Ryynanen+-+One-Pager

Name: Ruth Ryynanen
 * __One-Pager__**

Title: //Readicide// Author: Kelly Gallagher Date: 5/24/12 Chapter: 2 (p. 56-58)

A lot of what Gallagher has said in chapters 1 and 2 of his book has made a lot of sense to me. I like that he is trying to find answers to why, more and more frequently, students hate to read. I assign a number of novels and other longer works to my English 12 students, and after my first full year of teaching I had a student ask me, “If writing is so important, why do we have to do so much reading in this class?” I must note that this student had not read a single page of any of the books I assigned, because he was an example of a student who absolutely hated reading, but his question made me think. Why did I assign so much reading, and if we wanted to raise test scores on writing, should I be teaching more to the test and assigning worksheets and timed writing? In the years since, I have worked on balancing my curriculum a bit more. Yes, I do teach how to write a good essay on the ACT, but I also assign six large and difficult works. Although I do assign some poems and short stories to supplement the larger works, the focus of my class is around the reading of these longer works. The grumbling has certainly not gone away, especially when we are reading //Frankenstein//, but it has quieted a bit. I give students time to read in class; at times I read important passages to them; but, most importantly, I try to make the work interesting to them by teaching it to them. Gallagher asserts that “It is our job to work our students through a text that is a little bit too hard for them. It’s not difficult novels that are the problem; it’s how they are taught that is the problem” (57). I wholeheartedly agree with the statement, because I have been able to see improvement in reading in my own classroom. My students do not always understand the subtleties of the literature as they read on their own, but when I can reveal them as we read, they become more interested. Obviously parts of //Frankenstein// will be confusing for the typical 12th grade student, however, we must be there to elucidate, explain, and guide them to understanding the intricacies of difficult texts. Gallagher used //The Grapes of Wrath// as an example of a bad summer reading choice, “because reading [this book] without the guidance of a teacher becomes an exercise in frustration and futility for students (56). I appreciate this example, because I also teach the novel. If I did not teach the students the symbolism that exists in the novel, the majority would not truly understand half the novel. I also believe that they would not appreciate the imagery, or have the background knowledge necessary to understand the characters and setting without my help. We, the English Department at Houghton High School, have concluded exactly what Gallagher has. Deep reading of difficult texts is what we want to do. However, we have decided to limit it to one major work per quarter. This is under the assumption that if we try to do too many major works, we will not truly be able to teach them as deeply as we should. Yet, all of us agree that there should be time available for students to choose a novel that they think they’d enjoy as outside reading, both during the school year and in the summer. I teach my students that literary works have lasting value for a reason, and studying them is sometimes hard…that is how it is supposed to be. But, there is nothing wrong with reading for entertainment purposes from time to time.
 * Describe the point or points in Gallagher’s text that most significantly intersects with your own experience.**

His purpose is to inform teachers of how to eliminate //readicide//.
 * Author’s Purpose:**

His audience is practicing teachers.
 * Intended Audience:**