Sunday, January 9, 2011
Reading Motivation
No later than Jan. 23, and after you finish reading the four short articles on reading motivation, respond in two ways in the comment section: 1) what are the most important things you learned about reading motivation, and 2) what question(s) do you have about motivating children's reading in your own classroom some day?
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After reading the articles I have found that two of the most important things I learned aout reading motivation were:
ReplyDeleteMotivation plays a key role in learning
Letting students select their own materials helps them become more interested and excited in reading.
A few questions I have about motivating childrens reading in my future classroom included:
What can be done for the student(s) that nothing you seem to do helps motivate them towards reading?
With so many incentive programs to motivate reading, which ones truly work better than others?
How far is too far when it comes to rewarding for reading?
The most important things I learned about reading motivation are:
ReplyDelete-Students who read show better literacy development.
-More reading occurs in students where books are available.
-Have students read a little each day, instead of one long segment.
-Reading workshops teach readers for a lifetime. These workshops help children choose books, develop and refine their literacy criteria, and carve identities for themselves as readers.
-The primary goal as a reading teacher is to eliminate or at least reduce frustration.
- A teacher should foster the love of teaching and help students develop into readers who read for both pleasure and information.
-Elementary years shape subsequent reading motivation and achievement for students.
-An engaged reader is motivated. knowledgeable, strategic, and socially interactive.
-The Motivation to Read Profile(MRP)says that 45% of students worry about what others think about their reading, 47% of students are "very good readers", and 17% of students reported that when they read aloud they feel embarrassed or sad.
-Third graders value reading more than fifth graders.
-Reading helps us learn more about the world in which we live, gives us pleasure and enjoyment, and helps to become better speakers.
-Students choose books to read based on curiosity and familiarity.
-To make a real difference in the literacy lives of younger children a teacher must serve as a reading model and motivator, create classroom cultures that are book-rich, provide opportunities for choice, encourage social interactions about books, build on the familiar, and reflect the view that books are the best reward.
The questions I have about motivating children's reading in my own classroom someday are:
-How do I know I'm making a difference in a child's interest in reading?
-How do I make sure my children are engaged in reading?
-What choice of words should I use to make sure a child is not being insulted when it comes to reading aloud in the classroom? (Do I make them read, encourage them to read, or give them a choice)
-How far does a teacher go in providing students a "choice of reading"?
-How much reading is enough for a student to comprehend and grasp?
-How do I reward a student for their reading achievements?
-How do I create a teacher workshop in my classroom?
What I learned about reading motivation:
ReplyDeleteStudents are motivated to read when they are reading something that is interesting to them.
Teachers play a key role in motivating their students to read by introducing interesting books to their students, providing a variety of books for students to read in the classroom, and simply showing students their own interest in reading.
Questions I have about reading motivation:
What is the best way to reward students for reading?
How do I know if my students are engaged in reading?
How many books should a good classroom collection have?
Is it okay allow them to read “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” with extended repetition?
I finally found a book that motivates my student to read.
-How do I find books that will be of similar interest?
I have a Kindergarten student that wants to read harder chapter books and not easy readers.
-Should I encourage them to read easier books or continue to allow them to read the books that are not in their reading level?
-Would the harder books not be more frustrating for the Kindergartener to read?
One of the most important things I learned about reading motivation is to let the student decide what to read. By letting them decide, they will enjoy the book more so than by having someone else decide for them. It is important for the student to choose a book that is compelling to them and grabs their attention. In “The Pleasure Principle,” Atwell stated that children are encouraged to skim, skip, and look ahead in a book to see if it is something that strikes their attention to read. I think this is a great idea and something that I may use in my future classroom. I also learned that we as teachers, should let students read more in class and have a chance to discuss a book that they are reading whether in a small group or one on one with the teacher. Providing students with more reading time will allow them to stay interested in the book they are reading and encourage them to read more because they will know they have time to read in class. Having a wide variety of books in the classroom is also important for reading motivation. Students aren’t all interested in reading the same things so there needs to a wide variety of books to read such as sports related books, animal books, storytelling books, and imagination friendly books. Providing students with these different options is vital to keep them motivated in reading.
ReplyDeleteSome questions I have about motivating students to read are: How do I know how much class time is appropriate to let students read in class? Should I always allow self selection of books in the classroom? And what are appropriate ways to reward and recognize students for the reading achievements?
I really enjoyed these articles and they latched on to a lot of thoughts I had about motivation for kids to read. These articles also got me thinking back to when I was in school and things that would have motivated me to enjoy reading more as a student.
ReplyDeleteBook choice seems to be key in a child's motivation to read. It seems that children are not given any freedom when it comes to what they read, but it is very important for them to be able to find something they are actually interested in. Another important aspect is the social interaction the students have with one another about what they read. I think kids learn so much from their peers, and I think that the love of reading can really be contagious! I think if one student is super excited about a book and talks about it, they will motivate their classmates, and, as the article by Gambrell mentions, it will arouse their curiosity. Another very, very important part of students’ motivation to read is the enthusiasm their teachers show towards reading. We should create an environment that makes reading enjoyable and a pleasure, like Atwell discusses, instead of a chore.
