I want to share two resources that even after 30 years of teaching reading reinforced my beliefs and taught me some things that I did not know. I’ll share each of them and include a few comments. I hope you listen to the first one and watch the second one.
First is the podcast Sold a Story. I listened to this podcast last summer and was stunned by what it shares about how reading has been taught in America over the last 25 years or so.
Two things I’d like to share.
First, this is where I learned about orthographic mapping. If you have read my site and my blog, you know I had experience with orthographic mapping in my experience teaching reading. I just never knew what it was called when I saw it. Well, this is where I learned what to call it.
Second, I learned that the classroom George Bush was sitting in on 9/11 was a classroom that was using the science of reading. Bush was pushing the science of reading aggressively back in 2001. I was not a fan of George Bush and it was a little difficult to realize that on the teaching of reading, which is so important to me, he was on the right track. What I also learned in the podcast is that the reading wars were lost when the lobbying by the bad guys watered down what Bush’s administration was trying to do. You will find out all about it if you listen to the podcast. That and so much more!
And then there is the documentary The Right to Read. I watched it last year when it was free to watch for a few weeks. Again, it was an eye-opener to learn about how we have been teaching children to read in America for so long. We’ve been doing a poor job of it because the reading wars were lost to the bad guys.
This will be more difficult to watch as it may cost you. I see that Google Play has it for $6.99. Apple TV and Prime Video have it for $3.99. I think it is well worth the money.
This is more from a civil rights perspective. One of the main characters has devoted much of his life to sharing his belief in the importance of reading for children. Like him, I believe it is a difference maker and a life changer for many children.
I shared both of these resources in my last class at Woodlawn UMC and it led to a lot of great discussion. The attendees were amazed at how we’ve been teaching reading. The class was teaching them how to teach their children to read, which I believe they had bought into. Once you know, it is hard to understand why it is done any other way.
I hope you utilize these resources. If you do, please leave a comment on this post.
