Deeper Reading: Comprehending Challenging Texts, 4-12

I read this book last summer and then implemented the strategies when school started. The real challenge came when I started my sophomore classes on the novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles. We started reading it right after Thanksgiving and finished the book and literary analysis papers by the end of school in May. At first, my students thought the book was written in a foreign language because it sounded so strange to them. They hated the book and wanted nothing to do with it. By using all the techniques in Deeper Reading, the students came to really enjoy the book. When we finished reading the book in April, each student wrote a literary analysis on the book. I can honestly say that my students did not find it very difficult to write these papers because we had read, re-read, and thoroughly discussed the book for months. When they discussed the book with me or their peers, they sounded more like college students than economically disadvantaged 10th grade students with immigrant backgrounds. The part that was the hardest for me was slowing down to allow students time for mastery of the book, but just as the students adjusted to the book, I adjusted to the idea that we would only read one novel at a very deep level during the school year. By the last 5 chapters, the students could read the book independently, but we always had our class discussions before and after reading. By the last third of the novel, their understanding of the book was incredible. Many students confided that they had never really read a class novel before. All of the students were very proud of their achievement. This is an excellent book for any secondary teacher that wants to teach books beyond what the students could read by themselves.

Deeper Reading is one of my favorite language arts resources. As an 8th grade teacher, I am constantly looking for ways to improve reading and reading comprehension in my students. Whether you are dealing with low ability, reluctant, or gifted students, the lessons Kelly Gallagher presents lead students to "deeper reading" in fiction and nonfiction text. (My classes are especially fond of his lesson on creating metaphors when analyzing characters during reading.) Our middle school bought copies of this book for the staff and created after school book discussion groups to encourage implementation of the strategies in this valuable resource.

I'm a 5th grade teacher who loves to teach reading and writing to my students. Over 12 years ago, I attended the Literature Project and the Writing Project in San Diego and learned many strategies for teaching my students to engage in reading and use writing in powerful ways. This book, written by Kelly Gallagher, a teacher leader in both those projects, moves everything I learned one step further. It emphasizes critical thinking when students read anything: from the symbolism and metaphors used in classical literature, to the bias used in journalism, and even to the propaganda techniques used in advertisements. It also emphasizes collaboration and truly thoughtful reflection, like asking oneself "What is left unsaid?" I believe we need more critical thinkers in our world and, if you open the pages of this book, you will find numerous practical ways to turn your students into people who think for themselves.

This book is wonderful. In fact, it is the first one that I have ever written a review for--that's how good I think it is. It is practical and so clearly written. I love it and can't wait to implement the strategies.

While other authors such as Harvey & Goudvis, Keene & Zimmerman, and Tovani offer stronger strategy instruction, this book provides many practical, classroom activities to support strategic reading. Gallagher brings the perspective of a practicing teacher to the text, which makes his insights and activities realistic and useful. I recommend this text to teachers who are looking for support with content area reading in their classrooms.