In the Best Interest of Students: Staying True to What Works in the ELA Classroom

In his new book, In the Best Interest of Students, Kelly Gallagher reminds us that standards come and go but what remains constant is the need to stay true to what we know works in the teaching of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Instead of blindly adhering to the latest standards movement, Kelly advocates:

Dialing up the amount of reading and writing students are doing. Balancing rigorous, high-quality literature and non-fiction with high-interest, student-selected titles. Encouraging readers to deepen their comprehension by moving beyond the four corners of the text.
Using modeling to enrich students’ writing skills in the prewriting, drafting, and revision stages. Resisting the de-emphasis of narrative and imaginative reading and writing. Planning lessons that move beyond Common Core expectations.

Kelly is a strong voice of reason, reminding us that instruction should be anchored around one guiding question: What is in the best interest of our students?