"I Read It, But I Don't Get It" by Cris Tovani

One major struggle I am having in my practicum is knowing how much to simplify content. I do not want to waste time explaining concepts that students are completely familiar with, but I also do not feel comfortable assuming what knowledge they already possess. Even if I take away  what I have learned in college and put myself in their position and consider only what I knew in high school, this still puts me at assuming my students know significantly more in ELA than they actually do. Not surprisingly, I am in this program because when is comes to ELA, I do just "get it" and always have. English Majors read in a very metacognitive manner, part of this is learned and part natural but by the time we become teachers, it is how we read everything. Students do not do this on their own. Tovani's "I Read it, but I Don't Get it" tackled this exact issue. What comes so naturally to me, is a huge struggle to many students.
My favorite part of this book was the activities section in the back. Tovani provides a huge selection of work sheets and ideas to get students really thinking about writing and to break down the activities in a helpful way. The activities range from activating memories of what is right in the text, to making deeper connections with what students are reading.
I am constantly finding a way to relate to what I am reading. How does the content reflect my own beliefs? Have I had these experiences? How would I handle these situations? I read in such a personal way. Tovani suggests that although students do this naturally, they do not always recognize the value in it. Many students believe that instructors want them to read in a more detached way and end up pushing down the part of reading that makes it most enjoyable: relating it to the self. I need to be able to show students that those personal connections really are critical to enjoying and understanding the content they are reading. Detached reading does not lead to full comprehension.