Links I Loved Last Week: A Round-Up of Online Reading 2/15/15

Donalyn Miller has written a doozy of a post on the research that supports independent reading–and it’s a pretty substantial body of research. She also addresses the perplexing situation that many English teachers find themselves in: “Why must English teachers constantly defend the need for students to practice reading and writing in a class dedicated to reading and writing?” This post is going to be required reading in ALL of my classes. Thanks, Donalyn!

Amy at Three Teachers Talk makes a very persuasive case that students in AP courses need choice in their reading lives.

And just in case you’re STILL not convinced, Shana at Three Teachers Talk reminds us that our job is to teach readers, not books.

Just in time for testing season madness, Katherine Sokolowski writes a beautiful piece reminding us to focus on what we know about our students and our classrooms.

I haven’t figured out how my classes are going to participate in March Book Madness yet, but we totally are. Tony Keefer convinced me!

Pernille Ripp writes the most interesting blog posts just based on feedback she gets from her students. Here’s what they wish we teachers knew about assigning homework.

Jess Lifshitz writes about Why Kids Think the Word “Gay” Is a Swear Word–and how teachers can start changing that.

Lee & Low identifies 7 core values to celebrate during Black History Month and has book recommendations for each value as well as links to other resources about teaching diversely and a reminder that students shouldn’t only learn about Black History during February. (Hear, hear!)

Gawker has a great interview with one of my favorite new YA authors, Jason Reynolds.