Reflecting on the chapter readings and the Reading Interest Survey data compiled by your CLC, post an entry into this blog.
First... One person from the CLC should post the results of the survey to the blog.
Next...
Individually, analyze the results of your CLC survey, identify the grade you teach, and address at least one the following in one post to this blog:
As a result of your team's survey results: (You only need to address one of these questions; you are welcome to address more in your response, however, only one is necessary - this is an individual response)
1) What stages of development are you students in?
2) What factors do you take into consideration when developing a literature-based lesson plan or unit plan?
3) What types of reading motivational activities do you employ in your classroom? What have you tried that worked or did not work in your classroom?
4) Recommend some books that you have found to be successful as motivational tools.
You must post at least one entry into the blog to receive credit for this assignment.
Enjoy the collaboration with your peers this week!
Feel free to just take a look at the blog. In order to post your assignment, each student will need to join the blog. Below are the instructions to join the blog:
ReplyDeleteClick on Sign In on the top right corner of the blog page. If you have a gmail account, then you can sign right in by providing your email address and password. If you do not have a gmail account, then you will be prompted to create one.
Next, once you have signed in, you will see your email address in the top right corner of the blog page. This indicates that you are signed in and ready to go.
Next, go to the bottom left side of the page and click the Comments icon (appears like this (numeral Comments). Once you click on Comments, then you will see a box to post (copy and paste) your assignment or the comment you want to make for another student. Once you have placed your comment in the box, then you will click Publish. Feel free to place a 'testing, testing' post if you need to if you are not familiar with a blog. This is a great way to make errors and learn how to contribute to a blog. Have fun! Questions? Please ask-
Testing...testing. This is a great way to learn how to use a blog. You can add comments under the last comment posted. Please don't be concerned about making a mistake in the blog. This is all for practice and to enjoy responding to one another. You may have an 'oops post', and that's okay!
ReplyDeleteI just posted a reply to this message (very similar to our DQ forum) You can delete any of your own postings, if you would like, as well. I hope that my examples have helped you feel more comfortable with a blog.
ReplyDeleteOnce you are signed in, and after you have posted your first comment, you will be able to select the Reply icon and reply to a specific student's posting in the blog. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteI teach kindergarten in an urban community in Brooklyn, New York. My classroom consists of 28 students who are emergent beginning readers. The students have some knowledge of letters but many have not learned letter sounds. Whenever I create a literature-based lesson plan I begin with the New York State Common Core Standards, identifying the learner goals and foundational skills that students must master. I also include any background information and vocabulary that students will need in order to effectively understand the material. After conducting an initial assessment to gauge the degree of prior knowledge that my students have, I identify the students who will need extra support. Various scaffolds ensure that all students can access the lesson, have numerous opportunities for practice and gain mastery of the material.
ReplyDeleteMotivation is a key ingredient in any instructional plan because it sparks student interest and positively affects student behavior. Student surveys have revealed that the rigorous demands of test preparation can erode a student’s positive feelings about reading. Reading instruction in the testing grades places too much emphasis on reading performance instead of emphasizing the reading experience (Manning, 2012). Students in the testing grades do not choose reading as their leisure time activity because reading is viewed as being homework, and not an integral part of a student’s personal life. It is important to continue to consider student interest, student choice and motivating factors when planning reading instruction. A field trip or performance event that is related to the literature unit is an excellent way to help students build connections. Classroom events that feature ethnic dishes or cultural traditions allow students to celebrate diversity and bring books to life. Costumes, puppetry and masks provide engaging hands on opportunities to explore character and strengthen retelling skills. Students who are encouraged to develop positive attitudes toward reading are more likely to become proficient life-long readers.
References
Manning, C., Aliefendic, J., Chiarelli, M., Haas, L., & Williams, S. (2012). Inspirational Impetuous: Lifelong Learning. SRATE Journal, 21(1), 11-17.
I didn't realize you were from NYC! When you speak of enriching activities like performances, or specialized eating experiences or field trips, you have everything imaginable in your city. Do you have to fund your own field trips? My last years of teaching, we had to earn the money for the field trips - the buses, the driver, and all expenses for the event. (We went to the Renaissance Fair) It took the entire year to fund that one field trip. We lived in NJ for three years, stationed at Ft. Dix, and got up to "The City" quite a bit. It was so exciting to finally see all the places I have read about and seen on TV and movies in person. I have a niece that lives there - in Astoria - now. She is an actor. Hopefully we will get back there some day to watch her in a play! Linda Pavlich
DeleteI agree with the importance of making reading a positive experience for our emergent readers as well as all readers. I feel it is crucial to make it fun in the beginning stages of reading in order to encourage students to participate and be interested. Retelling with costumes or puppets works very well for the early primary grades. Also, when I instruct my students to fill out graphic organizers and other things involving the story, I let them know it's okay to illustrate as well. This allows for the emergent readers, who are also emergent writers, to be able to feel successful when completing an assignment. If they are struggling with writing, they can always use their illustrations and explain them to me in order for me to see that they are comprehending and having a positive experience. Karen
DeleteLinda, how ironic, my first career was acting and then I discovered my second love, teaching. We are very fortunate in New York City because we do not have to raise money for our buses and there is no limit on how many trips we can take in a school year. In fact, we are encouraged to take many trips. We always take one trip each month and sometimes 2-3 trips. We do have to pay any admission fees but we get a group rate and many events in NYC are free. My favorite is the Jewish Children's Museum on Eastern Parkway, it is extremely interactive and they always provide a hands on activity, and its free.
DeleteKaren, I agree with you, allowing emergent and beginning readers to use illustrations in their responses to literature will build success and confidence for young learners. I encourage my students to use initial letter sounds to label the objects in their pictures.Eventually, they progress to invented spelling and then conventional spelling. Discussing and writing about books support readers to be critical thinkers who can analyze and comprehend text.
