Status
Available
Genres
Publication
Jossey-Bass (2009), Edition: 1, Paperback, 240 pages
Description
From the Publisher: Donalyn Miller says she has yet to meet a child she couldn't turn into a reader. No matter how far behind Miller's students might be when they reach her 6th grade classroom, they end up reading an average of 40 to 50 books a year. Miller's unconventional approach dispenses with drills and worksheets that make reading a chore. Instead, she helps students navigate the world of literature and gives them time to read books they pick out themselves. Her love of books and teaching is both infectious and inspiring. The book includes a dynamite list of recommended "kid lit" that helps parents and teachers find the books that students really like to read.
User reviews
LibraryThing member AMQS
I had picked up this book once or twice at book fairs last year, but was never compelled to buy it. Then this year I dropped in on one of the teachers in my new school at back-to-school night. She is an amazing teacher -- she teaches the 4/5 G/T class with such creativity and flexibility, and
Ms. Miller's belief is that endless instruction of discrete reading skills, worksheets, and testing have killed the love of reading for students. She advocates for a dedicated time every day for self-selected independent reading, arguing that student choice should be honored, that students who grow to love reading in the classroom will continue reading at home and beyond, and that what kids need to master those discreet, tested reading skills is actual practice time reading actual books. Ironically, struggling readers receive more reading instruction, but are allowed less time to actually read, and very rarely catch up. Her success stories with students are amazing, but what I found most inspirational was her love of reading that she instills in each student. She has a requirement of students to read 40 books a year, which is often 10 times or more than they have ever read in a year before. She offers alternatives to time-honored but joy-killing practices like book reports, book talks, reading logs (oh, how we hated those!!!! My girls read constantly, but reading logs were an intrusive chore that we usually made up the night before they were due), reading incentive programs, whole-class novel studies and more well-used reading instruction strategies and assignments. I'm not sure this book would be interesting to anyone not teaching, but for the sake of students everywhere, I sincerely hope teachers do read it.
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tremendous freedom for her students to be struck by inspiration and run with it. She told parents she devotes a lot of time during the school day for independent reading -- far more than most other teachers. She said she read a book a few years ago that changed her life, and since implementing the practices from the book in her classroom her students' reading scores had gone through the roof. Well, of course, I had to find out what the book was, and she lent it to me. I am very impressed, and wish every child could have a teacher like this one, but in this era of nonstop assessment those teachers are few and far between.Ms. Miller's belief is that endless instruction of discrete reading skills, worksheets, and testing have killed the love of reading for students. She advocates for a dedicated time every day for self-selected independent reading, arguing that student choice should be honored, that students who grow to love reading in the classroom will continue reading at home and beyond, and that what kids need to master those discreet, tested reading skills is actual practice time reading actual books. Ironically, struggling readers receive more reading instruction, but are allowed less time to actually read, and very rarely catch up. Her success stories with students are amazing, but what I found most inspirational was her love of reading that she instills in each student. She has a requirement of students to read 40 books a year, which is often 10 times or more than they have ever read in a year before. She offers alternatives to time-honored but joy-killing practices like book reports, book talks, reading logs (oh, how we hated those!!!! My girls read constantly, but reading logs were an intrusive chore that we usually made up the night before they were due), reading incentive programs, whole-class novel studies and more well-used reading instruction strategies and assignments. I'm not sure this book would be interesting to anyone not teaching, but for the sake of students everywhere, I sincerely hope teachers do read it.
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LibraryThing member abbylibrarian
Donalyn Miller is a sixth-grade language arts and social studies teacher in Texas. She inspires her students to read by offering them time to read during class, allowing them to choose their own books, and modeling her love of reading. Her dedication and the results she's seen with her students are
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inspiring. Although the book may have more practical advice for teachers, librarians will also find their batteries recharged after reading this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member ChristianR
I loved the philosophy of this book, and I have no doubt that the concepts outlined in the book are highly effective. Donalyn Miller, the author, tells how she runs her 6th grade classroom with the clear goal of creating lifelong readers. To do so, she has rejected many of the teaching concepts
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that rule in the classroom. She expects them to read 40 or more books throughout the year, and encourages this by providing a significant chunk of reading time in the classroom every day. She has stocked her classroom with hundreds of books, organized by genre, and the kids choose which books they will read. Her numerous techniques all make sense (no boring book reports) and her success is backed up by the consistently high results of her students when they take their state tests at the end of the year. Best of all, her students across the board learn to love reading and most achieve the 40 book goal for the year. I highly recommend this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member GaylDasherSmith
One teacher completely embraces the notion that the more children read, the better for them. She constructs her classroom and her day to encourage reading as much as possible. If only...
