Links to Useful Reading Sites

1.

Learning responsible thinking

Suggests that critical thinking should be presented in the context of responsible thinking as a way of helping students more readily understand the practical relevance of thinking critically.

2.

Learning how to synthesize

I believe that knowing how to synthesize different sources into a meaningful unit or whole is one of the essentials skills of academic success. In my opinion, in fact, it is the backbone of all thoughtful research. If you are interested in understanding what it means to synthesize sources and in learning how to synthesize information for different purposes or assignments, please see this excellent website.

3.

Tips on note-taking

Cal Newport, the author of How to Be a High School Superstar, has some really smart things to say about how to be a high-achiever in school, and he ought to know: He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth. Don't be fooled by the title of his book. What he says on the web site applies to students of all ages.

4.

Interrogating Texts

This is an extremely useful summary of the kinds of steps critical readers engage in.

5.

Parents Guide to Introducing Children to Libraries

An online teacher and community volunteer sent me this link, and I'm pleased to post it because it wasn't until my mom got me to the library that I really started caring about reading. A savvy librarian picked out a stack of books she knew for sure kids liked to read, and I got hooked on Nancy Drew, girl detective and Cherry Ames, student nurse. Turns out, I was hooked on books for life. So if you are thinking about using the library to get your kids to read more, whether paper or digital, this article will tell you how to go about it.