DeleteReading Interest Surveys from the Green Team (Larnett, Lynn, Benita, and Jenn): Part 1
ReplyDeleteIntroduction
Since teachers place a high priority on their student’s reading abilities, it only makes sense to research surveys about reading motivations and habits so that they may develop strategies to become more effective in guiding students in the reading process. Additionally, it is also beneficial to become aware of common reading habits and attitudes of a target student population in order to gain insight for the purpose of helping a reluctant reader become a successful reader. The following is a summarization of data compiled from reading surveys that have been performed in various elementary and middle schools to help discover key elements in developing students who are not only proficient in reading, but who also find reading enjoyable.
“Inspirational Impetuous: Lifelong Learning”
The article, “Inspirational Impetuous: Lifelong Learning,” examined adolescent reading behaviors and attitudes. The ability to build vocabulary, deepen comprehension and master decoding skills is directly connected to a student’s level of motivation (Manning, 2012). Ironically, the rigorous demands of test preparation can erode a student’s positive feelings about reading because emphasis is placed on reading performance instead of the reading experience.
The survey was conducted at an elementary school in Texas, and consisted of 20 male and 20 female students, who reflected the socioeconomic and ethnic background of the community. The researchers questioned third graders about their reading viewpoints and then recorded any changes in viewpoints during the fourth grade. The survey focused on two areas of motivation: how do students view themselves as readers and how important is reading in the student’s life (Manning, 2012).
A student’s attitude towards reading is often reflected in their attitude about people who read. There was a 15% increase in the percentage of fourth graders who described people who read a lot as being boring (Manning, 2012). Twenty percent of fourth graders changed their viewpoint from “reading a lot” as adults to “reading some of the time” when they became adults (Manning, 2012). Researchers believed that students became disengaged with reading because test preparation affected the student’s freedom to make literary choices.
“Reading and Speaking Survey”
The article “Reading and Speaking Survey” examined data to identify motivational and attitudinal factors, which influenced a student’s relationship to books and reading (Reading, 1996). Reading outcomes can be affected by the student’s image of himself as a reader, instructional support and reading interest. The survey questions were administered to a focus group of fourth and eighth grade students. From a list of 12 subjects, fourth graders ranked reading at fifth place and eighth graders ranked it at seventh place (Reading, 1996). Fourth graders placed more importance on the technical aspects of reading whereas eighth graders emphasized comprehension, book choice and reading for pleasure (Reading, 1996). Leisure reading activity preferences showed a shift from reading comics and poetry in fourth grade to reading magazines in eighth grade (Reading, 1996).
Reading Interest Surveys from the Green Team: Part 2
ReplyDelete“Attitudes to Reading at Ages Nine and Eleven”
“Attitudes to Reading at Ages Nine and Eleven” was a survey taken in the United Kingdom (UK) to identify attitudes towards reading of upper elementary school children. Their main goal in this survey was to see how a new curriculum was affecting students; however, a lot can still be gleaned from this survey in terms of what and why students like or do not like to read. Children ages nine and eleven were given a survey that was eighteen questions long regarding their attitude toward reading. The results of this survey can be found in Tables 6 and 7.
This survey found that as children get older, their attitudes toward reading decline. Nine-year-old students tended to have a more positive attitude toward reading than eleven-year-old students (Sainsbury & Schagen, 2004). This survey conducted in the UK was consistent with a survey taken in the United States, which found that positive attitudes toward reading declined from first through sixth grade (Sainsbury & Schagen, 2004). This survey also found that the reading interests of children change as they get older. Younger children tend to enjoy and read storybooks, comics, poems, and informational books, and older children enjoy reading newspapers and magazines (Sainsbury & Schagen, 2004). As students get older and become more independent as readers, the amount of adult support from home decreases, and the data shows that the number of students who find reading difficult also decreases (Sainsbury & Schagen, 2004). Overall, even though reading seems to become easier for children as they grow older, their interest in and attitude toward reading decreases, and they find it less enjoyable.
Reading Interest Surveys from the Green Team: Part 3
ReplyDelete“Who’s Reading and Why: Reading Habits of 1st Grade through Graduate Students”
“Who’s Reading and Why: Reading Habits of 1st Grade through Graduate Students” is a survey that looks into the reading habits of students in 1st grade through graduate school. Specifically, it looked at 1st grade, 4th grade, 6th grade, 8th grade, 11th grade, undergraduate, undergraduate elementary education majors, and graduate reading students. For the context of this course and the purpose of this assignment, this summary only takes into account the results from students in 1st through 11th grade. The survey asked students for written answers to seven different questions. The students’ answers were put into general categories by the researchers to make for more easily understood and clear results. Detailed results of this survey can be found in Tables 8-13.
The first part of this survey looked at why children like to read. Most students responded that they read for fun, followed by reading to learn. Most children have more than one reason why they read, but there is one that is usually a stronger motivation than the others (Camp, 2007). The survey also looked at who taught children to read. Mainly either teachers or family members or both taught children to read, showing that both family and teachers play an important role in teaching a child to read. Next, the survey asked students about their strengths as a reader. The survey found that children at younger ages saw themselves as better at decoding and older children felt they were stronger in comprehension (Camp, 2007). This ties in, somewhat, with what children do when they come to a word they do not know. Younger children decode most often and older children tend to skip the word and continue reading. The survey also looked at what types of books children like to read and found that first graders most often chose the Franklin books; fourth graders, Harry Potter; sixth graders, Goosebumps; eighth graders, books by S. E. Hinton and Gary Paulsen; and lastly, eleventh graders chose none more often than a particular title or author (Camp, 2007). The survey found that as children got older they read less often at home. Lastly, the survey looked at how reading made students feel and found that a positive attitude toward reading decreases with age. Overall, reading seems to be more enjoyable for children of a younger age and attitudes toward reading become more negative as students get older. Therefore, it is the job of teachers, and parents, to work hard to instill a love of learning in children at a young age that they will carry with them as they get older.
