How many times have you wanted to share a great book with a student simply to be met with pure obstinance? The fate of the entire world may hinge on the consumption of the text, but it isn't enough to convince our most reluctant readers to pick it up.
Many of our students become more and more reluctant to read as they move through school. Studies have timed their reluctance with the 4th grade--just after the beginning of their career in standardized testing. The tests are here to stay, it seems, but do we have to let them give up on reading?
Teachers can lure students back into the world of the written word. It isn't easy, but it isn't impossible either. Teenagers, in particular, simply need to be enticed or seduced, if you will.
One of the most important factors in creating a literacy-rich secondary classroom is teacher modeling. Students need to see what a literate adult looks like. So very often, they go home to an empty house with siblings that need to be kept and fed and homework that needs to be completed. There is a shortage of adults in their lives that read for the pleasure of reading. Teachers can pick up this slack in the lives of their students. Teachers can show students what book-loving adults look like. And honestly, its a great time to catch up on the reading that you don't have time to do!
A second factor in enticing students to read is student choice of reading materials. We need to surround our students with young adult books that are relevant to their lives. The novel that turned you into a reader may not help your 16-year-old students. But there are books out there that will fascinate them. When dealing with a self-confessed reluctant reader this year, I brought in the 50 cent autobiography. He was hooked in 5 minutes. And he learned to trust my taste. From there, I was able to give him authors that I adore--Walter Dean Myers, Sharon Draper, etc. Surrounding your reluctant readers with high-interest young adult novels is key to building a trusting relationship.
The last key to building your reading program is non-assessment. If you truly want to bring students back to the love of reading, then you have to give them time to read without holding them accountable for what they are reading. There is no need to test their comprehension--they won't stick with the same book if they don't get it. You know who is reading and who is not, so trust yourself. If you want to turn students back onto the love of reading, then you have to give them time to enjoy it.
Bringing teenagers back around to the joy of the written word might be a daunting task, but it isn't an impossible one. Many times, a reluctant reader just needs the right book to make that difference in their life. Offer those oh-so-seductive young adult books and then offer the time to read them. Add in a dose of teacher-modeling and you'll love the end product!
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