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

    This book is amazing. I started reading it right when I got it before the quarter started and it helped me with the first few weeks of teaching 10th grade. I am so glad I bought this book outright so I can continue to use it and keep improving as a teacher. The book even has a section that are assignments and activities. On top of the double entry journals, there are a good bit of assignments to draw from and help students gain comprehension in reading. I enjoy that Cris Tovani has first hand experience and implemented all of these ideas into her own classroom. This first hand experience really sold me on the idea that these methods can work in any classroom. The instances where she included her own struggles and students who made her think differently about what she was doing made the book feel real to me. They are almost like built in testimonials. But instead of these testimonials trying to sell me something, they are testimonials to good teaching and students improving their reading skills. The improvement of comprehension skills are extremely important to me as a future English teacher and to my students who are living in an age where comprehension is becoming increasingly essential. I have already used some things in the book and I cannot wait to continue using it as a resource. What also sold me was her writing style and overall construction of the book. All of the ideas were really simple, made sense, and did not seem like a gimmick. The book was without the complicated language that is present in most other education books I have read. The simplicity made the book an easy read and easy to comprehend what you as a teacher should be doing and gives concrete ways to improve.