Reading Interest Surveys from the Green Team: Part 4
ReplyDelete“What Do You Want to Tell Us About Reading? A Survey of the Habits and Attitudes of Urban Middle School Students toward Leisure Reading” and “Sixth Grade Reading Interests: A Survey”
The first article entitled “What Do You Want to Tell Us About Reading? A Survey of the Habits and Attitudes of Urban Middle School Students toward Leisure Reading” takes a look at research results from a modified survey called Teen Read Week (TRW) given by the Young Adult Library Services (YALSA). The small urban middle school that serves primarily low-income African America population consisted of two hundred forty-five students in grades six through eight. The main goal of the survey was to gain a better understanding of the leisure reading habits of these students.
The second article entitled “Sixth Grade Reading Interests: A Survey,” presented results from a survey of sixth grade students in a rural Virginia Middle School. Ten girls and thirteen boys took part in the survey, eight of which were considered gifted, and it was conducted by Leena M. Snellman.
The first article gave much more detailed information, and it stated that a majority of the students read more than two books per month (most of which were bought at a bookstore rather than borrowed) outside of their required schoolwork, and the survey showed that girls read more often than boys. Most reading took place at night, and when asked if they enjoyed reading, 37% said “yes,” 58% responded “sometimes,” and 4% said “no.” Their motivation for reading included such things as stating that it would help them academically, help them get a job, and even it help them to get to sleep. The second article survey reflected higher percentages of those students who enjoyed reading with 57% who enjoyed it, and only 9% that said they did not enjoy it. As you can see, the demographics of those surveyed are vastly different, and perhaps that has an impact on the difference in this percentage.
Both surveys indicated that subject matter is a high priority to readers of this age. The main likes (interests) of those surveyed revolved around magazines. Topics of interest in the magazines were fashion, beauty, sports, cars, music, and entertainment. Additionally, topics of interest revolved around things students of this age could relate to (“people or characters like me”), and a consensus for topics they disliked was anything that seemed disinteresting, boring, too serious, or dull. As far as the role of the families of these students, it was found that parents (and siblings) mostly encouraged the students to read, and teachers came in second.
The first survey mentioned that one of the most compelling pieces of information found was that teenagers are reading! After examining results of the second survey, it is safe to say this was a positive element within it as well. It was stated in the first article, that as a result of these findings, publishing houses really need to view middle school students as a “viable market” and provide more materials these teens expressed an interest in.
Reading Interest Surveys from the Green Team: Part 5
ReplyDelete“Increasing Motivation in Elementary and Middle School Students Through the Use of Multiple Intelligences,” “Motivating Students to Read,” and “The Motivational Factors for Reading in Terms of Students”
Motivating children to become enthusiastic and lifelong readers is one of the biggest challenges facing parents and educators today. The research will show that there are several determining factors that will influence a child’s motivation to read, such as learning difficulties, their emotional well-being, and the home and school environment. Other factors such as culture, socioeconomic status in the community, and demographics were also included in the research and found to play an important role in the final results of the survey. Perhaps the most influential factor of all is the lack of parental involvement.
The results of the research begin with the attitude of the students. The results of the first survey show that 79% of the first and second grade students would rather play than read. Today’s students’ lack of motivation and engagement can also be contributed to other distractions like video games, television, and other technological advances. Incomplete homework assignments are a result of the lack of motivation and disinterest in subject matter as well. However, in the early grades such as preschool, kindergarten, and some first grades, students love to read and still use a variety of ways to read. The next survey, conducted on a group of fourth and fifth graders, found the motivation to read was a bit different. It was found that parents actually motivated their children by reading to them and with them and then discussing what they read. The attitudes were very different due to the parent involvement.
The next question asked is “How many books do you have in your home?” Surprisingly enough, 78% of the students surveyed had less than twenty books in the home. In the research, it was found that a wide variety of reading materials were available in the home but not necessarily books, although books were still the most popular reading material. Most of the books were nursery rhyme related, and the children had had them since their early years. Many parents begin reading nursery rhymes to their children in infancy, and those stories are still the favorite among most children. It is a proven theory that the first language interaction with an infant is very important.
Reading Interest Surveys from the Green Team: Part 6
ReplyDeleteThe students in the survey also stated that the reason they read is for class assignments and homework. Students have a difficult time staying motivated when they do not see the relevance or the benefits are not meaningful to them personally. This is one of the reasons books that deal with everyday life situations are becoming so popular among young readers. There were only 76% of the students that said they read because they enjoy reading. There were 70% of the students that also stated that they read more because they are able to choose their own reading materials. During free time at school, 51% of the students enjoyed reading as long as they were able to read the books of their choice. In the survey conducted on the fourth and fifth graders, the results concluded that students preferred reading about subjects that they had an interest in as well as with a group of other students. It was also found that they were more motivated to read when the teacher modeled good reading habits as well as provided a comfortable environment in the classroom. Perhaps this is why literature clubs have become useful in the upper grade classrooms. Students can achieve more when they feel as though they belong to a group. As students advance in grades and the reading material becomes more difficult, students will shy away from reading because of the struggle with reading words that are not familiar to them. Eighty-one percent of the students from the first survey felt that they were good readers but only 50% were comfortable when approaching a new word.
The surveys did not suggest any information about the eating habits of the students. However, additional information did mention using incentives such as pizza parties, popcorn parties, and the Pizza Hut Book It program to motivate students to read. In the survey of upperclassmen, there was mention of the fourth and fifth grade students meeting in literature clubs at lunch and at popular eating-places to discuss and review the literature.
