Subjects Matter- Toward a Balanced Diet of Reading

In my last blog I addressed the concerns Daniels and Zemelman pose in regards to using textbooks in the classroom, but this chapter focuses on the importance of using  reading content in other genres like magazines, websites, biographies, and nonfiction novels. This chapter focuses on what conditions promote literacy development. The authors begin by providing an example of Einstein's equation, E=MC^2, in a typical science textbook this concept is covered in three pages but when one hundred high school graduates were asked what each symbol in the equation meant, only one student was able to answer correctly. David Bodanis is the author of a non-fiction biography entitled, E=MC^2, A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation, in his novel each symbol of the equation is broken down individually and the story of the people that actually developed each part are discussed. "It takes 113 pages to complete the main biography, but by the time you've heard all the stories, you feel that the equation, and indeed the theory of relativity itself has entered your bones forever." The difference in Bodanis's writing style and typical textbook writing styles can be broken down into seven parts: Bodanis provides "1. Content that is important or engaging, 2. People we can care about, 3. A narrative structure or chronological line, 4. Places we can visualize, 5. Danger, conflicts, risks, or choices, 6. Value, moral, ethical or political dimensions, 7. Some ideas that reasonable people can debate, dispute or disagree about." Although Bodanis's novel helps break down the complex theory many teachers express concern over focusing one hundred and thirteen pages as opposed to three pages, all on one topic. "Unlike most state legislatures and education departments, the national curriculum standards consistently say that we should go deeper into a smaller number of topics." Using different reading genres is a perfect way to divulge into those smaller number of topics in a classroom, but at the same time implementing more depth.

"If textbooks aren't enough, then exactly what must be added to achieve a balance?" One way to determine what students should be reading is to examine what adults are reading. Adults read a variety of different materials whether it is work related, community related, or just for pleasure and this balance in genre should be applied to students in the classroom. Students should be reading a variety of texts from a myriad of different genres as their education progresses. Most teachers assign reading, but dedicated readers outside of school assign themselves reading. Fifty Shades of Grey or Hunger Games? New York Times or Albuquerque Journal? Students should also have the opportunity to choose some reading for themselves that demonstrates their own connections and interests to a particular topic. More choice doesn't mean less control, but rather more responsibility. Another big issue in the classroom is whether fiction has a place. Most of the content areas are focused on the teaching of non-fiction, but fiction can entice curiosity in a particular subject in a way that non-fiction writing can not. The other big question in the classroom is whether contemporary novels have a place in the classroom or if the focus should be entirely on the classics. Daniels and Zemelman believe in a theory called "windows and mirrors" in this theory some of what kids read in school should be like holding a mirror up to their own lifestyle by reflecting their story and culture, but other books should act as a reflection allowing students to see other peoples stories and values from different time periods. We need to balance student reading between personal connection and broader world view. Another question often addressed in schools is what level of difficulty of text should be used. Reading should challenge students, but it does a student no good to spend an entire day focusing on a text they can not read. "Young readers often grow by reading lots and lots of really easy, sometimes formulaic material." The balance between hard and easy takes place yet again. Most of the text provided in classrooms is lengthy, but it is important for teachers to have short articles relating to the overall topic being covered whether the articles or short video clips or magazine articles, they play crucial role in the classroom. Short articles can be a good way to introduce a new topic or involve kids that haven't done the big reading for the class. The use of primary vs. secondary sources is also a huge issue in classrooms because most teachers rely on secondary sources for their lessons, but a balance between primary and secondary sources exposes students to a vast variety of perspectives. "Working with primary sources puts kids more in the role of a real scholar, 'doing' the subject, not just hearing the summaries and conclusions of others. Overall, students need to have a balance of traditional thought and new thought offered to them.

The final section of the chapter address the benefits of creating a classroom library. The book suggests saving magazines / newspapers from home and bringing them into the classroom, going to family and friends and asking for old books that they do not need anymore, raiding your personal collection of novels, and attending garage sales where books can be purchased for twenty five cents. The chapter focuses on providing a wide selection of novels so that there is something for everyone and reminds the teacher that when keeping their library up to date a student "stealing" a novel from them "might be the highest possible compliment." Until next time...