Motivating Reluctant Readers

Brothers Reading Together: Barefoot Books-LadyD

First of all, I let my grandsons choose their own books. As you can see, our 3-year-old loves board books and the 8-year-old enjoys reading chapter books! I think this is a good reading tip for the summer. There's so much structure in school and in life's routine. So, when given options, along with the power of choice, it's fun to see what story jumps out at them begging to learn what's inside!


Cleo The Cat for ages 3-5 l Barefoot Books-LadyD

Have you thought about writing your own stories? Our daughter has begun teaching a summer writing workshop for children and they love it.

Summer Reading: Barefoot Books l LadyD

Reading brings the family together (like a book club) and they have fun discovering, learning and sharing with one another. Besides swimming and hiking outdoors... doing crafts, practicing musical instruments and reading books will create warm memories over summer.

What about those who are not bookworms and think reading is boring? Read on!

Motivating Reluctant Readers



English: pupil is reading a book
English: pupil is reading a book (Photo credit: Wikipedia)


My grandsons and I spend at least 5 minutes a day reading out loud, instead of silently, because you're actually reading all the information and details of the book when you do it this way.  I'm a huge fan of Read-a-loud.

 I recently read a great article by Laura Chandler on 12-ways-to-motivate-reluctant-readers This is a great collection of ideas that I just had to share with you. I hope these tips help and inspire you.


You can motivate reluctant readers when you ….
  1. Read aloud to them. 
  2. Choose books that you love, and read aloud with passion and expression. Get silly and change your voice to mimic the characters. (If you’re not comfortable doing this, offer to babysit for a friend and practice reading to a child. It’s fun!) When you’re reading aloud, stop at the good parts and say, “Looks like we’re out of time today….” Leave ‘em wanting more!
  3. Let them choose their own books.
    The biggest turnoff to reading is being required to read boring books. Provide a wide variety of books from different authors and across different genres, and let students choose the books they want to read. You can use reading interest surveys to help them find books on topics that interest them.
  4. Provide time for reading.
    This one’s a no-brainer, but sometimes it’s difficult to do if you have to teach from a basal reader. Kids need class time to read and lots of it. The room needs to be quiet, and everyone needs to be reading, not playing games or doing centers. Just reading. If you’re not sure how to implement this effectively, you can find helpful information and a free webinar on Teaching Resources that explains the Reading Workshop approach. 
  5. Let them create a cozy reading nook.
    Who wants to sit at a desk for six hours a day? Collect an assortment of folding chairs, pillows, beanbags and other items that your kids can move to another spot in the room to read. Let reading be a time when they can get away from their desks and get comfortable.
  6. Confer with them.
    An important part of the Reading Workshop approach is conferring with students individually about what they are reading. You’ll learn about your students as readers and as individuals, and you’ll be able to connect with them personally. You’ll also find out if the books they’re choosing are on the right level. If not, you can help them find better choices, books that are just right. 
  7. Read what they’re reading.
    I used to get a secret thrill when the Scholastic Book Clubs flyer arrived! I know it’s silly, but I love seeing the new books that are available and trying to decide how to spend my bonus points. I discovered that it’s fun to let students help me pick out books for the class, and I often ordered an extra copy for myself. If you’re not in the habit of doing this, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can become engrossed in a book like The City of Ember. You might even discover that the inner quirky kid in you loves The Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Captain Underpants!
  8.  Introduce them to audio books.
    Think audio books are for little kids? Maybe you haven’t listened to Madeleine L’Engle read A Wrinkle in Time! Audio books are some of the best reading motivators you’ll ever find, and they help students become better readers as well. One reason is that when students follow along in the book as they listen, they see the words in print as they hear them. Powerful stuff. Not to mention the benefits of hearing amazing stories read by fluent and proficient authors!  
  9. Make it social. Do you have a social bunch of students this year? If so, get your kids talking about books by forming classroom book clubs. Book clubs are groups of students who read the same books and get together to talk about them, sort of like Literature Circles without roles. Check out this YouTube video posted by Texas teacher Chase Young that shows Literature Circle in action. You can also use kid-safe social networking sites like Edmodo.com and Kidblog.org to get online discussions going about books. If you want to know more about Literature Circles, check out the Literature Circles resources on my website.
  10. Let them read other stuff.
    If books don’t interest your students, let them read magazines, graphic novels, informative websites, or instruction manuals for their favorite game systems. Be sure to check for appropriateness, but you can often turn kids on to reading by letting them read nontraditional forms of literature.
  11. Get them hooked on a series.
    I must have read every single Nancy Drew book in the library when I was a kid! And I fell hook, line, and sinker for Harry Potter long before the series was turned into a movie. When kids get to know the characters in a series, they feel connected and want to know more about them. So find a great series, read the first book aloud, and make sure you have plenty of copies of the sequels on hand!
  12. Let kids give book talks.
    Why not start each day with a short student-led book talk? Ask students to sign up in advance to do a 2-minute informal book share. Letting them tell about their favorite book will motivate other kids to want to read that book or others by the author.
  13. Use technology.
    Books in print might not be a thing of the past, but ebooks seem to be edging them out. However, you don’t have to have a Kindle or an iPad in your classroom to introduce your students to e-books. Younger kids will enjoy StorylineOnline.net, and older students will enjoy reading e-books on free Kindle software that you can download from Amazon.com and display on your computer.