LibraryThing member Turrean
Recommending this one to our reading teachers.
LibraryThing member danamrobinson
I think this book is wonderful. There are so many suggestions in here that I want to implement in my future classroom. I especially love the student created Ultimate Library List found at the end of the text.
LibraryThing member celerydog
Common sense approach to building "readers for life" by making reading the heart of the English/language arts curriculum AND, most importantly, allowing kids to read in class and supporting their reading with a genre-sorted , wide-ranging, in-class library.
Inspirational stuff, delivered in a
Inspirational stuff, delivered in a
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highly readable book, full of practical advice and cross-referenced to supporting research. Show Less
LibraryThing member karriethelibrarian
I have always been a big believer that the traditional way of teaching literature/reading -- assigning books that kids should read, and then quiz the hell out of them or make them construct dioramas or do other projects that prove that they read the book -- is definitely not the way to instill a
Donalyn Miller's The Book Whisperer gave me renewed joy for reading for pleasure and conviction to speak out about how important it is to let kids read for pleasure and fun. She points out all the obvious advantages -- which she needs to do because educators sometimes forget those obvious advantages, and then gives us guidance about how we can return the LOVE of reading to our students.
I offer a middle school elective class that consists of kids coming into the library, finding a comfy place to sit so they can read for 40 minutes -- uninterrupted and not questioned. They read what they want for how long they want. If they want to abandon a book and pick up something else, they are welcome to do so. If they want to pluck a book off the library shelves and look at the pictures, they are welcome to do so. When they leave the library, I say good bye and they go on with their day. I don't question them to make them prove that they have read. If they want to tell me what they are reading, I love hearing about it, but it's not required for my class.
Sometimes in our society we tend to place negatives on the things we do for pleasure. Reading is among them -- if we're sitting in a comfy chair and read the day away, our societal mores tell us that we wasted the day because we didn't do something productive. I ask everyone, since when is reading -- which stimulates our brain, improves vocabulary and comprehension, and gives us knowledge -- unproductive. Thank you for Donalyn Miller for writing the book that gives us the freedom to read again.
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love of reading. What quicker way to turn a kid of than giving him vocabulary words from the books and make him them write down the definitions? Teachers suck the fun and joy out of reading. Donalyn Miller's The Book Whisperer gave me renewed joy for reading for pleasure and conviction to speak out about how important it is to let kids read for pleasure and fun. She points out all the obvious advantages -- which she needs to do because educators sometimes forget those obvious advantages, and then gives us guidance about how we can return the LOVE of reading to our students.
I offer a middle school elective class that consists of kids coming into the library, finding a comfy place to sit so they can read for 40 minutes -- uninterrupted and not questioned. They read what they want for how long they want. If they want to abandon a book and pick up something else, they are welcome to do so. If they want to pluck a book off the library shelves and look at the pictures, they are welcome to do so. When they leave the library, I say good bye and they go on with their day. I don't question them to make them prove that they have read. If they want to tell me what they are reading, I love hearing about it, but it's not required for my class.
Sometimes in our society we tend to place negatives on the things we do for pleasure. Reading is among them -- if we're sitting in a comfy chair and read the day away, our societal mores tell us that we wasted the day because we didn't do something productive. I ask everyone, since when is reading -- which stimulates our brain, improves vocabulary and comprehension, and gives us knowledge -- unproductive. Thank you for Donalyn Miller for writing the book that gives us the freedom to read again.
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LibraryThing member MsCellophane
I want to run through the streets, tossing copies of this book at every teacher I know. "The Book Whisperer" is a wonderful exploration of why students in the U.S. are not becoming readers, and how to implement classroom practices that will lead kids to have a lifelong love of books.
