The Novelty of Reading

There's something about the novelty of chance that's always appealing, so why not let it work for you?

Remember that Christmas ornament swap game?  It can get downright cutthroat, always a fun scenario around the holidays.

Here's how it goes:

Everyone brings a wrapped ornament and tosses it in a community pile.

Everyone draws a slip of paper with a number.

The person with the number "1" unwraps a gift, shows it off and sits down.

Person 2 may "steal" the ornament that's already unwrapped or pick from the pile.

Person 3 may nab either ornament or pick from the pile.

Any time someone's ornament is taken, the person returns to the pile for a new one.

And so on, and so on, and Scooby dooby doo-bee.

Here's how you can make this work for you:
Get a whole bunch of short high interest books of a similar size.  These could be read in 15ish minutes.
Stuff them in a bag/ box.
Let kids draw numbered slips of paper.
Same idea with the ornaments...but unless you want to wrap all of those books, just let the kids pick from the bag without looking.
The kids show off their book.
Subsequent players may steal or pick something from the bag.

EVERYBODY READS.   Will they complain?   Yeah.  But not for too long.  You've heard worse.

If your school uses the Accelerated Reader program, kids then take an open book test.   Then they want to read another book.

Children can switch titles with a friend or pick something new from the bag, once they are done with their first book.

The key is using high interest books with a visual element. Bigfoot, monster trucks, NASCAR, Disgusting Bugs, Area 51, Bermuda Triangle, ESP, sharks, urban legends, movie monsters, bats, hunting, extreme sports...you get the picture.

These books are usually expensive, but they are worth the investment.  A wide sampling of kids love them, and they are an easy way to build cultural literacy and general background knowledge.

Paperback Hoarders

When your school library is chock full of selections, and teachers do not have a check-out limit, you don't really need to stock a classroom library.   Page also allows children with fines to borrow leveled books, since those are purchased with grade level funds.   Basically, there's no excuse for being without a something to read.

But...if you have piles and piles of paperbacks, why not turn them into a cache of reading material for your classroom?   There's probably a store near you that allows you to do just that.   Familiarize yourself with the business first.   There might be a minimal fee for considering the books for trade.   This is a fee that you pay even if some of your books are turned away.   Determine how much credit that you get based on the book's cover price and the store's posted policy.   Is that credit limited to the same genre?   For example, say your grandmother donates all of her Harlequin Romance novels to you.   Will you only be able to choose books of the same genre?   Not exactly what you had in mind for your classroom, is it?

Once you've decided to gather up gently used paperbacks, tell your friends and family.   Maybe they want to donate a portion of their hoard to your cause.   If people have given books to your classroom that are not popular with your grade level, turn them in and switch them out.   They'll understand.

I just cleaned the shelves of all of the good young adult literature in a certain Newport News shop, so you may want to try another spot for now.

Or is it time for you to power up with some books that have nothing to do with your classroom?  There's nothing wrong with that.

One more thing before I go, what's with that kid that has library fines all year long?   I mean, you take your students every two weeks just so that doesn't happen, right?   Psssst...if your library doesn't allow kids with fines to take a book home with them, I'd be willing to bet that kid does not want to read.   Don't let cash stand in the way of quite-possibly-the-best-book-ever.   Make a plan to block all of his/her attempts to avoid reading early.   Build in some success with the most irresistible books you know.  
  

Laura Robb: Your Fairy Godmother

Having studied to teach high school English, my first year at the helm in 8th grade was a real eye-opener for me.   It was the year I discovered that some 8th graders have never read a chapter book/ novel on their own-- ever.   Seriously.

I had an excellent English education at Menchville High School and Christopher Newport University to prepare me for the canon of literature that I would most likely teach as a high school English teacher.   But none of the classes really addressed the reluctant reader, the painfully slow reader, the special needs reader, the non-reader, the dependent reader, the ADHD reader, the dyslexic reader, the resentful reader, etc.   And I wasn't teaching high school.   You get the picture.  

For 11 years I have been storing up some tricks in my bag to share with you, but that could take a lot of Blogging.   I want to give you a jump start with the common sense advice of Laura Robb.

Who is Laura Robb?   First of all, she is a teacher who is still teaching.   That means a lot to me if I am going to spend time trying out someone else's lessons in my classroom.   Educational research is important, but I can't replicate a lesson that requires me to be in five places at once because I do not have an aide, college professor, graduate student and two parent volunteers with me to implement it.   I can be realistic and optimistic at the same time, but most days it's just me and the kiddos without a net.

What else does Mrs. Robb do?   Find out here: http://www.lrobb.com/web/guest/home

My favorite part about Mrs. Robb is that she has written several books for Scholastic on best practices for teaching reading and writing in the middle school.   Several are available from Amazon.com.

It's a strange place, middle school.   Most of the research out there focuses on catching reading issues early in elementary school and putting interventions in place.   Even if this is done well, some teenagers still struggle to read at grade level.   I have taught students before who have tested on a first, second, third grade level in eighth grade.    It's a frightening, exciting challenge.   There isn't a lot of magic on hand for any instant fixes, but let Mrs. Robb help you along the way.

I'm sure I'll mention her again later, but allow me to start you off with my two favorite activity books.

For reading: 50 Fabulous Discussion-Prompt Cards for Reading Groups: Snap-Apart Question Cards That Build Comprehension & Spark Great Discussions About Character, Plot, Setting, Theme & More

For writing: Brighten Up Boring Beginnings and Other Quick Writing Lessons: 10- to 15-Minute Mini-Lessons and Reproducible Activities That Sharpen Students' Writing Skills

Let me close with this.   A few years back, Mrs. Robb taught a lesson on "Harrison Bergeron" to one of my reading classes.   I can't remember why she was there in my small town, but I know that I truly enjoyed spending time in her classroom and so did my students.   (No one misbehaved, much to my relief.)   When I e-mailed her post-tornado about these two activity books that I could not find on Amazon, she mailed them to me with her good wishes.   She also mailed a few other resources and had Scholastic do the same.  

It was another reminder to me that none of us can do what we do alone.   You may have a really great day teaching, and you should pat yourself on the back, but a lot of amazing people helped you get you where you are today.   And they are still wishing you well from their little corners of the world.   Don't forget to plug into the energy of all of that goodness on those days that exhaust you.

Thanks to Laura Robb, Scholastic, Christopher Newport University's Dr. Scott Pollard and art teacher Rob Mercer for restocking my Robb resources.