Harvey "Smokey" Daniels and Steven Zemelman - Chapters 1 and 2

The two anecdotes at the beginning of chapter 1 highlight the difference between reading for reading's sake, because it's what you "should do in school," and reading for the sake of engagement and building skills. A few things really struck me about the example about the fast food unit. As someone who hopes to work in a middle school, looking forward to the "team"/inter-disciplinary element, I was impressed by the interdisciplinary-ness of the unit. I believe that students learn best when what they are being taught in one class can be carried over into the next one- I think that's how learning even works in our daily general lives. If it is actually important, if you "actually need to know this/will use it," then it will become apparent in more than just one 50 minute window of your day. The diversity of reading materials in the fast food unit was also a great strength- going beyond a textbook resonates with students on a few different levels. First, I think it sends a message to students that, "hey, you guys are going to be adults some day. Let's see how you handle magazines, newspapers, etc., because we believe you are mature enough and have the skill set to handle it." In this context I believe that students are perked up when assigned something outside of a text book- it's different, special, and I believe that students probably put more effort into it. It also shows students that you, the teacher, took the time to find something truly special and out of the box(textbook) for them to read, demonstrating your care for their education. Further, the design of the reading, moving from picture book front-loading to complicated political opinion piece demonstrates the type of scaffolding that Daniels and Zemelman advocate for. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I thought that allowing the students great freedom in producing their final project was exceptional. Perhaps giving students a fairly free range wouldn't work if all they've been given is a text book- how can they be expected to be creative when you, the teacher, haven't been? It seems like if a unit is carefully constructed to reflect creativity and diversity in reading material that some of the creative brainstorming has already been done for students, showing them how to think outside the box(textbook). The students in the fast food unit anecdote were clearly invested in their learning- they really cared about the experience- because they were allowed to feel like they had an element of control over the process, as opposed to being told "Read chapter 2 for Friday. Quiz to follow."

In chapter 2, "How Smart Readers Think," Daniels and Zemelman demystify the science of reading, breaking down a seemingly "split-second-don't-even-think-about-it" process into a visible skill of many parts. After reading this chapter, I reflected on my own education and I came to realize that I, too, had been barely taught "how to read" after elementary school. I definitely had teachers who did not view themselves as teachers of literacy. As a teacher candidate aiming to teach the Social Sciences, helping my future students master various reading strategies and skills is especially imperative. It will be important that I, as Daniels and Zemelman say, "teach reading, not just assign it" (41). I think that the process of doing so reflects the teaching style advocated by Wilhelm- the I do/we do/you do model. I imagine this process would include group reading, graphic organizers, short reflections, etc. all which would help guide the students towards being able to internalize the types of close reading strategies that will help them succeed not just in my class but in all their classes and, hopefully, their daily lives.