I think it is interesting how the tide has turned in the public schools from math and science focus a few years ago to reading focus today. I'm guessing it is because students tend to have a pretty hard time learning math and science without strong reading skills. I think it is extrememly important to teach students how to read well. For a strong reader it seems like a no-brainer skill. However, for whatever reason, not everybody's brain is wired to read well. And by well I mean quickly and fluently--to read and achieve a set purpose. And some of the skills of good readers are not obvious to everyone. Even something as simple as, "Keep the discusion questions in mind while you read." Some students think that they will just remember everything. And knowing it is okay to reread something, or knowing when a text is above your comprehension level. A friend of mine gave me a book he just finished reading about Abraham Lincoln. I couldn't make it through the first chapter. It was kind of interesting, but I didn't really have the political or historical knowledge necessary to put the information into perspective. It was a good reminder to choose appropriate readings for all of my students.
I think textbook selection is one of the trickiest tasks EVER! I'd hate to have to write one. No one book can cover every skill, and if it did it would be so long and complicated nobody would want to use it. I think suplementing materials is a given for every teacher. Even where I taught last year, the curriculum was scripted so we were not expected to suplement materials, but everyone still did (although it was kind of done behind closed doors).
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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In my case, when I started to teach I was so dependent on the course book chosen by school board. By the time I realized that the book merely was not sufficient I started to look for some other sources. As you said it is a fact that no course book is perfect so it is necessary to collect our materials among them.
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