Just Read It: Unlocking the Magic of Independent Reading in Middle and High School Classrooms

Read widely and read often - create a classroom environment where independent reading thrives

Independent reading is more than just "drop everything and read" – it is a gateway to writing, critical thinking, discussion, and deeper learning. Author Jarred Amato, an accomplished middle and high school English teacher and founder of Project LIT Community, believes in the power of independent reading not only to turn around the reading attitudes of students but also to help them achieve huge gains in all areas of literacy, learning, and civic engagement.

Many teachers have pushed aside independent reading in the time crunch to teach all the content and skills in the curriculum ― or because of pressure to stay true to a traditional literary canon. Instead of looking at it as either/or, Just Read It shows teachers how to make independent reading "yes, and." Dr. Amato’s Read and WRAP (write, reflect, analyze, participate) framework helps teachers cultivate meaningful learning experiences with daily dedication of independent reading time, followed by writing, reflection, conversation, and community-building lessons and activities.

With thoughtful, student-centered structures and strategies to sustain independent reading success, this book

• Provides detailed insights on transforming the principles of access, choice, time, and community into actions
• Shows how to support student interests and varied reading levels
• Offers ready-to-go activities to initiate Read and WRAP routines at the start of the school year, keep momentum going, and finish the year strong to ensure continued literacy growth
• Demonstrates how to leverage student feedback to fine-tune the Read and WRAP routines
• Discusses various options for incorporating independent and whole-class novels into the curriculum
• Offers a game plan to "level up" IR, including how to launch and lead a Project LIT chapter

We live in a time when choosing what we read is critically important, and this book offers all the tools teachers need to guide students along the path to true literacy. Just Read It is perfect for anyone who believes in the power of books to change students’ lives and nurture a life-long love for reading.

Dr. Jarred Amato is an award-winning English teacher and the co-founder of Project LIT Community, a national grassroots literacy movement. Jarred enjoys reading, writing, and laughing alongside young people every day and collaborating with fellow educators to improve literacy access, attitudes, and outcomes. Jarred is a two-time MNPS Blue Ribbon teacher and the recipient of the Penguin Random House Teacher Award for Literacy and the Inspiring Educator Award from the Nashville Public Education Foundation. Jarred received his B.A. in English and History from Vanderbilt University, his M.A.T. from Belmont University, and his Ed.D. from Lipscomb University. After 13 years of teaching middle and high school English in Nashville, Jarred recently relocated to New Jersey, where he and his wife are attempting to keep up with their 2-year-old son.