Motivating the Reluctant Reader Through Technology

1. Motivating the Reluctant Reader Through Technology

2. Quiz! Read the paper in front of you and prepare for a short comprehension quiz. This is worth 25% of your conference credit.

3. We also need to help students Tame the Wild Text. March 2012 | Volume 69 | Number 6 Reading: The Core Skill Pages 16-21 Taming the Wild Text Pam Allyn

4. Ten Principles for Creating a Reading Culture 1. Don't judge the reader. 6. Dive deep. 2. Offer a range of materials. 7. Value browsing and rereading. 3. Provide time for dialogue. 8. Build stamina. 9. Teach students to curate their own reading lives. 4. Give readers a tool kit. 5. Let readers read at their comfort level. 10. Remember, joy matters.

5. What are you already doing to cultivate these principles which create a culture for reading enjoyment?

6. Now let’s put on our “Technology Lens” and perceive these principles from a new perspective.

7. Don't Judge the Reader Dan Gutman, Author of the My Weird School Series: “I think the answer to the question ‘What should kids be reading?’ is ‘Whatever they want.’ Just like some people like to eat meat, and others prefer vegetables, there are different kinds of readers.” Jeff Kinney, Author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series: “As parents, my wife and I are just along for the ride....The way I see it, our goal as parents is to respond to their interests without judgment and to be ready with a new book in hand.”

8. What do you read? • Think about what it is that you are drawn to read. • For instance: My son loves to read the boxes from his toys and my other son loves to read catalogues.

9. What do you read?

12. Offer a Range of Materials Jeff Kinney, Author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series My answer to the question “What should kids be reading?” is simple: Whatever captures their interest, in whatever format. Because kids’ interests will shape the people they’ll become.

18. Provide Time for Dialogue Jeff Kinney, Author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series Finally, I found my literary nirvana in a bureau drawer by my father’s bedside. He had amassed a stash of comic books dating back to his own childhood and jealously protected them, safe from the peanut butter and jelly-smeared hands of his four kids. Eventually my shared interest with my father surfaced, and once everything was out in the open, comics created a lasting bond between us. The comics my father read as a kid were now being reprinted, and every week a freshly minted Carl Barks masterpiece arrived at the local 7-Eleven. Exciting times.

19. What is the last book that you read? • How did you feel when it ended? • What did you want to do after you had completed the book? • How many of us want to answer 10 questions to prove comprehension?

20. Let’s give our students opportunities to dialogue informally. • Phone-a-friend • Write a “Book-share” • E-mail

24. Give Readers a Tool Kit Dan Gutman, Author of the My Weird School Series The truth is that everybody likes to read, whether they realize it or not. Because everybody—even the most reluctant reader—loves a good story. As a reluctant reader myself, I relate to those kids. I know what bores them, and what holds their interest. They want short sentences. Short chapters. Dialog. Few adjectives. They’d rather use their imagination than read a paragraph of description. They want one sentence to lead naturally to the next one, rather than jump from subject to subject. They want a chapter to end in a way that makes them want to know what happens next. That’s what keeps them turning pages.

25. Give Readers a Tool Kit • Set your students up to SUCCEED. • Arm them with everything they need—Anticipate difficulties!

28. Let Readers Read at Their Comfort Level The five fingers approach Students need to read at their independent level for enjoyment.

30. Dive Deep • Every student wants to sink his/her teeth into a good, exciting book. The kind you can’t wait to finish, but then feel sad when you do.

31. Dive Deep • What is the last book that you have read that you couldn’t put down?

35. Value Browsing and Rereading • “Please just read it ONE MORE TIME!”

37. Build Stamina • Help the struggling reader become: • Fierce • Unafraid and • Strong

40. Teach Students to Curate Their Own Reading Lives • Choose a partner and share what that means to you.

41. Teach Students to Curate Their Own Reading Lives • To curate: To take charge of, to organize, to pull together, sift through, and select for presentation.

45. Remember, Joy Matters There is no greater gift we can give to our children than the joy of reading!

46. Finally, the best way to get students to be well read is to know your students and your collection. Knowing the activities, home lives, and personal interests of your students will help you when you build your collection. Keeping up with the newest books is hard when budgets are tight but having a wide selection is vital. Reading library journals, visiting book stores to browse, and talking with other (educators) is crucial. Most importantly, reading lots of books makes us better able to help our students. Reading a wide variety of genres, even when it may not be something that you would select, enables you to be the expert when it comes to helping students find the perfect book. Terri Kirk

47. “Nothing is more important to us than helping you inspire your students to want to read and to keep reading.” Alan BoykoPresident, Scholastic Book Fairs

48. Access, Choice, and Reading Practice As a school leader, you have the power to connect kids with books they want to read. www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/principals/resources.asp

49. The Presentation will be available on http://www.furmanr.com Contact Information: L. Robert Furman ED.D. South Park Elementary Center Principal South Park, PA (W) 412-655-8510 (C) 412-999-0449 Rob@FurmanR.com Furmanr@sparksd.org http://www.furmanr.com Social Media Connections Twitter @DrFurman Facebook: www.facebook.com/furmaneducationalresources LinkedIn: RobFurman Current Publications: Dr. Furman’s current book Instructional Technology Tools: A professional Development Plan is available in stores now. You can also read Dr. Furman’s blog on the Huffington Post