I started my 6th year of teaching grade 6 with the belief that teaching spelling in a traditional way was not working for either the students or myself. I believe in what Nagy wrote in 1988 that the "single most important thing a teacher can do to promote vocabulary growth is to increase students' volume of reading" (pg. 38). However, I was floundering with how best to go about increasing my students vocabulary, making them aware of spelling patterns and providing them with strategies for tackling unknown words. Through Max Brand's book, I now have a clearer vision of how best to incorporate word study into my whole day.

From the first day of school in Brand's classroom, he engages his students in becoming Word Savvy. His goal for teaching is "for students to become word-savvy-to develop an understanding of how words work within the context of reading and writing, and to become excited about words as they learn to manipulate them in playful ways" (pg. 4)

Using Pearson and Gallagher's gradual release of responsibility, Max walks his students through Demonstration, Think-aloud, Think-Along, Guided Thinking and Independent Application as they begin to develop the necessary skills and strategies for becoming Word Savvy. Teachers comfortable using a Workshop model for Reading and Writing will find his teaching ideas very comfortable, familiar and easy to adapt within their own classroom.

One of the unique features of this book is the way that the author shares his love of words with his students. Throughout his day, and in all subject areas, Brand incorporates Word Study whenever possible. His students learn to appreciate words in many different contexts. Each chapter gives a snapshot of classroom practices, along with specific goals and ideas on how to use these ideas in your own classroom. At the end of each chapter, there are detailed lesson plans using the suggestions from the classroom. He includes ideas on how to use novels, non-fiction text, poetry, and picture books to aid in the study of words.

Reviewed by Lori Trisler
Wichita, Kansas

In my eight years of teaching, testing has been an integral part of that. I've never known what it was like to teach without the intense pressure of "The Test." Kohn raises some interesting thoughts. He writes that this book was written to challenge those who defend the tests, to assist those who oppose the tests, and to encourage those who have resigned themselves to the test. I'm definitely in one of those categories. At this point, I'm just not sure which!

According to Kohn, the main thing that standardized tests tell us is the socioeconomic status of the students. Research has shown many times that the higher the rate of poverty, the lower the test scores will be. Although the research on the 90-90-90 (90% poverty, 90% minority, 90% successful) schools indicates that can be changed. Kohn would, I believe, dismiss this research on the basis that when you are teaching kids the drill and practice necessary for many of these tests, you are driving out real learning. According to research cited by Kohn, 3 percent of math questions on standardized tests required "high level conceptual knowledge" and only 5 percent tested "high level thinking skills." Kohn also cites research that finds an "association between high scores on standardized tests and relatively shallow thinking."

Kohn is especially critical of multiple choice tests. He says that there is no way to allow students to show what they really know. It's even worse, he says, if the test happens to be timed. If we all agree that all students can learn, just not in the same way on the same day, then a timed test is not allowing the student to show what they know. It shows that a premium is placed on speed rather than thinking.

Even worse than the testing itself is the use of the tests to rank schools and children. Kohn says that "the process of assigning children to percentiles helps to ensure that schooling is more about triumphing over everyone else than it is about learning." So, if the test emphasizes information that is used to sort students, then "teaching to the test" doesn't necessarily improve the quality of education. It may have the opposite effect. According to Stanford University research, a student who achieves at the fiftieth percentile will actually score within five percentage points of that level only about 30 percent of the time on the SAT-9 math test, and 42 percent on the reading exam.

Kohn lists six outcomes he believes are the result of high-stakes testing. First, it drives good teachers and principals out of the profession. Second, it causes teachers to become defensive and competitive. Third, it leads to cheating on a widespread basis. Fourth, the testing turns teachers against students. Fifth, it creates overspecialization which leads to high-school like departmentalization as early as fourth grade. Finally, it narrows the conversation about education to doing better on tests.

This book also addresses what to do instead of testing. He is a proponent of performance assessments. He also likes the idea of starting with the teacher's opinion and various examples of the students' learning. He urges people to visit schools and look for evidence of learning and interest in learning.

Finally, Kohn goes into strategies to fight the tests. He urges teachers to do everything from educating parents and writing legislators to full scale boycotting of assessment by teachers, parents, and students. He has examples of letters to legislators and parents, as well as websites for further information.