Additional Information



If you enjoyed this blog post, please consider following on Bloglovin'
Keep in touch with me on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube and Pinterest, too!

--LadyD

 “You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” -- C. S. Lewis
Enhanced by Zemanta

Three Patriotic Songs To Learn

Patriotic Songs: LadyDpiano



The words to "The Star-Spangled Banner" were written by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812. He had watched the bombing of Fort McHenry by the British and at dawn saw the American flag still flying. He knew the British attack had been turned back.

The Star Spangled Banner


      G            D   Em
Oh say can you see,
B          Em           A7  D
By the dawn's early light,
               G                D
What so proudly we hailed,
            G
At the twilight's last gleaming?
                                          D      Em
Whose broad stripes and bright stars,
B                   Em    A7  D
Through the perilous fight,
               G                  D
O'er the ramparts we watched,
                G
Were so gallantly streaming.
                     D7  G
And thy rocket's red glare,
                    D7   G  D7
Thy bombs bursting in air,
          G       D          G     D
Gave proof through the night,
D7            G    Em   A7   D
That our flag was still there.
      G                    C              E7   Am            G  D
Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
               G     D       G      Em       G            D7   G
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

Preamble to the Constitution (1787)

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

You're A Grand Old Flag: LadyDpiano
You're A Grand Old Flag

The song was written in 1905 by George M. Cohan. Cohan was an American actor, playwright, theatrical producer and writer of popular songs.

               F
You're a grand old flag, you're a high-flying flag
                                                               C7
And forever in peace may you wave
                                                      F
You're the emblem of the land I love
            G7                                            C7
The home of the free and the brave
               F
Every heart beats true for the red, white, and blue
                               D7                            Gm  C7
Where there's never a boast or brag
C7                     F                                 C7
But, Should old acquaintance be forgot
                      G7                   C7                F
Keep your eye on the grand old flag!


Three Cheers For The Red, White And Blue: LadyDpiano


Three Cheers For The Red, White and Blue

             A7                                                     D
Three cheers for the Red, White, and Blue,
                  A7                                                                           DThree cheers for the Red, White, and Blue!
                                                             GThe flag of America forever,
           A7                                                    D
Three cheers for the Red, White, and Blue!

Pledge to the Flag

I pledge  allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Written by Francis Bellamy in 1892 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America.

I Wish I Were a Pilot: Stella Blackstone l Barefoot Books-LadyD

A great adventurous story is a favorite with my 4 grandsons. Here are a few illustrations from within:


book illustrations

Illustrations from children's book

I Wish I Were a Pilot


Another popular children's book that folks can relate to where I live, Driving my Tractor, is a good one! It comes in paperback and also with a CD.

Driving My Tractor: Barefoot Books-LadyD

These storybooks can be purchased from my daughter by clicking on her photo in the sidebar. I helped her sell barefoot Books a very long time ago. Now I write stories of my own and continue to give piano lessons to adults and children, including 3 to five-year-olds.

Happy Reading and Singing!

-- LadyD

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” -- C. S. Lewis
© copyright 2008-2016– All rights reserved
Barefoot Books-LadyD