In order to find any information on digital texts and e-books, additional research was used and was directed more toward college students and older students. Students in college often share and resell books in order to keep the cost down so not too many students purchase the e-books unless they have online classes. Older students read more in social circles and still use the paperbound books more than e-books, although Amazon did say that they were selling more e-books than paperbound books. They are just not selling them to college students for the purpose of textbooks. Reading devices are becoming more and more popular but some parents are still skeptical about putting them in the hands of their little readers because of the cost. Although children’s books cost less to download, parents still have to be the ones to do the downloading because of needing to use a credit card.
The old days of lecture and drill have vanished. Education has to be adaptive and change as the interests of the students change and grow. The lack of motivation for reading can extend all the way through to the college years. Therefore, parents and grandparents need to set goals to read daily to their children to give them the motivation needed to become better readers and more productive students.
Reading Interest Surveys from the Green Team: Part 7 (Final Part)
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, these research surveys emphasize the fact that reading behaviors and attitudes can be easily influenced by a myriad of factors. Motivating students to read is a challenge that educators need to embrace and implement throughout the student’s educational reading experience. Classroom environments, reading materials, and activities need to be engaging and reflect the changing interests of the students. The ultimate goal is to produce proficient readers who also incorporate reading into their personal lives.
References
Buschick, M. E., Shipton, T. A., Winner, L. M., & Wise, M. D. (2007). Increasing motivation in elementary and middle school students through the use of multiple intelligences. Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED498926&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Camp, D. (2007). Who’s reading and why: Reading habits of 1st grade through graduate students. Reading Horizons Journal, 47(3). Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ761402&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Hughes-Hassell, S., & Lutz, C. (2006). What do you want to tell us about reading?: A survey of the habits and attitudes of urban middle school students toward leisure reading. Young Adult Library Services, 4(2). Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=19689001&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Kane, R. S., & Warner, D. (1997). Motivating students to read. Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED409535&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Manning, C., Aliefendic, J., Chiarelli, M., Haas, L., & Williams, S. (2012). Inspirational impetuous: Lifelong learning. SRATE Journal, 21(1). Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ959531&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Reading and Speaking Survey, (1996). Retrieved from http://nemp.otago.ac.nz/read_speak/1996/surveys/rSurvey1.htm
Sainsbury, M., & Schagen, I. (2004). Attitudes to reading at ages nine and eleven. Journal of Research in Reading, 27(4). Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ686924&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Snellman, L.M. (1993). Sixth grade reading interests: A survey. Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED358415&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Ulper, H. (2011) The motivational factors for reading in terms of students. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 11(2). Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=61029633&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Reading Interest Survey Summary of the Red Team: Ashley Andrews, Deborah Glowka-Schupp, Karen Parsons, and Linda Pavlich
ReplyDeleteMay 23, 2012
Reading is an important skill that is needed throughout life. Teachers work very hard in order to prepare students to read. At the same time, teachers are not only teaching skills to learn how to read, but they are also trying to influence students to enjoy reading. Teachers are always researching ideas to help students understand why reading is important and necessary for growth and future achievement. Also, teachers want to show students that reading is a great way to explore ideas, experience new things, and to escape into a new world whenever they please.
Quite often, students read for pleasure, as described in the attached chart. However, students also read because it is assigned or “required”. This is true especially for the middle school through high school curriculums. However, it is important that the students are learning from assigned readings, and that is why surveys are necessary to explore how the students feel about the books. Are they interested and encouraged to read more? Do assigned readings help guide a student to make better, more satisfying selections on their own? Surveys can help educators see trends in the popularity of classic readings, genres, and attitudes of the students required to read the books.
Aside from gaining information about required readings, it is important to gain information on reading habits in general. This is important because if teachers want to encourage students to be life long readers, they need to know what motivates them. Such information as how often a student reads, how proficient they are in reading, and most importantly, a students interests, can help teachers find books to engage students. Carefully monitoring the popular genres, the frequency in which students read, their access to books, and their feelings towards reading overall is a great way to ensure success in building a society of people who love and appreciate books. “As students enter middle school, their motivation to read begins to decline.”(Aaronoutse & Schellings, 2003). Teachers want to find ways to stop this trend. Therefore, in order to gain insight , surveys are frequently done.
Reading Interest Inventory Red Team Part 2
ReplyDeleteSurveys of older elementary and secondary school students revealed some surprising trends in their reading attitudes and habits. Over three-fourths of the students reported that they enjoy reading for fun in their leisure time (Kelley & Decker, 2009; Sizmur, 2008; Hughes-Hassell & Lutz, 2006; Strommen & Mates, 2004). Surveys of inner-city low-income schools with predominantly minority students, suburban middle income schools with predominantly Caucasian students, and rural schools produced the same results. Most students like to read. The numbers go down slightly as the students get older, and girls read more than boys at every grade level. Older readers often choose periodicals as their preferred reading material, as well as comics, newspapers, and the Internet (Sizmur, 2008). They enjoy reading about celebrities, sports figures, and people like themselves who solve problems, or accomplish amazing things (Hughes-Hassell & Lutz, 2006). Students listed as reasons to read: fun, relaxing, exciting, escape, to learn something new, and because they became attached to characters (Hughes-Hassell & Lutz, 2006). People that inspired and motivated them to read included family, teachers, librarians, and friends. In all cases, family was the biggest motivator, with parents discussing books, suggesting and providing reading material, and making reading a priority in the home (Strommen & Mates, 2004; Sizmur, 2008; Hughes-Hassell & Lutz, 2006). Home libraries, school and public libraries, and book stores provide reading materials for this age group. All the studies urged libraries to provide more periodical literature and comic books.
For the students who reported that they never read, hated reading, or found it boring, Braun (2007) conducted a survey in which she asked these students to keep logs of their activities. In their logs, the following reading activities appeared: Text messaging, email, social media, web magazines, blogs, and web sites. When the teenagers saw how much of their time they actually spent reading, they were amazed, and began to modify their perception of themselves as non-readers. “Oh, it’s not that I don’t like to read, I read a lot, it’s that I don’t like to read certain types of things.” (Braun, 2007, p. 38). The author urged adults to recognize that many reluctant readers nevertheless spend a great deal of time reading non-traditional material.
