myers, Mr. National Ambassador of Young People's Literature! We look forward to an exciting term — and always, always to your next books.

Traditions

Even though the weather is mild, it's still December. We've just passed the winter solstice; with it, the shortest day of the year (or the longest night, depending on your perspective) and a timeworn source of various observations.

December is filled with celebrations and traditions.

A recent PW posting reminded me that a relatively new American tradition of the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature (perhaps inspired by the UK Children's Laureate) may be catching on. It has been started across another body of water.

Boorie Pryor and Alison Lester have been named the first Australian Children's Laureates. Many books by these children's book creators are available in the U.S. to the delight of readers of many ages from the youngest to young adult.

As the Australian tradition begins, the American Children's Ambassadorship continues. In January a new Ambassador will be announced as Katherine Paterson "retires" from her two years. I am confident that her ambassadorial theme, "Read for your life," will continue.

Here's hoping that your December traditions — traditional or not — are fun, festive and memorable.

All good wishes for the New Year!

A book on every bed this holiday

We started a new tradition in our family last year. We'll do it again this year, and I hope you'll consider adding this tradition to your family holiday too! It's a simple one: put a book on every bed.

Last year, the Family Reading Partnership and Ask Amy from the Chicago Tribune launched a homegrown, grassroots literacy campaign with a goal to raise a generation of readers. The idea was inspired by the author David McCullough, who says he woke to a wrapped book at the foot of his bed every Christmas morning during his childhood.

Here's how it works:

Take a book.

Wrap it.

Place it on a child's bed so it's the first thing the child sees on Christmas morning (or the morning of the holiday you celebrate).

Thats it.

"A Book on Every Bed" is an appeal to spread the love of reading from parents to children. It also encourages families to share books by reading aloud.

I particularly like that, within this idea, the books don't have to be new. They can be books parents are handing down to their kids. Last year, I gave our younger daughter my much loved copy of The Giving Tree, and my husband handed down to our older daughter his well-worn copy of Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. Our girls had already read those books, but now they are the proud owners of their own worn and loved copies. I hope one morning they'll be wrapping up those books for their own growing readers.

Last year's choices were highly sentimental for me. This year, not so much. Our choices were based on books they couldn't seem to get enough of at our school book fair. My older daughter will have Are You "Normal"?: More Than 100 Questions That Will Test Your Weirdness (National Geographic Kids) waiting for her, and our younger daughter will waken to The Encyclopedia of Immaturity: Volume 2.

Who knows? Maybe a book on every bed will keep them in bed Christmas morning! (Doubtful). Happy holidays to you and your family. I'll see you again in 2012!

Classic slow downs

Have you been around a school or even a group of children in the past few days? They seem to be having a tough time sitting still, concentrating. Lots of adults are, too. December is a busy month: presents to buy or make, wrap, give or receive; parties to prepare for; friends and family to see. And more, lots more.

Maybe it's time to slow down and celebrate the season with a good book.

You may want to start with a couple of holiday classics, like Chris Van Allsburg's Polar Express (Houghton) or How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Random) by Dr. Seuss. Though they couldn't be more different in style and presentation, both books deal with believing and faith.

Readers can visit familiar friends like in Karma Wilson's Bear Stays up for Christmas (McElderry) or share Clement Moore's The Night Before Christmas (Little Simon) again with Robert Sabuda's amazing pop-ups.

If you tired of all of the holiday brouhaha, then how about taking a look at the season? There are lots of snow-filled classics that share well again (and again and again).

Share Peter's fun on The Snowy Day (Viking) or join a girl and her father as they search for a nocturnal bird when there's an Owl Moon (Philomel). Take a close look at snowflakes with Snowflake Bentley (Sandpiper) or see how a dull town is transformed by Snow (Farrar).

And if you do slow down with a book, then maybe — just maybe — the busy season won't feel quite as frenzied.

Understanding images starts early

I enjoy reading, sharing, and sometimes just thinking about picture books. There's been a lot written about them lately; some people are even calling for their demise. But I know better. They help children understand their world.

I was reminded of the power of pictures when I read a recent blog by Joanne Meier, fellow Reading Rockets blogger. She wrote about "infographics" which are visual representations of information or data.

Adults use them all the time. I look at the weather online and in the newspaper — especially when bad weather is expected.

We quickly absorb information conveyed by images, almost in one fell swoop. It's just the opposite when reading words. Then we take in information little by little, having to put it together to gain meaning. (I think of the words that compose a sentence, the sentences that make a paragraph, etc.)

Words and image come together in "infographics" to create meaning quickly but in some depth.

