Book Information

Gallagher, Kelly.  Deeper Reading:  Comprehending Challenging Texts, 4-12. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers, 2004. 228 pages.   (ISBN:  1 57110 384 8   //   www.stenhouse.com)

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Book Review

       Kelly Gallagher's book Deeper Reading:  Comprehending Challenging Texts, 4-12, is a  228-page volume that targets teachers of grades 4-12, and speaks from the viewpoint of a high school English teacher (since 1985)  in the Anaheim school district of California.  He also brings to his writing, the experiences he has acquired as a participant / co-director of several CA university projects, including CA Reading and Literature and CA Writing projects. Deeper Reading, Gallagher's second book, grew out a troubling trend he has identified as "students...less and less prepared to tackle challenging text...not simply the literature and poetry...but also challenging nonfiction, speeches, textbook passages, primary source documents, newspaper and magazine articles, and various forms of functional text (such as maps and charts) found in our state reading standards"(8).

       Gallagher's book outlines a straightforward step-by-step plan, which he describes in consecutive chapters. Each of these steps - a) focusing the reader, b) effective first-draft reading, c) deepening comprehension in second-draft reading, d) the importance of collaboration, e) the use of metaphor to deepen comprehension, and  f) strategies for meaningful reflection - is outlined by Gallagher in a straight-forward style and accompanied by practical classroom activities. In Deeper Reading, Gallagher shares classroom techniques (his and others') but does not quote research studies; instead, in an informal voice he "examines key reading issues" and "presents effective strategies teachers can use to move their students to the deepest levels of comprehesion"(8). While many of the examples he uses in the text are literature based, he artfully includes examples from challenging text (defined above,) and in Chapter 9, Gallagher takes the reader on a practical ride through what he convincingly calls "reading the world."  From euphemisms to political cartoons, from ill-used statistics to artwork, Gallagher insists on the teacher's commitment to being an artist, i.e., designing reading lessons which promote reading more than once, digging deep, talking about text with fellow learners, creating metaphor, and reflecting beyond text - into personal experience, and then on to community and global stages.  In a very reasonable rule-of-thumb "check point," he asks teachers to plan deep reading lessons by asking:  1) Without my help, what will students take from this reading?  2) With my help, what do I want my students to take from this reading?  3) How do I bridge the gap between what my students can learn alone and what I want them to learn? 4) How will I know (through well-planned assessment and deep reading lessons) if my students "got it"?  

        This volume is a comfortable read, reminiscent of the theory behind the 3-4 level comprehension guides and filled with concrete, well-explained examples.  Gallagher's sound advice and practical examples also bring into focus how much "reading the world" has grown in terms of the Internet, SPAM, Cradle-to-Grave Consumerism, (including but not limited to FOOD ads and labels,) the misleading ways that statistics can be/are used, how to "read" artwork, and more. Although Gallagher's approach does not include citing academic studies, he includes an 81-item reference list, examples from every content area, and a well-stated plea for teachers and students to define "readers" as those who read material purposefully and more than once.  He also offers user-friendly techniques to help student readers see relevance in their reading, think critically about the issues, and work collaboratively.  Gallagher achieves what he promises - the book speaks to teachers in a voice that is sometimes funny, sometimes touching, and always very real.  In his conversational style he asks simply: "If we don't do this, (teach students to "read the world,") who will?"  Reading comprehension is a complex skill, he reminds the reader of this volume, and what better goal can teachers have than to teach students what deeper readers do?  

         -Barb E., Dan K., Sherri L., and Ann M.