D + Z Chapter 12

In the final chapter of Subjects Matter, Daniels and Zemmelman summarize the field of research behind their book. As a reader, I always appreciate a good concluding chapter- one that summarizes what you've just read but also gives you something new to think about. I found it interesting how the What Works Clearinhouse reviewed all that research an determined how effective the strategies and approaches were, being among them the cognitive, linguistic, sociocultural, and critical approaches.

Even though the WWC found that the critical approach had "weak" evidence to support its effectiveness in teaching students how to read and improving upon their existing skills, I am hesitant to throw this approach out the window.  Especially as someone who reads in the historical field, it is super important to not lose your critical eye when looking at a text, whether that be a written one or a physical one. I agree with the critical approach in that "all texts are socially constructed, that every word ever published serves someone's interests, and may well work against others" (293). This realization is important to the field of history, as the historian has to sort through numerous records produced by numerous people in order to determine some truth about the past.

Take, for example, Notes on the State of Virginia, by Thomas Jefferson.

Notes presents a scientific approach to documenting, indeed, quantifying, the peoples, land, and culture of the state of Virginia. It includes tables and other data and comes off as a purely scientific venture. When taken in context, however, Notes appears more as an exercise of "sizing oneself up," by comparison showing that America is a land of plenty and prosperity (as opposed to the [true] rumors flying around Europe that America was a dangerous land to live in at the time of the publishing of Notes, with people often dying of starvation or sickness). Notes is about telling the rest of the world that everything in America is bigger- and better- than in Europe in order to calm Jefferson's anxieties about whether or not America will even exist in half a century.

While it probably is a weak strategy to always jump right to the critical mode of reading, it definitely holds a place as a higher level skill that has high potential for student engagement.

D + Z Chapters 10 and 11

Inquiry projects sound awesome. I think it is especially useful that Daniels and Zemelman provide different "serving sizes" of inquiry projects to suit different classroom needs and constraints.  As far as Common Core Standards go, I feel like I've practiced "backmapping" (259) without even realizing it when designing lessons for other classes. I've found that it's a lot easier to design a lesson then go back into the CCSs to find what applies versus feeling like you need to design a lesson that has CCSs 4-7. Inquiry projects seem like they encompass all the things that Daniels and Zemelman are advocating for: choice, student-centered learning, authentic performance/audience, research, connections to real world issues, varied reading material, and teamwork/collaboration. Unfortunately, I can't really remember any inquiry projects I did in high school. I think that if I had done one it would have been memorable. I like the idea of using inquiry projects to spark a debate, like their example of the US dropping the atomic bomb on Japan. I think that inquiry time would be good to get students prepared for a debate.

I feel like chapter 9, about helping struggling readers, was not that great. Daniels and Zemelman offer "key" strategies for helping struggling readers, including create supportive relationships, model thoughtful reading, promote self-monitoring, etc. I feel like these "keys" are just a rehash of everything they have been saying up until this point. I wish they had another "grey" section of actual strategies to use.