ABSTRACT
Schools today are full of students who are struggling for one reason or another. Students closely watch their teachers—even when the adolescents seem preoccupied with a dozen nonacademic distractions—so it’s important for the reader to model effective learning habits. Clarissa’s transformation was not instantaneous, miraculous, or isolated. It resulted from a calculated team effort to place reading center stage in all subject areas. The impact of focusing on reading across the team amazes the reader year after year. The upcoming end-of-year test would determine whether or not he would advance to high school, and Steven was terrified of failing. Visualization guides used in all subject areas eventually double as guides for large-group discussions, which they call share circles. In hindsight, that sounds like a simple concept, but it represented a revolutionary event for a team, moving the reader from a group of people sharing a schedule to an integrated unit responsible for the success of all members.
