“So many books, so little time.”
Last night, well a couple of days ago by the time this is published, my husband installed our son’s bookcase.
I am so very excited! Books are so important for children—for so many reasons; they increase vocabulary, comprehension, critical thinking, analytical skills, imagination and creativity. And as an English teacher it is only natural, or should be anyway, to seek to quickly instill a love of reading in my child.
Unfortunately, not all children have this instilled within them, and of course some children whose parents try to instill it, well, it just doesn’t take. They are their own individuals with their own individual likes and dislikes after all. And it goes without saying that this only makes the teacher’s job a little more challenging. I certainly didn’t want my students to dread my class or our reading material so I tried to make it as engaging and relevant as possible.
Below are some tips and tricks to help build that love of literacy foundation for those reluctant readers. These tips, though geared toward the ELA classroom can be applied to any subject since all classes need some solid, basic reading skills.
Start each class with a short and relevant reading passage.
Short is key. Make it a bell starter type of activity. A content or lesson relevant paragraph that is interesting (not just to you as the instructor, hahaha) and, if you can or time permits, facilitate a brief discussion about it. For example, science or history teachers may read something of a new scientific or historical discovery. Display key points for students that jive with the day’s material, or chunk the article and have them read it over the course of the week and then facilitate a recap of it the whole piece once the reading is completed.
Make reading relevant.
It’s important that reading be relevant to the subject content, but it’s also important that it be connected to life in general. When students can see how the reading applies to real life, they, as a general rule, become more engaged and invested in the reading. Take for example, a reading of The Giver and pair it with an article on China’s social credit system. (I actually have a lesson on this, with an original article, for Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” available here.) When students are able to see how some of the dystopian traits play out in real life, they are able to become more aware of the world around them and realize how life is vastly different in many places around the world. American students often live in a bubble and this helps poke a little pinhole in it. As the children become more aware of the world around them, they are able to think more critically and ask more, and deeper, questions.
Keep a weekly motif.
If you’re a social studies teacher, this can be done very easily with an “On this date in history” type of excerpt. However, if you teach something like math or science, you may need to get a little creative with your texts. Do a week on famous mathematicians or mathematics in film, (some Good Will Hunting or A Beautiful Mind clips anyone??). Provide a paragraph a day for a week on jobs that involve math skills and why those skills are integral to the career. It’s interesting how many students will say they want to go into a medical profession…but severely struggle in math and science.
Let students pick topics or generate reading ideas.
This one can be tricky for sure, because many students love to veer so much off topic. However, there are always some students who throw out genuinely good ideas because they want to delve deeper. When this happens, and it always does even if it’s not the majority of students, it’s a great opportunity to build up the students who sought the additional knowledge and growth, and thereby encourage other students to do the same. Plus, it gives them some stake in their learning and allows them to see that you give some value to their ideas.
Facilitate their reading.
Higher-level classes are able to read well independently, but the lower-level classes oftentimes need assistance even with basic phonetics. Despite working with high school students, it is not safe to assume that they have proper reading fluency. I remember when I was in high school, a very long time ago in the last great decade, the 90s, and we were reading Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.” There’s a line in the play that says, “The devil’s a wily one.” My classmate (I actually remember the kid’s name still!) reading it said “The devil’s a willy one.” And he was not corrected. And I looked him like did you not hear how what you said did not even make sense? But, clearly, he did not. Then, lo and behold, 19 years later, there I was teaching “The Crucible” to Juniors…and the child reading that line says…. “The devil’s a willy one.” And I thought, wow, some things apparently do not change. Except that I definitely corrected him.
Facilitate their comprehension.
Continuing the no assumptions thread, just because students have good reading fluency, doesn’t mean that they are actually comprehending the material. When I started teaching I was often surprised at how well some students read while actually taking in very little of the material. Break down, or chunk, the reading for the students to make it more manageable. Not that it needs to be perfectly, crystal clear, after all they need to exercise those inference and critical thinking skills, but it’s good to stimulate their thinking with guiding questions so that you can ensure they are coming to the proper conclusions. Unless of course it’s open-ended material, in which case questions just stimulate good discussion.
Lastly, and this is the easiest one, talk to students about what you have read recently.
This needn’t been anything in depth, but it can not only build some subject interest, but also build rapport. I recently had a student who rode and showed horses competitively. Now, I know nothing of this world, but Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand is my favorite book, so I can draw a connection and encourage reading there. I mean, if nothing else read that chapter between Seabiscuit and War Admiral. I love it. I’ve read the whole book three times, but I’ve read just that chapter several more. So good! I mean, I am at the race when I read it. And it’s those types of little things that can really help engage students and help lay a nice, solid, and enjoyable literacy foundation.
Now granted, these tips and tricks won’t hook every student, but for many they will prove invaluable to a child’s lifelong education. Students may not realize it or appreciate it at the time, but reading and comprehension are key building blocks to a successful life. One day, they will hopefully look back with gratefulness at how their parents and teachers gave them strong materials to build with.
In need of some ELA building blocks? I have a complete novel unit for Lois Lowry’s The Giver and Laurie Halse Anderson’s Fever 1793. The Giver comes as a mega-bundle and is also available in individual chapter analyses and activities. Fever 1793 has not yet been bundled, and so is a la carte. Both units, however, are filled with lessons that will build background knowledge and enhance comprehension and retention!
And just in case you want that “Harrison Bergeron” and China social credit score lesson, here is that too!
Happy Teaching!
M.D. Saints
Reading the Rapids
Liberty Dog Writing Co.
These girls may not know how to read, but they sure are good dogs and they love goodnight, night-night treats! Yes, they get fruit as their night-night treat. They love blueberries. X)