A majority of the students that reported that they did not read in their leisure time listed “I don’t have time” as a reason. However, Strommen and Mates (2004) found that readers and non-readers had no difference in their level of involvement with extra-curricular activities and with friends. In fact, those that did not like to read were less involved in organized activities than the students who read every day. They also found that enjoyment of reading had no correlation with academic achievement. Some honor students did not like to read, and some that loved to read reported that they had trouble with reading activities in school.
Although the troubling twenty-five percent of students still report they do not enjoy reading, the vast majority of students of all socioeconomic classes do (Strommen & Mates, 2004).
Reading Interest Inventory: Red Team: Part 3
ReplyDeleteSome surveys even suggest that students do read, but they lack the capacity to comprehend what they are reading. This sometimes discourages them from reading assigned books. Step by step, students are taught the skills to become good readers. Some students grasp it quickly and become stronger readers, whereas students who have not developed the skills become sporadic readers instead. Many students are unmotivated and disengaged from reading and from school. Currently, one member of our group has a class with a bad attitude when it comes to reading. The geographic area of the school is very rural, and a majority of the students come from low socio-economic status. Reading is not something that is encouraged in the home. The students are motivated to read when it takes place during class, but the reading material then has to be action or drama packed from the beginning to the end. Opportunities have to be given to them to read aloud in class and participate in classroom discussions, and even to debate about their opinions. Because a vast majority of the parents may or may not know how to read or read well, they sometimes really encourage their children to become better readers than they are.
Several student surveys of 5th and 6th grade students cited reading habits and overall attitudes of both boys and girls. An overwhelming majority of students regard reading with favor no matter their economic status. However, students living in low-income schools, Title I, and inner city populations reported a larger amount of difficulty in being able to recognize high frequency words, and having overall comprehension difficulties. Only one survey reported surveying high school students that feed from these elementary schools, where the difficulties decreased... Secondary level educators cited that as students get older, boys found classes with large amounts of reading more difficult and less interesting than those with less. (Polychroni 2006)
Students within the 5th and 6th grade level enjoyed reading fiction versus non-fiction and found testing within genres of non-fiction much more challenging and more difficult to maintain an average grade. Girls leaned more toward the popular cultural venues of music and celebrities, reading magazines and pop-culture teen magazines to include fashion and teen topics. When asked about literature connections they tended to choose more drama and realistic fictional stories they could relate to than others. (Sinesbury 2004)Boys on the other hand within this age group still gravitated towards magazines that revealed action hero’s, action figures from movies and local cable shows, to include fictional characters where zero to no connection could be made. When questioned about the ability to connect to a character, boys stated it was fine but a story was a story and who really cares as long as it’s interesting.
Reading Interest Inventory: Red Team: Part 4
ReplyDeleteWhen these students were questioned about the influences regarding their reading choice, all stated their families had a large to do with what and if they read. Most cited their mothers and grandmothers, the female figures in their families being the greater influential factor versus friends. Both cited their teachers also had a role and to some extent the only influence. However, girls were more eager to cite their friends taste in literature was greater than all others. Girls tend to follow the trends in local entertainment and influences of pre-teen and teenage pop-culture in their choice of literature and leisure reading. (Sinesbury (2004))
Reading surveys are good tools for teachers, because they reveal the students perceptions of themselves, and their actual reading habits and preferences. Teachers can use the information to make their classrooms more motivating and reading-friendly to their students, like our rural teacher who provides action-packed books for her reluctant readers, and specialized instruction for her struggling readers. The surveys also suggest that teachers look to non-traditional sources of high interest reading material for older students, such as magazines, newspapers, comic books, and traditional books about subjects that interest their students. Educators can also explore ways to use smart phones, electronic readers, and the Internet to encourage young people to read, and to see themselves as readers.
Red Team References
ReplyDeleteReferences
Aarnoutse, C., & Schellings, G. (2003). Learning reading strategies by triggering reading motivation. Educational Studies, 29(4), 387-409. Retrieved from:
http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=a5553ec0-8287-4c8e-99ff-1c16b3407140%40sessionmgr110&vid=2&hid=107
Braun, L. W. (2007). Reading--It's Not Just about Books. Young Adult Library Services, 5(4), 38-40. Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=25546114&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Conlon, E. (2006). Family history, self-perceptions, attitudes and cognitive abilities are associated with early adolescent reading skills. Journal of Research in Reading, 29(1), 21.
Gnaldi, M., Schagen, I., Twist, L., & Morrison, J. (2005). Attitude items and low ability students: the need for a cautious approach to interpretation. Educational Studies (03055698), 31(2), 103-113.
Hughes-Hassell, S., & Lutz, C. (2006). What Do You Want to Tell Us about Reading?: A Survey of the Habits and Attitudes of Urban Middle School Students toward Leisure Reading. Young Adult Library Services, 4(2), 39-45. Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=19689001&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Kelley, M. J., & Decker, E. O. (2009). The Current State of Motivation to Read Among Middle School Students. Reading Psychology, 30(5), 466-485. Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=44436254&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Lever-Chain, J. (2008). Turning boys off? Listening to what five-year-olds say about reading. Literacy, 42(2), 83-91. doi:10.1111/j.1741-4369.2008.00488.x
Polychroni, F. (2006). Academic self-concept, reading attitudes and approaches to learning of children with dyslexia: do they differ from their peers?. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 21(4), 15.
Schatz, A., & Krashen, S. (2006). Attitudes toward READING in Grades 1-6. Knowledge Quest, 35(1), 46-48.
Sinesbury, M. (2004). Children’s attitudes to reading. Education Review, 17(2), 5.