I wish I'd had
I wish I'd had
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the author for my sixth grade English teacher. Her anecdotes from her own class are engaging, and often quite funny (Though I won't say "compelling," ha ha). Drawing upon experience culled from her years of teaching, Miller makes a convincing case against the traditional Language Arts staples -- book reports, extensive test prep, reading logs -- in favour of having children read freely and extensively in the classroom. I know, I know, some of you may be dubious. Read the book. It's well-rated by almost every Goodreads.com reviewer for a reason. Show Less
LibraryThing member jasminemarie
I absolutely loved this book. It was on my to-read list for the longest time and once the school year ended in June, I finally had the time and energy to read teaching-related books. I initially borrowed this book for our local library, but immediately purchased it after I finished it (in one
This book was everything I was hoping for and more. This is the book I wish I was around when I first started teaching. It is no secret that I love reading and have loved reading for as far back as I can remember. One of the reasons I became a teacher was because I wanted to share my love reading with kids and instill that same love of reading within them. Even though I think I've done a decent job of sharing that with my students over the years with various things that I've implemented in my classroom, I loved that this book gave me practical ideas that would be easy to introduce in my classroom right away.
The hardest thing about being a teacher nowadays is the pressure to perform on tests. It's all about the test scores and subsequently, what we know to be "good teaching" goes by the wayside because there really isn't any time to do it. About a year ago, I was almost at the end of the year and realized that I just did not like teaching reading anymore. I dreaded that part of the day because it was so dull to me. It was all about reading passages and answering test questions. No wonder they were bored, I WAS BORED! My grade-level and I had a deep discussion about it and we decided we need to do read-alouds again, not because we wanted to teach some standard or whatever, but just to enjoy the act of reading and sharing a story together. Go figure.
I devoured this book in one evening and then promptly raved all about it on my facebook to share with my fellow colleagues and teacher friends. I feel like it started a little "Book Whisperer" revolution amongst my closest teacher friends and several of them bought, read and also implemented ideas from the book as well. My grade-level team also read the book and we started off this school year with a mutual enthusiasm to create lifelong readers in our students.
My students plowed through the book tubs full of books from my classroom library on the first day of school. We all read together and it started my year on the right foot with reading at the core of my mornings. They are currently deeply into their 40 book challenge this year (and beating my measly 8 books) and on fire with the number of books they are reading. We have book commercials on Fridays and I love seeing how many of them are reading books that their peers have recommended. Even though sometimes I curse myself for doing them because they take up a lot of time each evening, my students and I converse once a week with letters that we write back and forth to each other in their reader's notebooks. I really know my students as readers. They come to me asking for recommendations and it delights my heart when they dig through my classroom library each day looking for their next favorite book.
Thank you, Donalyn Miller, for helping me to create the classroom of readers that I always dreamed of.
Overall:
It was an fantastic read and I highly recommend it to teachers who love reading and want to create a classroom of lifelong readers. While it shared some theory and education philosophies, it definitely provided a lot of practical tips and ideas that were easy to implement into my classroom. The way Miller writes makes you feel like you're having coffee with an old friend. Her love of reading pours out of this book and it is so contagious, you can help but catch it and want to pass it on. Get this book now, you won't be disappointed!
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evening) so I that I could have my own copy to write in and plaster with post-its.This book was everything I was hoping for and more. This is the book I wish I was around when I first started teaching. It is no secret that I love reading and have loved reading for as far back as I can remember. One of the reasons I became a teacher was because I wanted to share my love reading with kids and instill that same love of reading within them. Even though I think I've done a decent job of sharing that with my students over the years with various things that I've implemented in my classroom, I loved that this book gave me practical ideas that would be easy to introduce in my classroom right away.
The hardest thing about being a teacher nowadays is the pressure to perform on tests. It's all about the test scores and subsequently, what we know to be "good teaching" goes by the wayside because there really isn't any time to do it. About a year ago, I was almost at the end of the year and realized that I just did not like teaching reading anymore. I dreaded that part of the day because it was so dull to me. It was all about reading passages and answering test questions. No wonder they were bored, I WAS BORED! My grade-level and I had a deep discussion about it and we decided we need to do read-alouds again, not because we wanted to teach some standard or whatever, but just to enjoy the act of reading and sharing a story together. Go figure.
I devoured this book in one evening and then promptly raved all about it on my facebook to share with my fellow colleagues and teacher friends. I feel like it started a little "Book Whisperer" revolution amongst my closest teacher friends and several of them bought, read and also implemented ideas from the book as well. My grade-level team also read the book and we started off this school year with a mutual enthusiasm to create lifelong readers in our students.