Reviewed by Kathleen Allemana
Marquardt Middle School
Glendale Heights, IL

As someone who believes that mathematics has a language of its own that needs to be learned, I've tried various ways to get students to learn mathematical vocabulary. Sometimes I've been successful, but not always. In Illinois, my 8th graders must not only solve problems on the ISAT test, but also give an extended response to explain how, what, and why they solved two of the problems. Since communicating mathematically is a standard of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, I assume this is true for many other states.

This book has a wealth of ideas for integrating mathematical vocabulary into students' written and oral discussions. The author's goal is to get students to use math terms in meaningful ways in order for it to become a part of the students' vocabulary. Author Miki Murray not only tells of ways to do this, she gives many examples that would be easy to integrate into any math class. I especially liked her examples of discussions she had with her students guiding their understanding of math concepts.

The author integrates articles, poetry, and stories about math. Her students keep a math journal where they are expected to use mathematical language. She gives examples of questions to answer to help them know what to write. The author also gives an example of a rubric to use in evaluating these journals. Our school is changing to a new math program in the Fall and the use of journals is a part of the curriculum. The author's guidelines will be very helpful.

Most math teachers are familiar with the "I Have, Who Has" math games. The author uses this format with math vocabulary and gives a clear example of how to set this up in the classroom. She also shows how students can make this game using math vocabulary that is important to them. I plan to do this with my students in the fall.

Special vocabulary assignments give students a chance to use their new math terms in creative ways. This allows for differentiation in that each student can show what he/she knows in a way that works for him/her. Examples of poems and reflections are given so teachers can give their students examples of what is expected.

I found this book very useful and plan to share it with all the math teachers in my building. I now have a clearer idea of how I want to have my students set up their notebooks in the fall. This is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to help students communicate mathematically.

---

Becoming One Community: Reading and Writing with English Language Learners
By Kathleen Fay and Suzanne Whaley
2004 (224 pp. / paperback)
Stenhouse Publishers
ISBN: 1-57110-368-6
$18.50

Reviewed by Christina Livingstone
Durham, North Carolina

Summertime is a teacher's chance to putter and dream. As I sort through my classroom library, taping up tattered paperbacks and reorganizing shelves, I am planning for a new year. Is there a better way to organize books-on-tape? What titles will work with next year's World History class? Will this year's passion for books about Anne Boleyn and Queen Elizabeth continue next year? And what more can I do to help my newest English Language Learners (ELLs) participate more fully in our reading classroom? With more time to read and ponder, I had a chance to pick up a new book in search of answers.

Kathleen Fay and Suzanne Whaley have written a wise guide to working with ELLs in a reading/writing workshop. Becoming One Community: Reading and Writing with English Language Learners (Stenhouse Publishers) is filled with specific suggestions, backed always by the guiding principles of respectful teacher observation and acceptance. The book is richly illustrated with school stories which, although drawn mostly from late elementary classrooms, contain valuable lessons for all teachers. Teachers are shown using careful observation and conferencing to build inclusive classrooms in which all ELLs are full and active reading workshop participants. Classroom vignettes make a convincing case for reading workshop as an important tool for building both English proficiency and literacy – and these very real stories are wonderful fun to read as well.

This is a book for any teacher concerned with reaching all students. Although the emphasis is on teaching literacy skills, there is something in this book for any classroom teacher of ELLs. This is one of those rewarding teaching books that will help all teachers get where they want to be, while gently reminding them of the solid reasons behind what they are already doing well. An inspiring summertime read!

---

Comprehending Content: Reading Across the Curriculum, Grades 6–12
By Cris Tovani
Stenhouse Publishers
2004
Four 30-minute 1/2" VHS videotapes + viewing guide
ISBN: 1-57110-375-9
$395.00

Reviewed by Sue Flaherty
Ottawa, Illinois

Sue Flaherty is a highly versatile middle school teacher in Ottawa, Illinois. "I teach two sections of math, two sections of social studies, and an English class to sixth grade students." She was the perfect choice to review a set of professional development videos from Stenhouse publishers, Comprehending Content, featuring Chris Tovani. Much of Tovani's work focuses on cross-curricular reading instruction and includes ideas for teachers working in a variety of content areas.

Here's what Sue had to say about Comprehending Content:

I watched all four tapes yesterday, and I definitely feel they can help improve my instruction. Although Chris is working with high school students (both struggling readers and a college prep class), there are many strategies throughout the tapes that can be implemented in the lower grades. Each tape is about thirty minutes long, and a viewing guide with sample sheets is also included.

