Great YouTube video on why we need to teach content in order to create better readers. With experience teaching in four very different schools, I can easily understand why this is true. My rural students don't have much exposure to the outside world and therefor lack the background knowledge to make connections in their reading. Some of the kids who have the most difficult time with it have been labeled as SpEd - "language deficient" - when I believe they just need exposure to some interesting content. (Oh yeah, and maybe some higher expectations would be helpful!) Okay, off of my soapbox for now...