The text Reading Next gives teachers an array of strategies to help improve child literacy. This text can be connected to many of the text we have read this semester. A majority of the texts we have read were designed to help teachers implement methods to improve child literacy. Chapter 8 by Gunning seemed to stress the same ideas as this text. It placed heavy emphasis on differentiated reading activities. Incorporating these methods into a lesson greatly increases comprehension. The text stressed improved literacy not only for a successful educational career but also for life outside of an academic setting. I agree completely with the statement “America’s schools need to produce literate citizens who are prepared to compete in the global economy and who have the skills to pursue their own learning well beyond high school.”
Incorporating the various elements into a classroom is not a daunting task and would yield important results. In an English classroom introducing diverse texts would not be difficult. Utilizing both contemporary and traditional texts would give students an opportunity to experience classics while also introducing them to current works. When discussing a book or text students will be required to complete several different types of writing assignments. Traditional essays may become tedious to students so mixing these with introspective journal assignments will stress writing but also keep the students interested. Text based collaborative learning is important because it gives students a chance to hear opinions and interpretations of a text different from their own. This can be achieved by a traditional book report or some method of show and tell.
