Tovani Chapter 6

"No one is smart enough to remember all that he knows."

    - Mark Twain

Tovani discusses the concept of holding thinking to remember and reuse. He starts the chapter by describing a drill he used in his class where he required his students to "read" a picture. Tovani begins by stating that students should begin making note of when they are thinking while reading by marking texts. While at first it can be frustrating, it is proven that students who mark their texts by highlighting or sticky notes are more likely to return to that text to reread or study it for tests. Students must be shown how to correctly mark texts in order for their efforts to be truly successful. He offers the example of Aaron, a difficult student who seemed to not even desire to put in the effort to be successful at annotation. However, after accidentally showing his paper to the class, Tovani discovered that Aaron had read the article, he simply failed to make the connection as to what he should write. Instead, he attempted to be intimidating and sarcastic. Now, Aaron has progressed greatly, and Tovani uses this example to encourage teachers not to become frustrated with students who appear to be failing. After this, Tovani offers several different ways in which teachers can encourage annotation and held thinking, without being boring or repetitive. Activities such as Whole-group thinking and double-entry diaries can encourage students to think about text in a new light. I plan on using some of the strategies that Tovani offers in my classroom someday, when students have difficulty understanding vocabulary or concepts in their secondary language.