My students plowed through the book tubs full of books from my classroom library on the first day of school. We all read together and it started my year on the right foot with reading at the core of my mornings. They are currently deeply into their 40 book challenge this year (and beating my measly 8 books) and on fire with the number of books they are reading. We have book commercials on Fridays and I love seeing how many of them are reading books that their peers have recommended. Even though sometimes I curse myself for doing them because they take up a lot of time each evening, my students and I converse once a week with letters that we write back and forth to each other in their reader's notebooks. I really know my students as readers. They come to me asking for recommendations and it delights my heart when they dig through my classroom library each day looking for their next favorite book.
Thank you, Donalyn Miller, for helping me to create the classroom of readers that I always dreamed of.
Overall:
It was an fantastic read and I highly recommend it to teachers who love reading and want to create a classroom of lifelong readers. While it shared some theory and education philosophies, it definitely provided a lot of practical tips and ideas that were easy to implement into my classroom. The way Miller writes makes you feel like you're having coffee with an old friend. Her love of reading pours out of this book and it is so contagious, you can help but catch it and want to pass it on. Get this book now, you won't be disappointed!
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LibraryThing member herdingcats
Throw away the reading logs, novel reading unit activities, and reading comprehension worksheets. Do not require your class to all read the same book at the same time. Forget book reports.
Allow your students to read books that they want to read and they will become life-long readers and have
The author of this book requires that her 6th grade students in a Texas school read 40 books in a school year - with a requirement that there be a certain number of books from selected genres.
They do book commercials and write their own teasers for the books and communicate about their reading with the teacher through a journal and frequent book talks.
The author shares her enthusiasm for reading with her students and they share their enjoyment of reading with one another.
It sounds so wonderful!
I really enjoyed this book! I think that the author is totally correct in her assertion that students should be allowed to read books of their own choice in reading class and should not have to answer meaningless questions about them and read class sets of novels that they may not be interested in.
I taught middle school in Texas for 13 years. For the first 9 or so years, I taught reading - 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. I also taught some remedial classes for students who had failed the reading portion of the state test. I was successful. Those students all passed the test after my class except for one who raised his grade from a 27 to a 57, which is still pretty goood. But, I did it by drill and kill. I was not allowed to let my students just read books the way the author does. I had a certain number of worksheets that my students had to do each week and I had to document it. One year, I was told that I could not even assign reading for book reports until after the state test - in May. I finally begged to be allowed to teach social studies instead of reading.
I taught that for a few years before quitting to stay home with my own children.
I am currently substitute teaching in two Texas school districts.
I was amazed that so much of the research that the author cited that proves that students need to read actual books to improve their reading skills is from from years and years ago, yet none of the schools that I have been in have ever allowed teachers to do what the author does in her classroom. The author repeatedly states that she is sad that other teachers don't encourage free choice reading the way that she does. I think that she is in a unique situation to be allowed to do that. Her situation works well also because she only has 55 students. In middle schools if Reading is taught as it's own class rather than as part of Integrated Language Arts, teachers have about 130 to 180 students. If it is taught as part of Integrated Language Arts, they have about 80 to 90 students or so. That makes it a bit more difficult to do some of the things she does.
The author also has a huge classroom library of books that she has bought mostly with her own money. I used to do that too. It makes me sad to walk into a reading classroom that has very few or no books in it.
I wish that principals, superintendants and curriculum planners would read this book. I think it would be fantastic if all reading classrooms were libraries where children could choose their own books to read and learn to love reading and share it with one another.
Allow your students to read books that they want to read and they will become life-long readers and have
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higher reading comprehension test scores.The author of this book requires that her 6th grade students in a Texas school read 40 books in a school year - with a requirement that there be a certain number of books from selected genres.
They do book commercials and write their own teasers for the books and communicate about their reading with the teacher through a journal and frequent book talks.
The author shares her enthusiasm for reading with her students and they share their enjoyment of reading with one another.
It sounds so wonderful!
I really enjoyed this book! I think that the author is totally correct in her assertion that students should be allowed to read books of their own choice in reading class and should not have to answer meaningless questions about them and read class sets of novels that they may not be interested in.
I taught middle school in Texas for 13 years. For the first 9 or so years, I taught reading - 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. I also taught some remedial classes for students who had failed the reading portion of the state test. I was successful. Those students all passed the test after my class except for one who raised his grade from a 27 to a 57, which is still pretty goood. But, I did it by drill and kill. I was not allowed to let my students just read books the way the author does. I had a certain number of worksheets that my students had to do each week and I had to document it. One year, I was told that I could not even assign reading for book reports until after the state test - in May. I finally begged to be allowed to teach social studies instead of reading.
I taught that for a few years before quitting to stay home with my own children.