Sizmur, J. (2008). Children's attitudes to reading. Literacy Today, (54), 20-21. Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=31704927&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Strommen, L., & Mates, B. (2004). Learning to love reading: Interviews with older children and teens. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 48(3), 188-200. Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=15096999&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Strategies for Motivating Students: Linda Pavlich
ReplyDeleteSurveys of adolescents revealed that a surprising number of them read for leisure, outside of school, and in addition to school assignments. Frequent readers almost always came from a home environment that valued reading, where book discussions and recommendations took place often, and where printed material was readily available. The students surveyed read traditional books, but also read magazines, newspapers, comic books, and electronic media. They favored articles about celebrities, and sports figures, famous young people, and people like themselves who faced familiar problems and accomplished great things. Even students that identified as not enjoying reading, found that, after keeping a log of their activities, they read at least two hours a day on their phones, their computers, and other electronic devices. The students, themselves, were surprised at the amount of reading and writing they enjoyed during the day, and modified their views of themselves as non-readers.
Nearly a decade ago, I taught sixth grade science, language arts, and an “Enrichment” class. This is a particularly difficult age to prepare lessons for, because of the wide range of maturity levels within a classroom. Boys whose voices have not changed speak in soprano pitches to their friends who are beginning to grow facial hair. The girls are experiencing the changes that come with puberty, but some are not, yet! We used to say, we start the year with little girls, but after Christmas break we come back to a room full of women. Add to this, the normal variation of abilities in every classroom, and finding the right material for each child becomes even more challenging. Also, at this age, students’ special talents and abilities are beginning to bloom, giving each classroom its artists, musicians, mathematicians, comedians, athletes, and scholars. It is a fascinating time of life, and such a rewarding age to teach. But no one said it is easy!
For Language arts, I always tried to group my students so that better readers worked with challenged readers, and artists worked with poets, etc. That way everyone was able to contribute to the projects. I had one especially gifted artist, and the kids actually competed to get him in their group, even though he was not a good reader. I like group projects for that very reason – everyone’s special talents can be highlighted.
The Enrichment was filled with my students who struggled with classes, and particularly reading. Many of them were second language learners. Instead of worksheets, I picked a book I liked, and I read it out-loud for the first half hour. Then we worked on projects that related to the book and that required reading and writing to complete. I read The Indian in the Cupboard (remember, this was 14 years ago). The students LOVED the book, and these were my tough guys. They lounged around the floor, and laughed aloud as we went through the book. Then we watched the movie, which the students did NOT like. “They changed stuff!” “That guy is too wimpy!” “That isn’t how it went!” etc. The students did projects on Native American tribes, which they read about and made posters about. A school board member came through the room and raved about their artwork and informative displays.
The year ended, I moved to Fargo, ND (my husband is military – we move a lot), and that was that. But it was a wonderful semester for that class, and a thrill for me to see them enjoy a book so much.
That is so exciting that you got a whole group of students so engaged and excited about a book! I think that for ELL students doing a read aloud and then having them do projects and other reading assignments that go along with the read aloud is a great idea because it allows you to help students understand the content that they are reading/listening to and then allows them to expand their knowledge by doing other projects that enrich the read aloud. Finding ways to get older students interested in a book can be a challenge, but once you conquer that challenge, it is so rewarding. It sounds like your year with these sixth grade students was not only fun and rewarding for the students but for you as well.
DeleteMy name is Lynn Kuvakos, and I teach fourth grade at a private school in Scottsdale, Arizona. When it comes to factors I take into consideration when I am developing a literature based unit plan, the first thing I have to do is make sure I have a narrowed topic. Afterwards, I investigate other models that are available for viewing through the internet on this specific topic in order to brainstorm ideas. Once that process is started, I start to outline a plan that is very organized, makes good use of classroom time, and it clear in directives for a fourth grade student. It’s a good idea to plan and support activities that come naturally with literature. Activities that would activate prior knowledge are a good place to start, and it is imperative that I act as a good model to these activities because that will “set the tone” for the unit. Read alouds, mini-lessons, demonstrations on how to discuss, and my expectations for practicing cooperative learning groups are all necessary components I take into consideration when planning my lessons that revolve around a literature based plan.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, regarding our CLC project, the two reading surveys I looked at for my CLC group were geared toward Middle School students. The first article entitled, “What Do You Want to Tell Us About Reading? A Survey of the Habits and Attitudes of Urban Middle School Students toward Leisure Reading” takes a look at research results from a modified survey called Teen Read Week (TRW) given by the Young Adult Library Services (YALSA). The second article entitled “Sixth Grade Reading Interests: A Survey,” presented results from a survey of sixth grade students in a rural Virginia Middle School. The first article gave much more detailed information, and it stated that a majority of the students read more than two books per month (most of which were bought at a bookstore rather than borrowed) outside of their required schoolwork, and the survey showed that girls read more often than boys. Most reading took place at night, and when asked if they enjoyed reading, Their motivation for reading included such things as stating that it would help them academically, help them get a job, and even it helped them to get to sleep.
Both surveys indicated that subject matter is a high priority to readers of this age. The main likes (interests) of those surveyed revolved around magazines. Topics of interest in the magazines were fashion, beauty, sports, car, music, and entertainment magazines. Additionally, topics of interest revolved around things students of this age could relate to (“people or characters like me”), and a consensus for topics they disliked were anything that seemed disinteresting, boring, too serious, or dull. As far as the role of the families of these students, it was found that it was parents (and siblings!) who mostly encouraged the students to read, and teachers came in second.
The first survey mentioned that one of the most compelling pieces of information this survey produced was that teenagers are reading! After examining results of the second survey, it is safe to say that was a positive element as well. It was stated in the first article, that as a result of these findings, publishing houses really need to view Middle School students as a “viable market” and provide more materials these teens expressed an interest in!
