Here are some comments from students about the Reader's Handbook for grades 9-12.


The chapter is very easy to read and could be understood by varying reading levels. The language and tone is on the teens' level. It's not another boring textbook. Excellent tips and advice. Examples are very helpful. I would feel I actually learned something from a textbook and wasn't bored by it.

Alexandra Heerlein      

I loved the Elements of Poetry. What a great idea. . . with each element there are great examples and descriptions. . . . This gives each aspect of poetry meaning, so each student will understand.

Michele Jett      

The idea of underlining or highlighting is great. My best English teacher told me this, and it's helpful, especially for tests and quizzes. Keeping track of characters is an important thing. Character graphs are a great way to do them. "Theme" has always confused me. The theme organizer would help me!

Michael Brotz      

First, I would like to say that this is written very well. I usually do not take interest in these kinds of readings, but this one kept my interest. I like the fact that there are examples for everything. I knew what every diagram should look like and how to fill it in. I also thought that the little "note" boxes were helpful and kept me aware of what was happening.

Melissa Holdorf      

I really liked that the book gave goals, checklists, and previews. For example, after reading "The Indian Dog," the sentence outline helped to visualize what our outlines should look like. Creating an outline helps you decide what was important in the essay.

Chelsea Duke      

I liked the way the reading was organized. The headings and numbers were very helpful and easy to follow. It made understanding and absorbing the reading easier. I found the excerpts of actual textbooks in the "Reading Textbooks" section to be quite helpful as well, and the methods of note-taking were clearly organized and illustrated. The method of reading explained with the previewing, note-taking, and finding a purpose, was exactly the type of reading teachers stress in high school.

Melinda Favreau      

I felt that this was an excellent handbook. It was thorough and it explained things extremely well. I liked how the handbook broken down the steps of analyzing stories. I liked the examples of diagrams and what-not. . . . I also liked the notes and previews of the short story. Those were helpful. It is an excellent handbook. The breakdowns and explanations are good. The text and layout of the pages were good, too.

Laura Belland      

The documentation section was very helpful. In high school teachers expect the student to document perfectly. This section really helped define the difference between MLA and APA. That is always confusing for me. I will even use that in college. Lastly, the research diagram will be very helpful for high school students. It will help them to organize.

Jillian Lueschow      

The information offered is useful and well presented. Reading this would assist many people prior to tests. The organization and presentation of the material is clear and helpful.

Jacob Winkler      

I like how the beginning of each section sets goals for the following reading. This sets clearly what you should learn. Charts, tables, etc., anything visual is good. Summing up at the end of the section is good for a general overview of what was learned. Reading is easy to understand, easy to follow.

Holly Michels      

I liked how the reading was clearly outlined with what the goals were for the reader to learn. This made it easier for the reader to know what they were expected to learn. I liked how the reading gave different ways the reader could understand and remember what they were reading.

Carisa Clark      

The reading teaches you how to analyze and organize. (e.g., inference chart.) It appeals to the visual learner with charts and webs (e.g., key words/symbols web). The reading contained excellent tips that apply to all genres of literature and to all age groups.

Ashlea Shaffers      

I enjoyed the "reading critically" part of Reading a News Story because it shows how I should ask myself questions during the reading. Throughout the book, we are given a "heads up" to what we should be looking for in our reading. For example, at the end of an introduction or if repeated words were used, the book showed us what to look for. Overall, one of my favorite tips from the Reader's Handbook was the example of questions we should be asking ourselves before and after the readings.

Chelsea Duke      


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