Books to Let Reluctant Readers Discover Who They Can Be
Presented by
Mary Arnold Bonnie Kunzel Teri Lesesne Daria Plumb
DON’T WANNA:
RELUCTANT
DORMANT
UNMOTIVATED
INEXPERIENCED
ALITERATE
RESISTANT
UNCOMMITTED
APATHETIC
INSECURE
NON-VOLUNTARY
Maryellen Cosgrove,Chris Crowe,Don Gallo,Ted Hipple,
B.F. Skinner,Jim Trelease,
The Commission on Reading (established by the US Senate),
the International Reading Association,the National Middle School Association,
and many other researchers stress the importance of teaching all
students(even advanced, secondary students)
to read for pleasure.
Increasing opportunities to read for pleasure helps
students to: develop fluency,build vocabulary,
raise reading level,increase comprehension,
become more motivated to read,gain knowledge of text structures,adopt positive attitudes towards
reading, prepare to read and appreciate the
classics,&
IMPROVE THEIR PERFORMANCE ON
STANDARDIZED TESTS!!!(Baines; Bean; Chou & Chow; Cosgrove; Crowe; NCTE’s Commission on Reading)
33 GIRLS(ages 15-19)
Strongly Agree Agree No Opinion Disagree Strongly Disagree0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%I would label myself as a nonreaderI feel that I'm a good reader
64 BOYS(ages 15-19)
Strongly Agree Agree No Opinion Disagree Strongly Disagree0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
I would label myself as a nonreader
I feel that I'm a good reader
Self-Reported Reading ProblemsMay 2005 & September 2007 Comparison
I can't focus on what I'm reading
I fall asleep
I get headaches
It's hard to keep my place
I don't understand the vocabulary
The words are blurry
I can't remember what I read (write-in)
I'm a slow reader (write-in)
It's hard to read if people are talking (write-in)
Hard to read if people are talking (write-in)
I have double-vision/words move (write-in)
I have to REALLY like it to read it (write-in)
It's hard to find stuff I like (write-in)
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
Sept. '07
March '05
• Give students class time to read• Help students choose books that interest
them. Then, teach them HOW to choose their own book.
• Remove the stress/pressure of assessment (i.e. the book report, quizzes, tests).
• Talk to them about what they like and don’t like in the book they are reading. VALUE THEIR OPINIONS!
Keys to Successful “REHABILITATION”
• Allow/encourage students to recommend books to one another. CREATE A COMMUNTIY OF READERS.
• Make it OK to skim the boring parts.• Don’t fall prey to the “myths” of what a
reluctant reader will & won’t read—each kid is different and will have different wants & needs.
• Stress the idea that your goal is to help them to find a book that they actually enjoy.
• Subscribe to the Reader’s Bill of Rights
Readers have:• The right to not read. • The right to skip pages. • The right to not finish. • The right to reread. • The right to read anything. • The right to escapism. • The right to read anywhere. • The right to browse. • The right to read out loud. • The right not to defend your tastes.
—Pennac, Daniel, Better Than Life, Coach House Press, 1996.
THE READER’S BILL OF RIGHTS
Topics my students want to read about80 Boys & 37 Girls
Crime/D
elinquency
Horror/S
upernatu
ral
Death/D
ying
Substa
nce Abuse
Humor
Mystery/
Susp
ense
Suicid
e/Illness
Survi
val
Adventu
re War
Ghosts/P
arapsyc
hology
Realisti
c Ficti
on
Mental Ill
ness
Abuse
Fantas
y/Sci
-Fi
Non-fiction
Friendsh
ipsLo
ve
History
Mythology
Sports
Romance
Historic
al Fic
tion
Peer Pre
ssure
Family
Relationsh
ips
Self-K
nowledge
Animals
Weste
rn
Divorce
Rites o
f Pass
ageSch
ool
Cars (w
rite-in
)
Music (w
rite-in
)
No Happy E
ndings (w
rite-in
)
Physics
(writ
e-in)
Satan
ic (writ
e-in)
Theorie
s about t
he Universe
(writ
e-in)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
WANT TO GET YOUR STUDENTS READING?
Add these books to your classroom library
Great Professional Resources
Making the Match: The Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right Time, Grades 6-12 and Naked Reading by Teri Lesesne
How to Get Your Child to Love Reading
by Esme Raji Codell
500 Great Books for Teens by Anita Silvey
I Won’t Read and You Can’t Make Me: Reaching Reluctant Teen
Readers by Marilyn Reynolds
Connecting with Reluctant Teen Readers: Tips, Titles,
and Tools by Patrick Jones, Maureen L. Hartman, and Patricia Taylor
• Crowe, Chris. “Dear Teachers: Please Help My Kids Become Readers.” English Journal. September 1999, 139-142.
• Gallo, Donald R. “How Classics Create an Aliterate Society.” English Journal. January 2001, 33-39.
• Hipple, Ted. “It’s the THAT, Teacher.” English Journal. March, 1997, 15-17.
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