180 Days: Two Teachers and the Quest to Engage and Empower Adolescents

"How do you fit it all in?" It's the question every teacher asks. Constantly. And Kelly Gallagher and Penny Kittle effectively answer that question in 180 Days.Gallagher and Kittle have written a book based on a year of teaching in their own classrooms while located across the country from each other. They work with very different populations and differing sets of obstacles, and these issues are addressed in the book, too.The first part of the book is all about the planning stages. How do you manage to work in reading and writing every day in your English classroom? How do you manage to set up daily routines that encourage choice -- both in reading and writing? How do you grade (or what do you choose to not grade) when you expand the quantity and level of writing in your classroom? (See chapter 5!) Yes, they really do answer all of these questions.The second part of the book is all about setting up writing units that address all three genres (plus a multi-genre project). It is practical and easily able to be duplicated -- two things you can expect to see in all of Kittle and Gallagher's prior books. There are timetables, mini-lesson ideas, and broader writing piece ideas.In addition, there are videos linked that show conversations and teaching moments involving both authors, linked to specific content in the book. For example, if you are reading about using interactive notebooks in chapter two, there is a teaching clip video called "Notebook Tour" in which both the authors introduce the notebook to Kittle's class.If I had this book last summer, my current school year would have been much smoother. I look forward to using it this summer to plan out my next school year. This book is worth every penny (no pun intended)!

I originally read this for a college course but borrowed it from a friend. Now that I’m graduated and starting my career soon(ish) I wanted to have this as a good reference book. I went through it again and it has some great information that is easy to understand and apply.

During the pandemic I was seriously questioning my profession and if it was something I wanted to continue. Much like many teachers and students, I was burned out on distance learning and frustrated with my lack of connections and relationships with kids and colleagues. However, this book revived my drive and my energy for the coming year. I have taken so much from it that I’m going to implement in my classroom and I know that the relationships with my students in the years to come will be stronger and better than they ever have. Kittle and Gallagher give you insight into their classrooms and what has been successful for them. It is a great starting point for understanding how to set up time for reading, writing, and student conferences. This book is a read I highly recommend for any English teacher.

180 Days: Two Teachers and the Quest to Engage and Empower Adolescents describes the curricular plans and practices of two nationally renowned ELA teachers as they collaborated in cross-country classrooms during one school year in order to answer a question frequently asked of them by numerous educators: “How do you fit it all in?” The answer to this question, according to the authors, begins with educators prioritizing content, skills, and daily practices which align with their core beliefs about teaching (asking “Is it worth the time?” in addition to or instead of “How do you fit it all in?”). Much of this text focuses on the authors’ philosophies regarding student-centered teaching in the realms of reading and writing, such as creating engagement and identity in students served and establishing daily instructional routines which create momentum in the classroom. The first section of the book also discusses the authors' curricular plan/map of a year reading and writing instruction. Included in these chapters is information about developing timelines and essential questions, deciding which skills to highlight, planning for end-of-unit assessments, as well as a full chapter on balancing feedback, evaluation, and grading practices (authors are very holistic in their approach). The second half of the book focuses on teaching essential discourses in writing (narrative, informational, argument, and multigenre units). Overall, I am glad that I read this book, even though it did fall short of my expectations (I hold the authors in high regard and have thoroughly enjoyed reading previous works). The emphasis on instructional opinions/beliefs overshadowed instructional strategies, enough to tempt me to abandon the book during the first section. Very little attention was given to reading strategies (book mostly focuses on writing). The target audience also seems to be educators who teach in classrooms which fully espouse reading/writing workshop models and/or English classrooms in which writing is the main content taught (which narrows the degree to which ideas can be transferred/applied by teachers in different contexts). In spite of my lack of commonalities with issues just described, however, I was able to glean some good ideas about daily reading and writing instruction that I hope to implement in the classroom.

A great guide for teachers, writers and readers. An essential tool to understanding the adolescent mind and behavior on engaging and encouraging them to read and write. Helpful for teachers to prevent burn out and to be effective guides for future writers and readers.

This is by far the most helpful book I have ever found for an English teacher struggling with basic curriculum issues. I adapted it and have transformed my classes into communities of learners--I teach in a small Chicago public high school with many students who don't read habitually and who don;t like to write and those obstacles have largely disappeared in the first month and a half of school. The key is to break your class up into small chunks each of which brings in one of your year-long curriculum strands on a daily basis.

Kelly Gallagher is one of the best sources of engaging activities and all around pedagogy about teaching English. I highly recommend this book to anyone needing a boost of energy teaching this subject.

An easy read with thoughtful suggestions.