Tovani's "I Read It, But I Don't Get It"

Cris Tovani's "I Read It, But I Don't Get It" is a wonderful resource for any teacher. The author includes ideas and lessons that she has tested and implemented in her own classroom. Everything in this book comes from practical experience, meaning the information she uses is based in actual application in the classroom. This helps make this book much more meaningful and insightful, providing a glance at the classroom environment from a teacher's perspective. In my placement, I have seen and even started to use some of the strategies she presented. The inclusion of her personal struggles in the classroom while working with students feels authentic and genuine, and the simple language used to present her ideas makes this book an incredibly accessible and helpful resource for any English Language Arts teacher. 

One of the ideas that stood out to me the most was how students don't necessarily struggle with reading, but rather struggle with understanding what's being read. The problem isn't in the student's ability to read the words in front of them, but in comprehending the meaning behind those words as they are reading. Part of this is because students aren't being taught skills important to analyze texts thoroughly. As a result, students get left behind because they haven't developed the critical thinking skills necessary for handling higher level texts. This can often be a source of other problems in the classroom, as students with insufficient critical thinking skills to complete the assignment may not even try. By addressing this early on, teachers can help students to improve their ability to thoroughly examine a text and understand what they read.