A young child gains meaning from illustrations much as we all do (that is, of course, if adults bother to really look any more). What is conveyed? Meaning, certainly. (It's a cat, house, tree.) Mood, most likely. (It looks happy, sad, scary.) Attitude, perhaps. (What will children come away with, for example, if all scientists are depicted as male?)

Words and image come together in the picture books in many ways and in ways that are both traditional and unexpected. The range of styles and media used are as broad as any museum collection.

In picture books, words and illustration can be deceptively simple (Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggy books, for example) or lush and complex (such as Gennady Spirin's Firebird).

But together they create meaning for readers young and experienced. And that meaning is all the more significant (and fun) when shared between an adult and a child.

Infographics for young kids

There seems to be an explosion of infographics these days! If you're not familiar with that term, an infographic is a visual representation of information or data. A lot of information can be displayed visually, both quickly and clearly (at least most times). As someone who has always been drawn to the visual display of information, I love a well done infographic. And I think they have potential value for the elementary classroom too, although most are designed for older students.

For an infographic to be fully appreciated, teachers will have to help students "read" the graphic. Just as they do when they read a nonfiction text, students will first need to pull back and determine what information is presented. Then they'll need to figure out how to navigate the graphic. Some use very simple lines to help the reader understand the flow; others use block structures or flow chart designs.

I created a Reading Rockets Pinterest board full of examples for young kids. Take a look! Which one is your favorite?

If you're interested in reading and learning more about teaching with infographics, this article from the NY Times is a great place to start!

Hugo Cabret, from page to screen

Thanksgiving has come and gone but the fond memories of family, friends, food — and a new movie — linger. Even though the holiday was celebrated at our home, we had time to see a movie that I've been anxious to see.

It's called Hugo, based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (Scholastic). The novel unfolds in a series of words and images which use the conventions of cinema, specifically the drama of old black & white silent films.

Many were surprised (shocked may be a better description) when Hugo Cabret won the Caldecott Medal. This prestigious award is for a picture book, one that provides readers with a visual experience. The book certainly does that; readers pan in and pan out, view panoramas, see Paris from unique perspectives, and share Hugo's emotions and discovery. Much of this is conveyed through a series of black and white drawings that are interspersed with text. (Together they create a visual experience of over 500 pages.)

The film adaptation uses similar cinematic conventions — similar but different, of course, and in color. (I was surpised that Hugo was directed by Martin Scorsese, a filmmaker who is better known for different types of films, like Raging Bull). It's also in 3-D — which has always seemed to me a major gimmick. Well, I had to adjust my bias when I saw the use of it here; it was done beautifully and added to the film's fantasy.

Like the book, the film pays homage to old films and moviemakers, especially the filmmaker Georges Méliès (Ben Kingsley, the actor playing Méliès in the movie bears a strong resemblance). Also like the book, the film is really for children 9 and older — and their families, of course.

The film is fine adaptation of a memorable book. It is true to the book while doing what film does best. Both provide insight and inspire awe, each in their unique way.

[You can watch our interview with Brian Selznick, where he talks about his inspiration for The Invention of Hugo Cabret.]

How important is it to match a reader to a text?

The Common Core Standards are national standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics. They've been adopted by over 45 states and six provinces, including Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. According to the Common Core website the standards "provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers."

The Common Core Standards place a new emphasis on informational text. There's specific wording about the craft and structure of texts, the integration of knowledge and ideas across multiple texts, and a range of reading and levels of text difficulty. Reading Hall of Famer Tim Shanahan (see Shanahan on Literacy) posted recently about an IRA Webinar in which he outlines what he sees as some of the challenges the CCS present for teachers. Among the challenges (and there are many, but that's too long a post): (1) students will likely be taught from texts that are more challenging than in the past, and (2) the emphasis will be on stretching students to meet the demands of the text rather than matching the text to the reading level of the student.

That's quite a paradigm shift for teachers who work in a district where the edict has been on matching a reader with a specific leveled book. Sure, there are scaffolding strategies teachers can use with students, but if the foundational skills and the "cognitive hooks" needed for understanding aren't there, I worry that a lot of instructional time will be wasted using text that is too challenging. What are your thoughts?

Giving boys a love of reading

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that one blog in my RSS feed is written by Lisa Belkin. Belkin's blog, Parentlode, can be found in the Huffington Post. Many of Belkin's posts speak to me on a personal level, and some circle into my professional life as well.

This week, Belkin bantered with Pam Allyn, author of Pam Allyn's Best Books for Boys on the topic of giving boys a love of reading.

If you have boys, or have boys in your classroom, I recommend reading this post. In it you'll learn about an acronym READ (ritual, environment, access, and dialogue), ways to make reading part of the active lifestyle boys tend to lead, and a slideshow of humorous books boys might like. Enjoy!

