Beers discusses the importance of book selection and offers several great suggestions to encourage reluctant readers to read in chapter 14. She begins with an important point: As teachers we cannot use ourselves as guides for what makes a good book for our students. It is important to determine the features that they want to see in a book. She did this by asking reluctant readers what they like to see in a book if they absolutely have to read one. Many responses to this question will be irrelevant; however, some responses may help determine crucial features for the perfect text for your students.
The number one suggestion Beers provides us to motivate reluctant readers, in my opinion, is getting to know your readers interests. As a teacher, it is paramount that you take the time to get to know your students. By doing so, you will have infinite opportunities to adapt lessons to better suit their interests, including the books they read. I also love the idea of book talks/reading as a tease. After every class we have had this year, I always have a new book I want to read because Dr. Pytash has given us a preview of a book---generally at a pretty juicy part. This is an excellent idea to get readers excited. Booktalks are always a great tool too. I find myself continuously doing this with my friends about books that we have recently read. Both of these suggestions are vital to encourage students to read.
This chapter also has several great resources for finding appropriate books for ourselves and our students. I really enjoyed reading this chapter because I believe it is paramount that we learn how to find the right book so we can enjoy reading. We (teachers) have to make reading enjoyable for students so they want to read and ultimately become successful readers.
I can't imagine just choosing a book/text for my students to read without considering if it was at all appealing to them! After all, I don't read things I'm not particularly interested in. Between Dr. Pytash and Beers, I have lots of great resources to find reading material that will appeal to my students.
ReplyDeleteI too left class many times with a new book added to may list of "I want to read." Reading aloud at a critical point in the book and stopping just before the real juicy part is a great suspense building technique.
I just wish I had more free time to read for pleasure!
Good points... it is so important to know your students and the field of YA literature... finding the "right" book can be difficult and time consuming, but definitely worth it!
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