I Read It, But I Don't Get It

While reading I Read it, But I Don’t’ Get it by Cris Tovani, I was most interested in the section titled “Connecting the New to the Known.” In this section, Tovani highlighted her best strategies for leading students to a mindset where they are able to draw connections between what they already know and the new topics or information introduced in what they are reading. Tovani states that students will often assume that they cannot relate to a text because they do not have knowledge of the narrow subject that may be at the center of the reading. It is important to teach and model to students different ways in which they can broaden the subject of what they are reading in order to form connections. For example, if I were to teach A Long Way Gone in my classroom, I might experience a little resistance from students because the book follows a character that lives far away from America in very different circumstances. I will need to lead my students to the realization that, just like them, the character enjoys listening to music, hanging out with his friends, and the latest fashion.  

The other main takeaway from the book was Tovani’s justification for assigning Double-Entry worksheets. I am familiar with using DEDs with reading assignments because I was always assigned them when I was in high school. I understand that they help students identify important parts of the story or places that they are confused by. Tovani’s explanation makes it clear that DEDs are an excellent way to help students, and yourself as a teacher, track difficulty with comprehension down to the source. From the book, I learned that you can have students use DEDs with different lenses. By that I mean that you could have DEDs for good examples of imagery, for places that are confusing, or places at which students can make connections to the book.