Giving thanks

She's best known for a ditty that young children sing but she was an activist who made sure that there was a national day of thanksgiving.

Sarah Josepha Hale lived in the 19th century, wrote the poem, "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and other works for adults. She also wanted to make Thanksgiving a consistent celebration in all states.

Hale urged numerous U.S. Presidents over the course of more than a decade to do so. But it was Abraham Lincoln who saw the value in unifying a country engaged in a civil war and declared Thanksgiving a holiday to be celebrated across the country on the same day.

There's still value in coming together to remember all that there is to be thankful for.

We may find A Little Peace in unexpected places; after all we have One World, One Day. Thanksgiving can be a time to build memories of when The Relatives Came or remember 1621: A New Thanksgiving.

So Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving — it was your tenacity that helped bring the country together for a day and to whom we owe this week's celebration!

Picture books in science class

We all love picture books, and hopefully a really good one finds its way into your hands at least once a day. What might happen less frequently is that you use a picture book to help you teach science. I've got a great resource (with a free PDF!) that will hopefully encourage you to use more picture books in science.

Picture Perfect Science Lessons describes how a picture book can help guide students through an engaging hands-on inquiry lesson. The lessons are designed for students in grades 3-6, and include reading comprehension strategies. It's a great supplement to your existing science program.

Chapter 1 reminds us why picture books are so great in science class. Reasons include:

• Picture books provide context for the concepts you're exploring. The colorful pictures and graphics help explain abstract ideas.
  
• A picture book will tend to focus on fewer topics and give more in-depth coverage of a concept.
  
• Reading a picture book in science gives kids a chance to practice reading a somewhat unfamiliar genre.
  
• Picture books can help correct science misconceptions.
  

Chapter 2, on Reading Aloud, provides ten tips for reading aloud, information about reading comprehension strategies, and tools to enhance comprehension.

The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) has a free PDF of the first five chapters of the book. To access it, you'll need to establish an account at NSTA and add the PDF to your virtual professional library. It takes an extra few clicks, but I think the free download is worth it.

Looking for ideas for outstanding science trade books for students K-12? Click here to see lists of books by year

When is a box not a box?

Recently I watched a small group of young children playing in a childcare center. There were toys and books and lots of other things around but that's not what held their attention.

What did? A large (particularly when compared to the children) cardboard box.

I didn't hear the conversation because I didn't want to become a distraction to their play. But they were clearly imagining something much more interesting than the box. Had it become a train? A car? A house? I suppose it could have been any one of these or virtually anything else — limited only by the children's imagination.

Play has changed over time. There are many more distractions, lots of concerns over safety and well-being, and pressure to perform — much of which impacts children's ability to play independently.

Nonetheless, the benefits of creative play are recognized; it has a positive impact on children's social, emotional, and cognitive development.

How has our society's affinity for electronic gadgetry had an impact on children's play? Has it changed how adults interact with children and the behaviors that adults model for children?

Maybe Antoinette Portis' mini-classic, It's Not a Box (HarperCollins) should become required reading for adults — then shared with children. The book is a simple yet totally recognizable take on imaginative play — with a box. Like the children I watched play, this rabbit/child's box takes him to places that can only be imagined.

We should try to give children space for imaginative play. It's when a box is not a box.

What teachers should know about research

Classroom teachers are really busy people. It's often hard enough to keep up with the day to day demands of the classroom, without having to worry about keeping up with the latest research and scientific findings. Any more, it seems as though every product and curriculum out there touts their "research based" foundation. With all the hype about "research based," "scientifically based" and "results driven," is it really worth paying attention to it at all? The answer is yes.

An article from the September 2011 issue of the Reading Teacher, 10 Things Every Literacy Educator Should Know About Research (the full PDF is available for free!) distills what educators, including coaches, principals, and specialists should know about research. The authors, Nell Duke and Nicole Martin, also hope to guard against the misuse of research in the classroom.

The very first point in the paper (What Research Can Do) describes how sometimes our own experiences and commonsense thinking lead us to wrong conclusions in our teaching. Carefully designed research can help us recognize different approaches that may result in greater learning than the ones we comfortably use. Researchers also have benefits and access that teachers typically don't enjoy — for example, researchers can complete extended studies in homes or libraries, and can distill from those experiences information that couldn't otherwise be gained.

10 Things Every Literacy Educator Should Know About Research also contains a handy note-taking sheet to use when reading a piece of research. Using the guide can help one understand what is and isn't research. With so much out there to read, it's good to recognize when something may be more of an opinion piece or a summary of lots of different research. Those types of writing are still valuable; they're just different than research writing.

So, food for thought. Enjoy the free PDF and let me know what you think of the article!