References:
Hughes-Hassell, S., & Lutz, C. (2006). What Do You Want to Tell Us about Reading?: A Survey of the Habits and Attitudes of Urban Middle School Students Toward Leisure Reading. Young Adult Library Services, 4(2), 39-45
Snellman, L.M. (1993). Sixth Grade Reading Interests: A Survey. Virginia, U.S.A.
Ashley Andrews
ReplyDeleteThe information I provided states that surveys suggest students lack the capacity to comprehend what they read. Some Skilss are taught to help students become efficient readers. Some students learn faster than others. I teach elementary students, grade levels 3rd through 6th. Most of my students are reading at the third stage of reading. They develop bad attitudes when it comes to reading. This behavior is displayed mostly with 5th and 6th graders. My students come from a rural area with a low socio-economic background. To motivate students to participate more, I incorporate read-alouds and encourage debates.
Ashley, your survey results highlight the importance of balancing reading instruction between developing strong decoding skills and enhancing comprehension. Students must be able to decode so they can understand new words and read with fluency. Fluency allows students to read text by grouping words into meaningful phrases in order to follow a story or gather information. I think student debates is an effective way to foster critical thinking and build comprehension.
DeleteAshley, I believe read-alouds and debates are a great way for students to gain reading skills. I also teach in a school where lower level students find it difficult to participate in class because they do read below level, I agree with you I think this helps develop bad attitudes in reading.
DeleteReading Habits in First Grade
ReplyDeleteCurrently, I teach first grade. All of my students are now reading, and the majority of them are seeking out books that are related to their interests. The boys look for humor as well as informational texts based on animals, spiders, snakes, and predators. The girls are reading about princesses, fairies, ballerina's, and are into pop stars most of all. The results from our CLC surveys, which were based on teens, are actually similar to the informal findings I see in my classroom from year to year.
Although I am excited to see so many of my students reading for pleasure, I still find it to be important to teach them about an assortment of material and genres. I want to expose them to as much literature as possible. I also look for books that meet their interests and incorporate them into the units of instruction in order to help maintain their interests. When teaching a literacy unit, I make sure the students know what is expected from them ahead of time. I break down the units into several mini lessons covering the fundamentals to becoming a successful reader. It was difficult at first, but it was evident that the hard work paid off. The students are now able to engage in conversation and higher level thing when reading and responding to texts. Some of the things I taught this year were story elements including setting, characters, beginning/middle/end, plot, problem solution, and think and respond questions which required students to learn to turn and talk to their neighbors about the questions brought up during a story. This was new for them, and for me as well. I didn't think such a young age would be able to stay on task and actually discuss a story with out me being involved. I am pleased to say, after much modeling and practice, that my students are really good at collaborating. They used to look terrified when I had them turn to their neighbors, now they get excited and they give me the “Awww, we aren't done yet....” when I say time is up!
The story elements that you taught are an important part of learning to comprehend the literature. We teach the same elements as part of our Georgia Standards and it is great to see how well the students understand what they have read. I had a really great group of students this year and we learned how to use the concept of turn and talk to discuss the material that we were reading. It is great for the students that are having difficulty understanding what we are reading.
DeleteKaren, I think it is great that you were able to support your students to master the art of having a good book discussion. This skill allows readers to formulate their ideas, support their viewpoints, exchange information and build meaning. As educators, we know that reading is more than decoding text, comprehension is the true test of a student's reading ability.
DeleteStrategies for Motivating Students
ReplyDeleteI noticed that in most surveys I read, that the percentages seemed to be similar in a lot of categories. For example, most surveys had percentages of students who read for fun well above 50%. Usually, girls were more likely to read for pleasure than boys, yet boys and girls were more equal in stating that they would like to read more if they had more time.
The survey I studied was interesting because it listed the results of the exact same summary given to the same school three different times over a fifteen year period. It was interesting to see what stayed the same, and what changed. For the most part, reading habits were consistent, but the favorite types of genre's varied.
Some of the most interesting results are listed here:
Target Population:
Ninth through twelfth grade in 1982, 1990, and again in 1997.
Survey done with similar populations at same school.
Data collected over 15 year span is put together to see if readings habits have changed and if so, how they have changed.
Girls and boys shared a similar number of pleasure reading titles, boys listed 70 %, girls 80%.
Girls read more in their spare time, but boys have a bigger diversity of genre, authors, and titles.
Consistent unpopularity of biography, autobiography, and western and historical genres which percentages continued to drop over 15 year comparison.
Student reading has remained basically the same, although genres and titles have changed considerably.
Good news is that survey in 1999 in six states found that 92 % of H.S. Students read at least one book a month, and NEA found in 2001 that 42 % of teens read for fun or pleasure. 49% read more than 10 books a year, 85% reported reading to be rewarding and satisfying.
Problem is that Young Adult literature is widely available, yet teens have less free time to read as they get into the junior and senior years. They then tend to only read the required books, and fall away from pleasure reading due to more responsibility, jobs, getting into college.
