Transcript Slide 1

Books to Let Reluctant Readers Discover
Who They Can Be
Presented by
Mary Arnold
Bonnie Kunzel
Teri Lesesne
Daria Plumb
Maryellen Cosgrove,
Chris Crowe,
Don Gallo,
Ted Hipple,
B.F. Skinner,
Jim Trelease,
The Commission on Reading (established by the US Senate),
the International Reading Association,
the National Middle School Association,
and many other researchers
stress the importance of teaching all students
(even advanced, secondary students)
to read for pleasure.
Increasing opportunities to read
for pleasure helps students to:
develop fluency,
build vocabulary,
raise reading level,
increase comprehension,
become more motivated to read,
gain knowledge of text structures,
adopt positive attitudes towards reading,
prepare to read and appreciate the classics,
&
IMPROVE THEIR PERFORMANCE
ON STANDARDIZED TESTS!!!
(Baines; Bean; Chou & Chow; Cosgrove; Crowe; NCTE’s Commission on Reading)
33 GIRLS
(ages 15-19)
45%
I would label myself as a nonreader
I feel that I'm a good reader
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Strongly Agree
Agree
No Opinion
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
64 BOYS
(ages 15-19)
60%
I would label myself as a nonreader
I feel that I'm a good reader
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Strongly Agree
Agree
No Opinion
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Self-Reported Reading Problems
May 2005 & September 2007 Comparison
It's hard to find stuff I like (write-in)
I have to REALLY like it to read it (write-in)
I have double-vision/words move (write-in)
Sept. '07
March '05
Hard to read if people are talking (write-in)
s hard to read if people are talking (write-in)
I'm a slow reader (write-in)
I can't remember what I read (write-in)
The words are blurry
I don't understand the vocabulary
It's hard to keep my place
I get headaches
I fall asleep
I can't focus on what I'm reading
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
• Give students class time to read
• Help students choose books that interest
them. Then, teach them HOW to choose
their own book.
• Remove the stress/pressure of assessment
(i.e. the book report, quizzes, tests).
• Talk to them about what they like and don’t
like in the book they are reading. VALUE
THEIR OPINIONS!
• Allow/encourage students to recommend
books to one another. CREATE A
COMMUNTIY OF READERS.
• Make it OK to skim the boring parts.
• Don’t fall prey to the “myths” of what a
reluctant reader will & won’t read—each kid
is different and will have different wants &
needs.
• Stress the idea that your goal is to help them
to find a book that they actually enjoy.
• Subscribe to the Reader’s Bill of Rights
Readers have:
• The right to not read.
• The right to skip pages.
• The right to not finish.
• The right to reread.
• The right to read anything.
• The right to escapism.
• The right to read anywhere.
• The right to browse.
• The right to read out loud.
• The right not to defend your tastes.
—Pennac, Daniel, Better Than Life, Coach House Press, 1996.
Topics my students want to read about
80 Boys & 37 Girls
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
WANT TO GET YOUR
STUDENTS READING?
Add these books to your
classroom library
Great Professional
Resources
Making the Match: The Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right Time,
Grades 6-12 and Naked Reading by Teri Lesesne
How to Get Your Child to Love Reading
500 Great Books for Teens by
by Esme Raji Codell
Anita Silvey
I Won’t Read and You Can’t Make Me:
Reaching Reluctant Teen Readers
by Marilyn Reynolds
Connecting with Reluctant Teen
Readers: Tips, Titles, and Tools
by Patrick Jones, Maureen L.
Hartman, and Patricia Taylor
• Crowe, Chris. “Dear Teachers: Please Help My
Kids Become Readers.” English Journal.
September 1999, 139-142.
• Gallo, Donald R. “How Classics Create an
Aliterate Society.” English Journal. January
2001, 33-39.
• Hipple, Ted. “It’s the THAT, Teacher.” English
Journal. March, 1997, 15-17.
For More Information,
Please Visit My Website:
www.GETEMREADING.com