4 Essential Studies

Essay. Poetry. Book Clubs. Digital Composition. Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher extend their work in 180 Days: Two Teachers and the Quest to Engage and Empower Adolescents by taking a deep dive into four essential studies. Their aim is to move beyond compliance and formula, and to develop students' agency, independence, and decision-making skills. These four practices, they argue, have the power to transform students' relationship with literacy-and truly prepare them for the more demanding work of college.
A central belief underlies each of the four studies-that composing involves choosing, picking among options. It is not following a pre-set pattern. But if students are to make these choices, they need to be aware of the moves and possibilities open to them. That's what this book does-it shows how teacher demonstrations, the skillful use of mentor texts, effective feedback (and many other tools) can make choices possible.
By reimagining how we teach essay, poetry, book clubs, and digital composition, we can open the door to more engaged, connected, and challenging learning. Introduction: Who is Making the Decisions?
Chapter 1-Part I-Teaching the Essay as an Artform
Chapter 1-Part II-Teaching the Essay as an Artform
Chapter 1-Part III-Teaching the Essay as an Artform
Chapter 2-Part I-Book Clubs-The Best Teacher of Reading is the Reading
Chapter 2-Part II-Book Clubs-The Best Teacher of Reading is the Reading
Chapter 2-Part III-Book Clubs-The Best Teacher of Reading is the Reading
Chapter 3-Part I-Poetry-The Potential for Unexpected Things
Chapter 3-Part II-Poetry-The Potential for Unexpected Things
Chapter 3-Part III-Poetry-The Potential for Unexpected Things
Chapter 4-Part I-Digital Composition-Crossing Genre Boundaries
Chapter 4-Part II-Digital Composition-Crossing Genre Boundaries
Chapter 4-Part III-Digital Composition-Crossing Genre Boundaries
Last Words