I found Tape One, Modeling What Good Readers Do, to be of great value. In my opinion, some of the most important comments Chris made were when she shared her own reading habits with her students. Chris told how she struggled in grade school and continued to struggle in a freshmen college class where she even flunked her first test. This was big to the students. I, myself, could not picture such a great teacher and established writer like Chris ever having trouble in school.

She uses a difficult short article entitled "Induction Icing" to prove a point. She tells the students it is very hard to read and that she didn't get it. It's about carburetors and fuel injection. She shares that her own background knowledge about icing was limited to cakes and windshields. This demonstration of background knowledge begins the lesson and leads to much discussion as Chris helps students dissect the article.

Struggling readers see everything in isolation, Chris says. Nothing ties together. As teachers, we need to teach our students how to recognize and identify when they don't get it or when they are confused as they read. Good readers read a little, stop and think aloud, and ask questions. It is okay to highlight or use sticky notes next to parts of texts we do not get. Readers need to know they are stuck when there are no pictures in their heads as they read. Readers become more interested in what they are reading when they can form pictures in their minds. A signal happens; if it makes sense, you remember more of it. Our goal as teachers is to get kids beyond surface level reading. We have to get them to analyze the text as they read, to infer and draw conclusions, to read between the lines.

Tape Two addresses Interpreting Data: Charts, Graphs, and Standardized Tests. Chris explained to her students that according to test results this is an area in which most students have great difficulty. Chris introduced this as another genre or type of text structure to learn and that being able to interpret the data is crucial to understanding. She began by having her students tell her the difference between a retell and a conclusion.

Chris used a great analogy about cleaning out a closet—getting rid of what you do not need as a comparison to bringing out your own personal understanding or meaning to text as you read it. This is described as the "So What" of the piece. Again Chris shared that she was not strong in math and needed to turn to other colleagues to help her understand the charts, graphs, etc. Students related much better once they understood that confusion or questions can occur for all readers when learning to comprehend difficult material or an uncomfortable or unfamiliar text genre.

Teachers of different core subjects read text differently. Chris stressed the importance of collaboration with other teachers and the need to make students more cognitive and aware of how we read different content area materials differently.

I was not looking forward to muddling through Tape Three, Reading Like a Mathematician. Surprisingly, I was able to take much from this valuable piece of instruction. A math teacher was teaching with Chris throughout this video. It was interesting how each teacher deferred to the other instructor to make valid points in their own area of expertise. Again, teacher collaboration was shown at its best.

In a demonstration lesson, each student received a difficult two-page math problem with much reading involved. Both teachers walked about the room talking to students and taking notes of what each student did first and how they proceeded in their attempts to complete the assignment. This will be an eye opener for many teachers as they observe how different students actually relate to a difficult task.

Many just jumped directly to the formula and attempted the problem. These students did not look over the table or graph or read the material on the second page first. These are the students who struggled the most. Others who read the title and read the reading material first had an easier time comprehending what was necessary before beginning the computation.

Few students recognized the overwhelming task of understanding the new vocabulary being presented. Some felt if the first problem was so hard the next one would be even more difficult and became frustrated. It took both Chris and the math teacher to tell them many times testmakers set tests up this way to trick students. In many cases, the next problem might be easier and give the students some insight and confidence to return to the first problem.

The students saw they needed to review all of the material presented first to know what they would need to do. They needed to activate their background knowledge, underline key words in the math problem as they read, and then predict an outcome. In math. prediction requires students to make reasonable estimates. An "ah ha" moment comes when one of the students explains that in reading the main idea usually comes at the beginning, but in math, the main idea may be all the way at the end. (Example: round the answer to the nearest tenth).

The valuable professional development lesson is to see that teachers not only have a responsibility to teach their content but to teach so that students understand for the real world. As teachers in all content areas work to help students become better readers, they develop strategies that can carry over into other content area classes.

Tape Four, Synthesizing Complex Ideas, explained how educators need to teach students to go beyond summarizing. Students need to read new information and create new thinking from what they already know, their background knowledge, and the new information they have acquired. Part of this involves creating a purpose for your reading and to learn to record the burning questions you are curious about as you continue to read.

An important example was shown when students worked in groups to complete a chart comparing four wars. Students decided what the important information was and added this relevant information to their charts. With the students constructing the information, it was more likely to be remembered than if we just fed the information to them. The class then did a gallery walk studying each group's material. This led to new thinking and valid discussions. As more information sank in and was understood, students connected to their past schema and engaged in the kinds of higher level thinking skills they must have to achieve in the classroom and in life.

---