Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It

At 118 pages, READICIDE is a concise manifesto on the "State of the Union" for reading instruction. Gallagher's primary target is high-stakes testing and the whole machine it has set in motion. Ironically, he declares, the very tests designed to improve literacy in our country are having the opposite effect. That fact, my friends, is the proverbial elephant in the room and this book, therefore, should be read by administrators and teachers alike. As for interested parents (the best kind), this book will pull the curtain back on where we're going wrong and why. It will also reveal some of the games being played in the name of higher test scores. For instance, Gallagher documents cases of states trumpeting gains while hiding the fact that the bar has been lowered to give the appearance of gains. It's almost used car salesman material. He also reveals shell games that are played with designation of students (calling them "special ed students" when they are not, for instance, or temporarily seeing that they are "unenrolled" for school until the testing period ends, a little trick from Texas).Gallagher doesn't leave it at that, however. He points to mistakes teachers are making as well. Some are underteaching books ("Here, read it -- I'll see you at the end."), for instance. This sets students up for failure or for a record number of SparkNotes hits when the book is too difficult, which is true of many classics assigned in the class. On the opposite side of the spectrum are teachers who overteach books. Slice it, dice it, and assign a new task every couple of pages until the students cannot possibly develop "flow" (Nancie Atwell calls it "reach the zone"). These kids (surprise!) wind up hating the book because it has been flogged to death by well-meaning teachers.Complaining and identifying weaknesses is all well and good, but Gallagher also offers solutions. He gives concrete ideas on how to hit the "sweet spot" in instruction when it comes to longer works. He agrees with Nancie Atwell's championing of recreational reading, but disagrees with her insistence that teaching never begin until students complete the book (and with her reluctance to take on classwide novels other than her beloved favorite, THE OUTSIDERS).Overall, spot on. This book calls it like it is and calls us to arms. Read it, quote it, stand up and defend your kids right to read and their right to choice. Insist, too, that they be challenged by curriculum selections requiring a teacher's expert help. In short, be a true voice for literacy by shouting down these phony pretenders from political rings and business models who insist data-driven drivel equates to a more competitive United States. It doesn't.

FYI: If you're a teacher, this is required reading.

Reading this short book by Kelly Gallagher really makes me appreciate my school and the administrators guiding the ship. Gallagher spends the majority of his time detailing the main causes of readicide: standardized testing, teaching to the standardized test, the over-teaching of a novel, tedious worksheets and quizzes, and the stuffing in of too much shallow information to the detriment of meaningful observations, connections, and thought, etc.I actually found that this book had little new new to tell me because I already agreed with all of its premises and fixing practices. I kept waiting for a page to jump up and punch me in the face with a new, whiz-bang method for teaching novels. It never happened. I will certainly use the book to refine my current methods, but that’s all. I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of what’s going on. I have no doubt that there are many English teachers who desperately need to read this book, but I was just along for the ride.Let me end by telling you about some of the best methods Gallagher presents.The Book Flood: surrounding students with high interest books (that I would argue must also have been read by the teacher). Gallagher argues that it is a mistake to think that students will ever go to the library to find the high interest books there (or not there), but that the teacher needs to foist good, high interest books on to the student. Gallagher says that he has over 2,000 books in his room. I’ve only got 500, but I’m gettin’ there.Framing a Book: Previewing the text, discussion of the author and historical context, discussion of the value of the book, and, often, the essay test question at the very beginning of the unit.“Big Chunk/Little Chunk” Philosophy: After framing a novel, assign students to read large chunks of the book on their own (with a guiding idea to look for) so that they can practice and enjoy just reading. Then, the next day, have a passage or two for students, as a class, to look at and analyze to death with highlights, annotations, sticky notes and such.I’ll definitely keep this book on my shelf, if, for no other reason, than to pull out as proof when someone suggests anything that would lead to more readicide.

Are we (educators) a bit like those people who ignore fire alarms with, it's just a false alarm, attitudes toward the importance of developing a love of reading and developing literacy skills? Would I be convicted of contributing to readicide? Fair question, scary answer...maybe.

Although I teach Grade 3, this book had a lot of relevant information for me to use in my classroom; however, I HIGHLY recommend this book for all middle-school and high-school teachers!

Great book, fast delivery.