Reading Ladders by Teri Lesesne LIBM 6371 Designing Info Programs

“You mean you have to go to school to do that?” Need to be able to communicate to naysayers that lit for teens is not some sort of dumbed- down version of real literature. A good deal of classic lit was written for adults with adult experiences and knowledge. A good deal of classic lit can be relevant to today, but a bridge to it needs to be built.

Rigor YA Lit: Has subtance, style, & structure Sophistication of thought, depth of character development, stylistic choices & mastery of language

Relevance YA Lit: Has a connection to the reader (challenges & joys of being a teen) Meaning in the reader vs meaning in the text

Relationships YA Lit: Builds relationships Creates empathy

Response YA Lit: There is no one correct interpretation of a piece of lit.

Lincoln Logs: How We Begin to Build Lifelong Readers Reading Aloud – 15 minutes a day, minimum 3 days a week Access to Books – Can’t sustain a habit without access Models of Literacy – They must see you engaged Tim to Read – Practice makes perfect

Readers are made, not born. Non-readers are made, not born.

Motivating Readers Real motivation is intrinsic & leads to engagement Motivation can be extrinsic, but hard to sustain

3 Variables of Producing Effect Book Variables – Title – Cover – Opening paragraph – Form & format – Genre – Style

3 Variables of Producing Effect Student Variables – Gender

3 Variables of Producing Effect School Variables – Classroom Libraries – books & comfortable seating – School Libraries – regular access & controlled choices – Administrative Support – funding & modeling

Creating Lifelong Readers Classroom Library – Appeal – Appropriate – Qualities – Gender – Arrangement – Read them All

Creating Lifelong Readers Reading Aloud – Models fluency & how a book should sound – Motivates readigin – Develops listening skills & reading comprehension Booktalking – The “right” book – those that don’t sell themselves, but should – The “right” way to tell – whet the appetitie – Connect one book to another - segue

Building Reading Ladders Horizontal Reading – read books serially or by author Vertical Reading – moving upward, often without bridges Reading Ladders take students from one level of reading to the next logical level.

Getting Started What is a reading ladder – a series or set of books that are related in some way & demonstrate a gradual development from simple to more complex. How do reading ladders work – they provide scaffolding to help readers find a book “just like” the one just finished. How do I get started – survey the kids

Getting Started How can I make students more independent – readers need to have many successful experiences with books before they are ready to be independent. How many steps should there be in a ladder – depends on the students & where we want to go.

Creating a Reading Ladder Pick a bottom rung or two – should be accessible for the class/student Pick a top rung Fill in the subsequent rungs Start small initially Model Remember genres, student interests, reading levels Include student input on developing ladders