I am currently substitute teaching in two Texas school districts.
I was amazed that so much of the research that the author cited that proves that students need to read actual books to improve their reading skills is from from years and years ago, yet none of the schools that I have been in have ever allowed teachers to do what the author does in her classroom. The author repeatedly states that she is sad that other teachers don't encourage free choice reading the way that she does. I think that she is in a unique situation to be allowed to do that. Her situation works well also because she only has 55 students. In middle schools if Reading is taught as it's own class rather than as part of Integrated Language Arts, teachers have about 130 to 180 students. If it is taught as part of Integrated Language Arts, they have about 80 to 90 students or so. That makes it a bit more difficult to do some of the things she does.
The author also has a huge classroom library of books that she has bought mostly with her own money. I used to do that too. It makes me sad to walk into a reading classroom that has very few or no books in it.
I wish that principals, superintendants and curriculum planners would read this book. I think it would be fantastic if all reading classrooms were libraries where children could choose their own books to read and learn to love reading and share it with one another.
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LibraryThing member JLsBibliomania
I have the problem of a 4th grade son, who reads voraciously, but is hard to find books for. And while his comprehension is well above grade level, his emotional maturity is well behind, so he is in no way ready for books aimed at middle school students.
I have the glorious problem of also having a
The Book Whisperer is one of a batch of books that I picked up from the library to mine for suggestions of books to potentially suggest to my sons. I found myself hooked and finished in less than a week. And while she didn't have many suggestions appropriate for my kids, I found Goodreads through her resource section. So perhaps here I can find more books to summon from the library.
I have the glorious problem of also having a
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2nd grade son, who has caught the family bibliomania, but is hard to find books for. While his reading comprehension is also well above grade level, his emotional maturity is behind, AND he likes very different things than my older son. The Book Whisperer is one of a batch of books that I picked up from the library to mine for suggestions of books to potentially suggest to my sons. I found myself hooked and finished in less than a week. And while she didn't have many suggestions appropriate for my kids, I found Goodreads through her resource section. So perhaps here I can find more books to summon from the library.
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LibraryThing member salgalruns
DEFINITELY BEYOND 5 STARS...WOW. So Donalyn Miller did for me what no other professional development book ever has - it has made me want to leave administration and actually become a reading/language arts teacher. I have been in education for 25 years and have cringed at teaching language arts, not
Immediately after finishing this book, I spent a considerable time texting with my academic coach in which I recommended she read it pronto. She and I are of the same belief and I know she'll embrace the concept as much as I do. Then, how can we implement the concept at our site????
What Donalyn does, though, is remarkable. She speaks to the simplicity of her "allowing students to read" concept, but downplays some very critical points - 1) She is a dedicated teacher who obviously spends multiple hours not only pouring over the plethora of books her students might read, but to review and comment in their notebooks and to make suggestions? That takes serious time beyond the normal life of even a great teacher. Add to that the time spent finding books and preparing them for library use. 2) She is a gifted person herself. You cannot make these recommendations lightly - these are students. She knows her literature and is a true expert in her field. We need more teachers like her that are truly gifted. I know of a handful that might be right there with her, and they'll be the first that I recommend this book to. 3) She has the ultimate and complete support of her family. It takes this support to not only spend every spare cent on school supplies/books (as I know all teachers do), but to invest the time engrossed in a book is a culture that her family supports and, I'm sure, participates in themselves. I can only imagine the "book club" types of discussions that go on at the dinner table.
Mrs. Miller - I commend you and give you my highest rating, including being on my favorites shelf. Well done.
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because I don't adore reading (which I do), but because I hate group reads, anthologies, and worksheets that students spend more time on than actual reading! Immediately after finishing this book, I spent a considerable time texting with my academic coach in which I recommended she read it pronto. She and I are of the same belief and I know she'll embrace the concept as much as I do. Then, how can we implement the concept at our site????
What Donalyn does, though, is remarkable. She speaks to the simplicity of her "allowing students to read" concept, but downplays some very critical points - 1) She is a dedicated teacher who obviously spends multiple hours not only pouring over the plethora of books her students might read, but to review and comment in their notebooks and to make suggestions? That takes serious time beyond the normal life of even a great teacher. Add to that the time spent finding books and preparing them for library use. 2) She is a gifted person herself. You cannot make these recommendations lightly - these are students. She knows her literature and is a true expert in her field. We need more teachers like her that are truly gifted. I know of a handful that might be right there with her, and they'll be the first that I recommend this book to. 3) She has the ultimate and complete support of her family. It takes this support to not only spend every spare cent on school supplies/books (as I know all teachers do), but to invest the time engrossed in a book is a culture that her family supports and, I'm sure, participates in themselves. I can only imagine the "book club" types of discussions that go on at the dinner table.