Genres through the years
Overall top 5 of both boys and girls
1982
romance/love stories 18.75%
Science Fiction 12.50%
Adventure 11.46%
true Life/Humor?Mystery: all around 10%
Fantasy 9.38%
1990
Fantasy 14.10%
Other 14.01% (33% selected horror as the “other”)
Adventure 13.38%
Romance/Love stories 13.38%
Mystery 12.10%
1997
Mystery 37.45%
Other 9.64% ( 60% choosing Horror as “other”)
Sports 9.64%
Adventure 7.23%
Fantasy 7.23 %
Number 1 genres for girls over the years
1982
Romance/Love Stories 35.29%
1990
Romance/Love Stories 22.81%
1997
Mystery 47.17%
(Romance fell to 11.32%)
Favorite Genres by boys
1982
Science Fiction 22.92%
1990
Fantasy 17.95%
1997
Sports 18.6%
Reference:
Hale, L. A., & Crowe, C. (2001). “I Hate Reading If I Don't Have To”: Results from a Longitudinal Study of High School Students' Reading Interest” The ALAN Review, 28(3)49. Retrieved from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v28n3/hale.html
I looked at two different surveys on reading interest: “Who’s Reading and Why: Reading Habits of 1st Grade through Graduate Students” and “Attitudes to Reading at Ages Nine and Eleven.” Both of these surveys found that as children get older, their interest in reading declines. Even though children become better readers as they get older, their motivation to read decreases. These surveys also found that students’ reasons for reading change as they get older as well. Many younger elementary students read for fun, but middle school and high school students more often read to learn or read because they have to, not because they want to enjoy what they are reading. The surveys also brought to light that the number of children reading at home decreases as they get older. Younger children are more likely to read at home with adults than older children are and are more likely to pick up a book to pass the time than older children are.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, I am not a full-time classroom teacher, so I do not have a classroom of my own to reflect on. I hope to for this next year, though. However, I can look back on my most recent long-term sub position in a third grade class in a Title I school in Colorado Springs. Looking at these students in this third grade class, there were many students that really struggled in reading. Therefore, when it was time for silent reading, it was a challenge to get most of the students to sit and read a book. I think that this was due mostly to the fact that as struggling readers, reading was not an easy task, and, therefore, they did not enjoy it. In order to motivate these students to read, it was important that they were reading a book at their level, one that they could enjoy without getting frustrated, but one that would challenge them enough to keep them learning and growing as a reader. I had students who could read at a kindergarten level all the way to students who could read at a sixth grade level. Therefore, differentiating instruction was a very crucial piece to making reading successful.
Most of the reading instruction in the classroom I took over for was done in small groups, so most of my students left the classroom, and I never got to listen to them read. However, for the small groups that I did meet with, I worked hard to find connections to the text that would make reading exciting for the students. With each book that the students read, we worked on comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency, but I also tried to think of at least one fun and unique activity to connect with the text to make the students excited about reading. For example, one of my groups read a book about clay and it described how to make a clay pot, so I brought in clay and the kids made their own pots, following the instructions from the text. I feel that it is very important to engage students in what they are reading and make connections that will make them want to keep reading and enjoy a lifetime of reading.
References
Camp, D. (2007). Who’s reading and why: Reading habits of 1st grade through graduate students. Reading Horizons Journal, 47(3). Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ761402&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Sainsbury, M., & Schagen, I. (2004). Attitudes to reading at ages nine and eleven. Journal of Research in Reading, 27(4). Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ686924&site=ehost-live&scope=site
From our CLC project, I have concluded that motivating students to read is a difficult task because there are so many other things that take the attention of students away from books. The factors range from television to video games and the attitude of the students as well as the parental involvement. There must be change in our classrooms that encourage our students to read. I teach kindergarten and I have found that at this age the students are excited about reading. Their abilities are limited so they still depend on the adults in their life to read to and with them. I try to motivate my students by modeling the love for reading myself. I share some of my favorite children books with them on a regular basis and the fovorite books of my children.(They often visit my classroom through out the year.) I like to have guest readers and parents come in to read to the students. Of course, small prizes and extra free time are also great incentatives.
ReplyDeleteBenita - I agree that what we do as teachers must change so our students want to read. I can't wait for the day when books are available in all classrooms electronically, in print and whatever the future holds.
DeleteIn several student surveys of children within the grade levels of 5th and 6th grade cited reading habits and overall attitudes of both boys and girls. An overwhelming majority of students regard reading with favor no matter their economic status. However, students living in low-income schools, Title I, and inner city populations reported a larger amount of difficulty in being able to recognize high frequency words, and having overall comprehension difficulties. Only one survey reported surveying students that feed from these elementary schools mentions previously to high school did the difficulties lesson. Secondary level educators cited that as students get older, practically boys found classes with large amounts of reading more difficult and less interesting than those with less. (Polychroni 2006)
ReplyDeleteStudents within the 5th and 6th grade level enjoyed reading fiction versus non-fiction and found testing within genres of non-fiction much more challenging and more difficult to maintain an average grade. Girls leaned more toward the popular cultural venues of music and celebrities, reading magazines and pop-culture teen magazines to include fashion and tween topics. When asked about literature connections they tended to choose more drama and realistic fictional stories they could relate to than others. (Sinesbury 2004)Boys on the other hand within this age group still gravitated towards magazines that revealed action hero’s, action figures from movies and local cable shows, to include fictional characters where zero to no connection could be made. When questioned about the ability to connect to a character, boys stated it was fine but a story was a story and who really cares as long as it’s interesting.
When these students were questioned about the influences regarding their reading choice, all stated their families had a large to do with what and if they read. Most cited their mothers and grandmothers, the female figures in their families being the greater influential factor versus friends. Both cited their teachers also had a role and to some extent the only influence. However, girls were more eager to cite their friends taste in literature was greater than all others. Girls tend to follow the trends in local entertainment and influences of pre-teen and teenage pop-culture in their choice of literature and leisure reading. (Sinesbury (2004)
Students within these surveys varied form different culture and economic backgrounds as well as school system types. Those living within higher economic status tended to have more influence and greater desire to read in and out of the school setting, to include owning books and choosing to continue to purchase books. Students within lower economic status tended to have less influence and less desire to read in and out of the school setting, but not about purchasing books. (Gnaldi 2005) Children within both economic setting were eager to own books and to read, however, the ability levels and the students was a great factor in how students view themselves as readers and their ability to function in literature circles.
Dyslexic and male students seemed to be affected the most when it comes to the abilities of students to feel socially excepted and as contributors. Often students with dyslexia or with any label such as special education, content mastery, etc. often feel the label is what their peers see not the verbal abilities they possess to comprehend the same material, but the inability to read aloud or in cooperative grouping. This intern often leaves students inhibited to seek out reading and to openly discuss what they read. More often students shy away from becoming consumers of books leaving a large gap in their literacy.