Independent/silent student reading is a practice used by many teachers, often at the beginning of lessons. Some argue that this is not effective use of classroom time, and that teachers use the 10-15 minutes as an "unscheduled preparation block" to the disservice of students. Others argue that making time for reading in school is essential to developing literacy skills, as many students will not read on their own time. Debate aside, what strategies can teachers use to make the most of this chunk of time, and turn the reluctant, disengaged readers in their class into motivated, confident ones?
Jinder Dhami of the Cowichan Valley School District motivates his struggling readers by making reading material interactive and more reflective of students' lived experience. With his grade 6 class, he created "digital storybooks" where students would photograph places or things (not people) in their community and create a narrative around the photo. He then works with students to develop the language and grammar of their stories, after which the story is published digitally for all students to access on their iPads. Students have expressed a great deal of interest and engagement in their peers' stories. His next step is to advance the texts to different Reading Levels so that they will challenge and engage students of different ages.
Building a sense of personal connection to written material can enhance Reader Motivation a great deal. How do you engage your students in independent reading? Comment below!
source: Learn Magazine, Summer/Fall 2013, page 17-18
Jinder Dhami of the Cowichan Valley School District motivates his struggling readers by making reading material interactive and more reflective of students' lived experience. With his grade 6 class, he created "digital storybooks" where students would photograph places or things (not people) in their community and create a narrative around the photo. He then works with students to develop the language and grammar of their stories, after which the story is published digitally for all students to access on their iPads. Students have expressed a great deal of interest and engagement in their peers' stories. His next step is to advance the texts to different Reading Levels so that they will challenge and engage students of different ages.
Building a sense of personal connection to written material can enhance Reader Motivation a great deal. How do you engage your students in independent reading? Comment below!
source: Learn Magazine, Summer/Fall 2013, page 17-18