It seems that in the elementary grades we are always trying to encourage children to read through inspiring activities and events. We know that it is important to fuel a love for reading at an early age. We have Reader’s Theater where friends and families are invited to attend, book talks, jackdaws and reading competitions. But what happens in the older grades? It appears that there are much less of these things when children enter into the older grades and so many adolescents are unmotivated to read. In fact, instead of wanting to read, many students avoid it. What sort of things can teachers do to motivate adolescents to read? Have you done anything in your classroom to help with this?
The school I student taught at had a "reading period" where all students in 5th period had 10-15 minutes that were set aside for only reading. Students could read textbooks, novels, magazines, or pretty much anything else as long as they were reading. It was nice overall but some students definitely didn't take advantage of it.
The readforxbox movement: Often the use of game systems is an issue that causes tension, and I think we can both agree that kids, especially boys, don't read enough at home. The following compromise is working for many families. It is not intended for emergent readers, but instead for 3rd-8th grade students. Almost every household in America has a game system. Children who can’t read are allowed to play unlimited sessions on their game system. Even our high achievers are losing ground. The problem isn’t the game system, it’s the way we parent. We let kids play as long as they like, and then we nag them about it. The game system causes tension and fights, and all the while kids aren’t reading. I say let the child decide how much or how long they want to play the video game. Make a deal with them. For every ½ hour they read, they get to play the video game for an hour. If they want to bank the hours and they read for 2 hours, then they have 4 hours of gaming time earned.. etc. You have just turned your 300- dollar game system into an investment, and there will be no more bickering because it is entirely up to the child. This makes a game system as efficient as a Kindle. This method has worked for my children, and it has worked for many more. I have often heard parents say that it was the best decision they have ever made. You can choose to have a 30 second conversation with the child to set up the guidelines or you could make the deal before buying the game system. Children eagerly agree to the deal if it means getting what they want.
I'd highly recommend you read Book Whisperer. I integrated a lot of free choice reading in my class and have seen a definite increase in reading motivation. I have one student who hated reading but now loves it and reads for hours every night because he had the freedom to choose and find books he could enjoy.
I had a "choice novel" assignment for my senior classes. All they had to do was read a book (any of their choosing, but it could not be a book made into a movie). They had a list of ways to respond (not all were writing; some were drawing or making a movie). All they had to do was to have the response by a certain day. Sadly, this did not work very well, as most of them did not care that it was worth a test grade. However, I did have some students that never read pick up a book and do the assignment. I even had one come to me and say that he read the best book ever because of the assignment. So, for some this worked, and for some it didn't.
We have a Reading program in my school. All they have to do is to read a short story and then have a Quiz to answer. It is a multiple choice Quiz. Unless they answer 70% of the questions correctly, they won't pass the program which is an obligatory subject.
