When I taught LA I had my low level students keep a journal. They each had a list of open ended questions in the cover of that journal. From the list they had to select and respond to one or two of the questions. In the beginning I kept the list small focusing on connecting, visualizing, character description or comparisons, etc. This gives them a focus when reading. I added onto the list as the year went on and again students had choice in what they selected.
I also allow these students to self select their books. I select several different titles to choose from and then they select from there. That avoids I hate this book, I just can't get into it, etc. etc. Also, keeping magazines, national geographic, time, newsweek, SCOPE, etc. are another good source of reading materials for kids who only like non-fiction. The newspaper is another good source but I select the sections because many times these students tend only to want to read the police log, articles about shootings, and sports (which is not so bad on occasion). Bottom line, we need to get these kids reading and responding. The more success they feel with reading the more likely it is that they may find a reason to read. I have found this to be successful in most situations yet there is always the kid who doesn't like anything and presents the biggest challenge of all. One student stands out in my mind from this year. She absolutely refused to read anything so I let her choose the computer and select from "My Favorites" which I controlled. I kept it simple; Time for Kids, Scholastic, and a few other choices. She liked that but of course that opened another can of worms with some of my other students not too dissimilar to her. Alice -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Caroline Mooney Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2007 10:36 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [LIT] Novel projects wendy, as for the below basic kids, dalton public schools is moving towards the reading workshop. these kids simply need to read. in nanci atwells' first edition of in the middle, she showe exactly why we need to read. it's a neat lesson, and one i leave up all year long. the kids refer to my drawing, and they know that the more they read, the more they will comprehend. it's a number's game. dalton is doing something called literacy collaborative (google it), very similar to nanci atwells' workshop. the kids continually read, teachers give mini lessons, and the class comes together at the end of the period to discuss skills and strategies. if you think about it, most--and i'm not including students with disabilities--poor readers don't like to read. they ususally don't even know what kind of book they like, because they dont' know how to choose books. their time is wasted, and they know it. they are school readers and not real readers. expect that your low level readers will become real readers. let them read real texts and intervene when you need to. share your enthusiasm; they don't know how to think! they want to be real readers, but they just don't know how to do that now. i believe my expectations for students have been too low. i've upped the ante this year, so we'll see how it goes. bottom line--do for your low level kids what you do for your advanced--adjust the pace or level--but do the same. i've struggled with this for two years now, and i've come to the conclusion that low level readers need exposure to printed texts. period. mini lessons are perfect for students, because they give them something to think about while reading. mostly, these kids just need to read , write, and talk about thier reading. i hope this helps. you probably already knew all this, but as a new teacher, i'm learning all this the hard way, and this is what i've learned. they didn't teach me this in grad. school:) caroline _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
