Janet Allen is an international consultant recognized for her comprehensive work in reading education. After teaching reading and English for nearly twenty years in Maine, Janet relocated to the University of Central Florida where she taught reading, writing, and English education courses; directed the Central Florida Writing Project; and, assisted in the creation of the Orange County Literacy Project. She is now a full-time researcher, writer, and consultant in schools and districts involved in rethinking their approaches to literacy and learning.
Patrick Daley was a nationally known expert in adolescent literacy, as well as an advocate for the older struggling reader--and for the teachers who teach them. As Senior Vice President of Scholastic Education, Patrick led initiatives that support academic engagement and literacy for all students. He collaborated with numerous education thought leaders, including Alfred Tatum, Ruth Culham, Laura Robb, Irene Fountas, and Gay Su Pinnell. After earning a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Vermont and an M. Ed. in Reading and Language from Boston University, Patrick served as an elementary and middle-school classroom teacher and as a district reading specialist. He wrote several books for early learners, young adults, and teachers. In 2011, he received the Books for Kids Lifelong Commitment to Literacy Award.
"I love reading aloud to my children, but my older child is getting
tired of the picture books she grew up with. She is ready for
something more substantial, and she loves nonfiction. I'm so happy
to have discovered this resource! The topics are a bit edgy (child
trafficking, slavery, death), but that is exactly what keeps kids
riveted at this age. And what better way to bring these topics to
them than in a format that encourages discussion and adult
involvement. I want to have these discussions with my kids before
they have them with their friends and learn misinformation. I am
looking forward to working through this book with my daughter. It
will be a few more years before my son can handle this, but I'll be
using it with him too." --G. Dawson Provided via Amazon Vine
"I volunteer in the middle school where my daughter teaches 6th
grade. I wanted to use this book for a group of students that I
work with regularly. I enjoy reading to and with them and they seem
to have stayed interested and fairly engaged all this school year.
This book has been a real eye-opener for me. There are subjects
that I would have assumed no 6th grader would be familiar with,
such as human trafficking. I was wrong - in some cases. They appear
to have absorbed bits and pieces of the worst the world has to
offer and were interested in learning about subjects I never would
have predicted. I am very careful to not encourage conversation
that parents should have input on, but it is often difficult to
keep my mouth shut regarding certain topics. Therefore, I'm
thinking the more mature the student, the better. I should also add
the suggested activities are imaginative and well thought out. My
daughter has incorporated several ideas into her lessons.Overall, I
recommend this book for the older of the suggested age range."
--T.K. Paul Provided via Amazon Vine
"My wife, who teaches 6th grade, put this product to a mini test,
here is what she had to say: Reading aloud to students is important
for many reasons, listening is an important skill and it can bring
stories alive for students. In this book, the authors give a short
summary for each story and provide language and vocabulary to help
build student background knowledge. The authors also provide ample
opportunity for students to think, talk, and write about each text.
There is a variety of texts such as excerpts from novels,
non-fiction and poetry. The stories are engaging and would be great
to use once or twice a week in class." --Michael Demeritt Provided
via Amazon Vine
"The selections in this book are meant for read-alouds with middle
school students. Because of the subject matter of some of the
stories, this book is really not intended for elementary students.
Some of the selections are ones I loved reading, and others are
just ok. As a teacher/parent it's important to know you audience at
what will work for different students. I liked that this resource
is available because it is full of some really good texts in it
that will spark student conversation and discussion." --Tina Says
Provided via Amazon Vine
"These rare well written passages that are meant to engage students
when read aloud. I hope to incorporate them into my classroom. A
good resource for educators." --Melissa A. Palmer Provided via
Amazon Vine
"These really are great stories for read-alouds. I teach 4th grade.
I thought these would be good to use at the end of the year in the
last two weeks of school even though it says 5th grade and up. I
might not be able to read them all. The topic matter is quite grown
up. I haven't read every story just yet, but I have placed through
them all and read a good many. They are kinda scary, the kind of
scary that keeps kids wanting more. The story about human
trafficking (for child labor, not sex trafficking) might be too
frightening for my babies, but middle schoolers should be able to
handle it. Other stories have murder and slavery topics. They
definitely keep your attention and would sparks discussion and good
writing." --Renee O Pruitt Provided via Amazon Vine
"This book is filled with 35 stories to read aloud. Some of the
stories are based upon history like Mount Vesuvius, which are
great. But them others are fictional tales like "Licked" which is
just awful. I'm just not keen on stories about really bad behavior
and bad manners. So obviously you'll have to pick-and-choose the
stories which work best for you. At the beginning of each story a
synopsis is given as well as what to think about. . . talk about.
.. and so on. Overall I like the book, though I'm not a fan of all
the stories." --G. Hearn Provided via Amazon Vine
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