Opinion Blog

Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

Reading & Literacy Opinion

How to Help Students Embrace Reading. Educators Weigh In

By Larry Ferlazzo — July 26, 2022 3 min read
Surreal Illustration of books flying through the air
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

During the summer, I am sharing thematic posts bringing together responses on similar topics from the past 11 years. You can see all those collections from the first 10 years here.

Today’s theme is Reading Instruction.

You can see the list following this excerpt from one of the posts:

readingisoften

1. ‘Children Need Both Paper Books & Digital Texts’

Katie Keier, Stacy Nockowitz, Barbara Paciotti, and many readers share their thoughts on the debate between reading digitally or on paper. Read more.

2. Reading Digitally vs. Reading Paper

Daniel Willingham, Kristin Ziemke, Lester Laminack, and Kimberly Carraway explore that topic of reading digitally compared with reading on paper in this post. Read more.

3. Close Reading Can Be ‘Fun or Awful’

Christopher Lehman, Cris Tovani, Pernille Ripp, Jan Burkins, and Kim Yaris contribute their thoughts. Read more.

4. Close Reading Is a ‘Life Skill’

Sonja Cherry-Paul, Dana Johansen, Stephanie Harvey, Julie Goldman, Diana Sisson, and Betsy Sisson are the featured guests in this post. Read more.

5. Close Reading—Part Three

Kimberly Carraway, Katherine S. McKnight, Harvey F. Silver, Amy Benjamin, Nancy Boyles, Rita Platt—along with readers—share their ideas. Read more.

6. Teaching Literature Through ‘Choice’ & ‘Practice’

This post features responses from Regie Routman, Katherine S. McKnight, and Michael W. Smith. Read more.

7. Literature Can Be a ‘Gateway for Understanding Everything’

Several educators—Nancy Steineke, Sean McComb, Nancy Frey, Doug Fisher, Bill Himmele, and Pérsida Himmele—provide responses here. Read more.

8. A Good Reading Lesson Doesn’t ‘Put Standards Before Students’

In this post, guest responses come from educators Cheryl B. Dobbertin, Ilse O’Brien, Katherine S. McKnight, and Regie Routman. Read more.

9. ‘Reading Is Intensely Social': An Interview With Jeffrey Wilhelm & Michael Smith

Educators Jeffrey Wilhelm and Michael Smith are co-authors of the new book Reading Unbound. Read more.

10. Ways to Engage Students in Reading

Jason Flom shares his ideas, as do many readers. I also add an intriguing chart. Read more.

11. Reading Is a ‘Means to Bigger and Better Things’

Educators Kristi Mraz, Marjorie Martinelli, Kathy Barclay, and Cindi Rigsbee contribute their thoughts. Read more.

12. Ways to Develop Lifelong Readers

Donalyn Miller, Mark Barnes, and Christopher Lehman contribute their responses. Read more.

13. Using the ‘Fun Factor’ to Encourage Student Reading at Home

Read educator/author Nancy Steineke’s ideas, as well as comments from many readers. Read more.

14. Getting Students to Read at Home by ‘Building a Daily Habit’

Dina Strasser and Ariel Sacks share their thoughts in this post. Read more.

15. Helping Students Develop a Desire to Read at Home

In addition to sharing my own response, you’ll find contributions from two other guests—educators Donalyn Miller and Myron Dueck. Read more.

More Q&A posts about reading instruction:


Explore other thematic posts:

Related Tags:

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar
Bringing Dyslexia Screening into the Future
Explore the latest research shaping dyslexia screening and learn how schools can identify and support students more effectively.
Content provided by Renaissance
Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How Schools Are Navigating AI Advances
Join this free virtual event to learn how schools are striking a balance between using AI and avoiding its potentially harmful effects.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
A Blueprint for Structured Literacy: Building a Shared Vision for Classroom Success—Presented by the International Dyslexia Association
Leading experts and educators come together for a dynamic discussion on how to make Structured Literacy a reality in every classroom.
Content provided by Wilson Language Training

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Quiz
Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Building Strong Writers?
Answer 7 questions about the key strategies and foundations for building strong writers.
Reading & Literacy These Teachers Have Their Students Read Multiple Novels a Year. How They Do It
Making time for reading, checking for understanding, and presenting works in context are top priorities.
5 min read
Students in Saxon Brown's 9th grade English class take turns reading as the different characters in To Kill A Mockingbird during class at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Md., on Jan. 25, 2024.
Students in Saxon Brown's 9th grade English class take turns reading as the different characters in <i>To Kill A Mockingbird</i> during class at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Md., on Jan. 25, 2024. Teachers say several tips help them build the scaffolding and stamina kids need to tackle complex novels like Harper Lee's masterpiece.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Reading & Literacy Explainer What Is a Basal Reader, And Why Are They Controversial?
From the Civil War to the new millennium, one reading tool has held a secure spot in American classrooms.
8 min read
A selection from the basal reader, Reading Street, pictured on Oct. 8, 2025.
A selection from the basal reader Reading Street, published in 2013, pictured on Oct. 8, 2025.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Reading & Literacy Are Books Really Disappearing From American Classrooms?
Measuring whether "whole texts" are vanishing in favor of excerpts isn't clear cut.
17 min read
Handwritten excerpts of student writing
Laura Patranella's 5th graders write verses in response to <i>Love That Dog</i>, by Sharon Creech. One of Patranella's English/language arts unit features that novel alongside the poems that inspired it.
Illustration by Vanessa Solis/Education Week. Student writing courtesy of Laura Patranella