This past year at the NCTE annual convention, I had the opportunity to see Sarah Honore present on microtexts--using short, bite-sized pieces of writing from more contemporary genres to teach the same skills we would with longer texts. After teaching AP Lang for many years without a textbook and using no more than two full-length texts each year, I know how impactful short texts can be. So grabbing Carlton's book "Short Texts, Big Impact" was a no brainer.

In each of the three sections of this book, the reader can find an overview of the benefits of teaching short texts for the skill addressed (reading, writing, assessment), as well as a handful of ready-to-implement strategies. Each strategy comes with a description, a step-by-step guide to using it in your classroom, ideas for extending it to emerging, struggling, and experienced learners. I adore when authors of pedagogical texts give me applicable strategies I can use the next day if I want, rather than just the theory/importance. The most effective parts of this book for me were these strategies, which not only gave me new ideas from the author to try, but inspired me to revise/alter some of the practices I already have in place in my classroom.

This book is quite short (only about 100 pages of actual text to read), but some of the introductory sections felt unnecessary to me. Given the title and content of the text, the audience would likely know, for instance, the stages of the writing process or how to execute a close read. I understood these sections to be a general argument for short texts generally, but didn't feel it was necessary for the purpose of this text. Additionally, the book says it is marketed for K-12, but it read more like it was intended for upper middle/high school with some extensions for younger students. Since I haven't taught elementary, I can't speak to how applicable these strategies would be for younger learners, but I'm sure a few could be used effectively. My last hope from this text was that there would be a more robust list of shorter texts or places to find shorter texts online/print. I've been growing my own spreadsheet for quite some time, but would have loved to add more pieces to it!

If you are a high school teacher who does any kind of reading or writing in the classroom (and not just English class), this is a quick book that will feel worth the time spent reading it.

I don't know about the Western world, but teachers in Estonia are mainly educated theoretically. They learn grammar, read classical literature, and write lesson plans. Yet, practical tips on how to organize an interesting lesson, analyze a text, or maintain discipline in a class are missing. With the mind-numbing advance of ChatGPG, the need for analysis, of texts or grammar, has been in decline. Why bother writing an essay if AI can do it for you much quicker and with no effort from your side? For students of multiple minorities, the challenge of expressing themselves in a foreign language seems unsurmountable.

SHORT TEXTS, BIG IMPACT: 35 STRATEGIES FOR STRENGTHENING READING AND WRITING SKILLS by Kim Carlton provides practical guides to two activities that can fill the gaps in education. The techniques in the book suit both native-language speakers and multilingual students as well as aspiring young writers who struggle with the blank page. From her experience, the author concludes that reading short texts in depth, sentence by sentence or even word by word, is more beneficial than prodding through lengthy classical works with almost no time for their analysis. The same is true for writing: short writing exercises don't create anxiety in students while allowing a teacher to quickly give meaningful feedback or grade work. Some activities like writing captions to memes and drawing comics will certainly be entertaining for modern students with short attention spans. With little preparation beforehand (thanks to the book's appendix), teachers can make their lessons more effective.

I'd recommend SHORT TEXTS, BIG IMPACT to teachers and parents alike.

I received an advanced review copy from Netgalley, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

This book will be so valuable to any new or current educator who is looking for ways to engage students in learning using short texts. The strategies are relevant to all grade levels, and I love that the author considered English-language learners as well. This was an easy read, and the organization will make it easy to find certain strategies to use while creating a lesson plan. I will be purchasing a hard copy to keep on my shelf and to share with colleagues.

Oh, I loved this one- the Writer in me enjoyed this because I am currently fascinated by the Wordpress Daily Prompts where you get a simple question or just a word prompt and can blog about it. It's a rather interesting way to keep writing and learning and exploring what you believe or know about certain topics.
There are two things that I definitely know this book helps work on and these are:
-Ways to use microwriting, mentor texts, anchor charts, sticky note revision, and writer’s notebooks.
-How to use real-world examples, such as social media posts, photo captions, TikToks, memes, and songs to boost student engagement.

It's not just for students but for anyone who loves writing.
If you also love bullet journaling, there are some amazing practical tips here that will keep you writing.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

This book has so many helpful and practical strategies for reading short texts and writing short texts. The author did a good job of emphasizing that teachers shouldn’t ONLY use short texts - reading full novels and plays is still important, but starting with shorter texts can build student confidence. I appreciated the specific strategies, including how to adjust tools for different grade levels or even different classes (e.g., history or science, not just English/Language Arts). I feel validated in some strategies I’m already using, and hopeful about trying some new tools, too!

I’m a bit disappointed that the book included some suggestions for how to use AI, because the more I learn about AI, the more I’m convinced that it’s unethical (unless used for necessary medical purposes), and I definitely don’t think we should outsource our teaching to AI. The book is right to point out that humans must stay at the center of teaching, including lesson planning and giving feedback, because we have the true intelligence and compassion and nuance necessary to give our students the instruction and care they need. I also felt that in the section on feedback, it would have been stronger to use standards-based rubrics.

Overall, this is a short and sweet guide with so many great strategies for teachers. I give it 4.5 stars rounded up to 5, and recommend it warmly to educators.

Thank you to NetGalley and Teacher Created Materials for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions. This review is crossposted on Goodreads, and will be posted on Amazon and Instagram within a week of the book’s publication.