Maryanne Wolf is a teacher and scholar who researches and advocates for children’s literacy. She is the author of numerous books and academic articles, including Proust and the Squid: The Story and...

Maryanne Wolf is a teacher and scholar who researches and advocates for children’s literacy. She is the author of numerous books and academic articles, including Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain (2007), Tales of Literacy for the 21st Century (2016), and Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World (2018). She has taught at institutions including Tus University, where she directed the Center for Reading and Language Research, and UCLA, where she is the Director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice. The essay below appeared in the Guardian in 2018 as part of their weekly “Ideas for America” essay series.

Before you read, think about what you skim read. Do you skim websites, your assigned readings for your classes, other kinds of texts?

As you read, consider how Wolf uses research to support her proposal. Is this effective? Explain your answer.