Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?: Content Comprehension, Grades 6-12

We are all reading teachers. We must teach the students to read so they will be able to succeed in all subjects. This book has strategies for all teachers. The author makes some good points when describing an encounter with an industrial arts teacher who said, "students don't have to read in my class." This book will show you how to make connections in your subject area to reading. If you teach a student to read, they can do anything.

This book really speaks to the reader and teachers. Cris Tovani is very hilarious when makiing comparisons to other subjects and students. This book is a must have for teachers that experience the hardships of trying to get students read with a purpose.

This is a very great, practical, realistic book. It is a very easy read, and is only 120 pages total. If you already know alot about reading comprehension, it is nothing earth-shattering, and you may only pick up a few things from it. But, if you are a relatively new teacher, this book could help you significantly. Tovani's writing is very simple, easy to follow, and straightforward, and you can tell she is still a classroom teacher and not some out-of-touch researcher, since all her tips are very practical. Even if you already know alot about comprehension, this book will probably give you a few new things to think about, and it can easily be read in one weekend. It will not be a waste of your money!!

This book is short and to the point but filled with valuable information for teachers who want to strengthen reading comprehension in their classrooms. I highly recommend this book as a starter text for both teachers who are motivated to learn more about content area reading and those who may be hesitant. It's a great title for a collegial study group.

Talk about insipring, this book is a must-have for secondary-level teachers of every content area. Cris Tovani is still a teacher and uses her methods in her own Reading and English classes, so the methods she proposes for reading comprehension are supremely practical. She tells tells humorous stories from her own classroom as she tries to "find ways to make students carry more of the thinking load in our classrooms" (19). The appendix has a variety of activities and graphic organizers to help students hold their thinking.