How to Create a Community of Readers in Your Classroom * * * Presented by Daria Plumb Dundee Alternative High School

FACTS ABOUT TEENS & READING A 1999 survey conducted by SmartGirl.com and YALSA of 3,072 pre-teens & teens showed that 81% of girls & 62% of boys said they would read more if they had the time. The International Reading Association and the National Middle School Association say, “ … the data indicate that the level of student [reading] performance drops off in the middle- and high school years.” A student of Don Gallo’s conducted a survey of kids in a medium size city middle school which found that “only three out of the fifty-seven eighth graders surveyed checked the statement, ‘Teachers know what books students like.’”

Maryellen Cosgrove, Chris Crowe, Don Gallo, Ted Hipple, B.F. Skinner, Jim Trelease, Nancie Atwell, 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 their 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!!!

OK, but what do we do about those __________________ readers?

-- From Daniel Pennac’s Better Than Life 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.

My students would like add to this list: The right to choose a book by its cover. The right to read quietly; i.e. to not read out loud. The right to feel emotion—to laugh or cry—during a book. The right to talk about and discuss your book. The right to share your book with others. The right to read all kinds of books. The right to change books. The right to enjoy reading. The right to read a lot of books. The right to read anytime. The right to question the writer.

What MY Students Say English Teachers Need to Do to Help Students Become Readers: Get to know students and figure out what they like  Give a survey to help them find a genre they like, then help them find more books from that genre. Don’t pick boring books—provide books with lots of action and suspense. Let students choose their own books and have a selection of books teens actually want to choose from. Change up genres and have different authors who use different writing styles. Kids need to listen to a good book to get hooked / Read short, interesting stories out loud.

Don’t rush students through books / Let us read at our own pace. Realize that not everyone has the same interests. Don’t make students read a book they don’t like because they won’t understand it. Discuss and share stories that are interesting. Ask students more questions about how they feel about the book during a discussion. Steer away from required materials. Let students read to themselves IN SCHOOL. Allow us to change books. Don’t bombard us with work from the book. Give students books that are at their reading level.

USE YOUNG ADULT (OR JUVENILE) LITERATURE!

YA Lit is NOT… simple “problem novels” in which a one- dimensional main character faces a problem (death, alcoholism, rape, etc.) and resolves the problem by the end of the book. preachy and didactic and written to scare teens into behaving the “right way”. poorly written, simplistic, formula-driven literature (i.e., “fluff” or “trash”).

YA Literature IS: an extremely diverse and cutting-edge body of literature that encompasses ALL genres and formats (including one that isn’t even seen anywhere else, the novel-in-verse) and includes the same literary elements found in classic lit. written for and read by people in the age range. usually fast-paced. generally narrated from the 1 st person point of view by a teen protagonist.

usually on the theme of coming-of-age, but also utilizes other common literary themes, such as the hero’s journey and the quest. accessible and features characters and themes teens can relate to and are interested in. recognized each year by the American Library Association with the Newbery Award and the Printz Award (which awards books based solely on LITERARY MERIT ). Other awards which list literary merit as criteria: Whitbread Award, YALSA’s Best Books for Young Adults list, and ALAN’s Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award.

READ ALOUD!

The International Reading Association and the National Middle School Association say, that teachers should “provide opportunities for students to read material they choose and to be read to each school day.” Wendy Schwartz says, “Reading aloud by teachers, guest readers, and students is a valuable classroom activity to which substantial amounts of time should be allotted…It is especially beneficial for boys who may not be reading at other times and need to be introduced to the pleasure that reading provides.”

ALLOW STUDENT CHOICE!

The International Reading Association and National Middle School Association say, “Students must have many opportunities to choose reading materials that are interesting and engaging.” NCTE Guidelines On Reading, Learning to Read, and Effective Reading: An Overview of What We Know and How We Know It says, “Teachers provide effective reading instruction when they provide daily opportunities for students to read books of their own choice in school.”

DRIFT X series by Todd Strasser HOW ANGEL PETERSON GOT HIS NAME by Gary Paulsen BALL DON’T LIE By Matt de la Pena MONSTER NATION by Dan Rosenberg GIVE STUDENTS TIME TO READ IN SCHOOL

“Wiesendanger and Birlem (1984) noted that nine of the eleven research studies they analyzed presented evidence that students develop more positive attitudes towards reading in schools with SSR.” (Chow & Chou) Thomas Bean says, “Once books are chosen, students need an opportunity to study them. Quiet time for extended reading and time for talking about books are both crucial elements in incorporating young adult novels in the classroom. … When sustained silent reading works, its impact is substantial…In addition, the central intent of sustained silent reading is to develop a lifelong love of reading for pleasure ”

KNOW ABOUT YA LIT OR GET TO KNOW PEOPLE WHO KNOW YA LIT

Naked Reading by Teri Lesesne I Won’t Read and You Can’t Make Me: Reaching Reluctant Teen Readers by Marilyn Reynolds The Reading Zone: How to Help Students Become Skilled, Passionate, Habitual, Critical Readers by Nancie Atwell Making the Match: The Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right Time, Grades 6-12 by Teri Lesesne

A FEW OLD (BUT GOOD) ACADEMIC ARTICLES Crowe, Chris. “Dear Teachers: Please Help My Kids Become Readers.” English Journal. September 1999, Gallo, Donald R. “How Classics Create an Aliterate Society.” English Journal. January 2001, Hipple, Ted. “It’s the THAT, Teacher.” English Journal. March, 1997,

WEB RESOURCES

Give students time in class 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 students about what they do and don’t like in the book they are reading and VALUE THEIR OPINIONS! Allow/encourage students to recommend books to one another. Make sure students know it’s 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. How to Create a Community of Readers:

Stress the idea that your goal is to help students find a book that they actually enjoy. Subscribe to the Reader’s Bill of Rights Read the book, then see the movie. Allow students to “get comfortable” when they read. Have students personalize bookmarks and their reading journals. Display photos of YA authors & lists of their works in the classroom. Set aside one day per week for student book talks & discussion. Have students create their own book blogs or book trailers. Set up a school or classroom page on a website like Introduce your students to the websites and/or Facebook or MySpace pages of their favorite authors. Encourage students to interact with authors online.

For More Information and Ideas, Please Visit My Website: And My Blog