Mrs. Miller - I commend you and give you my highest rating, including being on my favorites shelf. Well done.
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LibraryThing member lindap69
how Donalyn made readers of her students despite the constraints of normal classroom requirements - "by setting the expectation that reading is what we do, always, everywhere, it becomes the heart of a class's culture"
LibraryThing member SASegsworth
Great resource. Mrs. Miller points out the obvious: children need to read a lot to become better readers. She includes independent reading (within genre limits and high reading expectations) plus explicit instruction, and interactive reading journals to improve literacy skills in her classroom.
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Even struggling readers improve and are able to pass state tests (from her experience). Show Less
LibraryThing member asomers
This book has made me rethink everything I have done to promote reading for the passed 15 years. Ms. Miller has made a very powerful case for choice in reading instruction. As a school media specialist, I know I will be making some changes to my program.
LibraryThing member LadyoftheLodge
This book explains how one teacher set up her classroom to encourage students to become readers. No matter how much we rail about standardized tests, they seem to be here to stay. Get over it! Many of the author's ideas are not new--veteran teachers have been doing these things for years.
The
I was also annoyed by the author's incorrect grammar--plural/singular, as well as the shortened incomplete soundbite sentences.
The book list at the end was great--created by kids!
The
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letter by the principal as the Afterword greatly annoyed me. It implied that teachers are not in favor of making kids better readers, or think that reading is not important. It reminded me a lot of a rallying cry or political speech.I was also annoyed by the author's incorrect grammar--plural/singular, as well as the shortened incomplete soundbite sentences.
The book list at the end was great--created by kids!
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LibraryThing member aloupe
Donalyn Miller is a teacher and avid book reader. In The Book Whisperer she explains the importance of reading in and out of the classroom and what you can do to encourage your students to read. I loved this book and found it very inspiring. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who
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wants to awaken the inner reader in a child! Show Less
LibraryThing member thelittlestacks
In "The Book Whisperer," Donalyn Miller inspires with personal accounts as a reading teacher who has successfully taught children how to intrinsically love to read. Miller writes of the importance of understanding and connecting individual readers with books that they would enjoy.
LibraryThing member RalphLagana
Normally I have a hard time liking books that paint things too easily or rosey. Being a reader, I found myself willing to let the message (and not the many missing specifics of her teaching methods) be what I took away. The book arrived in my hands at a time when I've been pushing for more reading
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within my workplace -a bit of serendipity. Show Less
LibraryThing member benuathanasia
I read this about five months ago and forgot to review it, so please forgive me if anything is misspoke.
Miller is one of my mother's favorite educational guru's. In this book, she intersperses personal anecdotes regarding superliterate, illiterate, and aliterate readers with tips and tricks on how
Miller is one of my mother's favorite educational guru's. In this book, she intersperses personal anecdotes regarding superliterate, illiterate, and aliterate readers with tips and tricks on how
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to reach each student. I like a lot of her ideas and plan to implement some. I love that she's not a fan of programmed reading (pre-packaged, scripted lessons) but at the same time I fear she teaches *only* a love of reading without teaching any of the dynamics of books, grammar, or vocabulary. Show Less
LibraryThing member DonnaMarieMerritt
Wish I had read this book in 2009 when it first came out. It's every bit as relevant now and validates what many teachers and librarians have known all along. To motivate children to become lifelong readers, they need choice and time to read, not worksheets and test prep.
LibraryThing member janelofton
Very inspiring
LibraryThing member HeatherLINC
Oh, to have more English teachers like this in our schools. Ones who love their students enough to realise that to develop a love of reading, students must read books of their choice, and not just complete worksheet after worksheet. A terrific, inspiring book, Ms Miller.
LibraryThing member edutechteacher
YES,YES, YES! This is so much better than what I experienced in 6th grade. Thankfully, I did get this kind of teacher in other grades (5th, 7-12th!) I love the way this book flows and find SO much to inspire my teaching in the pages.
Language
Original publication date
2009
Physical description
240 p.; 9.2 inches
ISBN
0470372273 / 9780470372272