I still have many questions about reading motivation in my future classroom.
-How do you build a well supplied and large selection of books for your classroom library for a reasonable price?
-What is the best way to assess free reading in the classroom?
-What is the best way to motivate a student in reading who cannot read well, or who has trouble comprehending what they read?
-How do you make sure every student has books in the classroom library they will be motivated to read, that they will be interested in?
- Are literature groups effective in the motivation of students’ reading? Or does it turn them away?
-How do I make sure the students are reading enough outside the classroom? How can we motivate the parents to encourage reading at home?
It was interesting to learn that readers do well on test because they have acquired, not learned, grammar, vocabulary, and writing. Another important factor is that if reading material is dull and hard to understand, if surroundings are uncomfortable, or if students must report on everything they read,then a reading program may only discourage reading. How do you start a self-selected reading program if the other teachers do not do the same and each grade level is expected to follow the same plan? When you have students with reading disabilities, that are reading at a much lower grade level than their peers, how do you keep them motivated to read, if their peers make fun of them for reading what they call kiddie or baby books?
ReplyDeleteWendy Thomas
Some things I have learned about making Reading more fun and helping my children be more motivated is that you as the teacher has to show your interest towards the student. In the one article where the teacher allowed the student to read to her...she showed an interest in her students and in turn it made the students feel better about reading. Reading is a subject that some students struggle with. With me teaching Title 1 I have to make sure I motivate my children with EVERYTHING!!! We have games we play with reading and whoever wins gets to pick out of my treasure box. I have found that challenging them against the other students in my class with them helps a lot. I also think the teachers have to be willing to give it their all to make sure their children can read!
ReplyDeleteQuestions I have is what do you do when it seems nothing is working with the child your working with?? Also how much time is the "right" amount of time to allow children to read by themselves???
Many valuable points can be gleaned from the articles concerning the positive benefits of students being allowed to choose their own reading materials. The most obvious, of course, being that the vast majority of students will find the material they select to be interesting. Students are then able to more easily engage in the material and may allow the student to have a greater sense of enjoyment.
ReplyDeleteAlso being allowed the freedom of choice will encourage the students to explore books that interest them and spark their desire to learn. When students read, they are also learning reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary skills without repitious rote instruction.
Some strategies and principles for helping children build motivation for reading are really based in common sense. Teachers should...model free reading for their students, introduce new books and old favorites, read aloud excerpts that will peak interest. Students should be taught the elements of fiction, the proper use of punctuation, how to determine the rythm of the words. The different purposes for reading, how to find books that are just right ( not too hard, not too easy) all help to eliminate frustration about reading. Students should be encouraged to skim, skip and look ahead in the process of locating just the right book for them. Students should be allowed the freedom to choose a book to read and a book of interest even if it is out of their grade level. Teachers should never tell students that their choise wasn't right.
I really like to idea of having a special amount of time daily in which the students are given the opportunity to read. Building this into the daily routine will encourage the habit of reading something daily. Small groups are also a great idea for the students to be able to connect with each other and share their feelings about the books they are reading.
In closing, the main ideas that I will take away from these articles is that teachers should introduce students to the excitement that occurs when a reader in involved in a new world, identifies with the characters, and actively engages in the story. Teachers should also encourage students to read at home everyday, and just enjoy the adventure.
The most interesting thing I learned is that students really do want to read more. They enjoy settling down with a good book and really getting involved. It is our responsibility as teachers to provide them with a variety of books to choose from and allow them to choose the books they like. We should also give them time to read and a quiet environment where they can really focus on their books.
ReplyDeleteIt was nice to learn that students do benefit from reading themselves as well as being read to. Teachers, older students, and parents should get involved and read to younger students. This can help motivate students to want to read more.
Children also need social interaction to be successful readers. They should have time to discuss books with one another. Children like to read books that are somewhat familiar. If they hear about a good book from a friend or classmate, they will be more likely to pick up that book and read it themselves.
It is also very important for the teacher to be a model reader. Teachers should also read when their students are reading. They should demonstrate their love of books by sharing how reading has touched their lives. Children benefit from hearing about interesting things their teachers have read and what they have learned through reading.
Some questions I have after reading these articles are:
-Should students be rewarded for reading? And, if so, are books the best reward?
-Should you always allow students to choose their own books, or is it also a good idea to choose books for group readings?
-How do you get parents more involved in reading with their children?
-In a time where teachers are "teaching for the test", how do you allow more time to "Drop Everything And Read"?
-How do you choose books that are beneficial for those students who are English Language Learners?
-How do you assess students when they are reading on their own?
The first and third articles were the ones that I felt like I got the most out of.
ReplyDeleteThe first article help me to realize that reading recreationally helps people understand reading, writing, grammer, adn vocabulary better. I also see that children do better when they can read for enjoyment because their are no test or reports to do after they are finished.
I had a little trouble understanding the Narrow Reading section. I understand that it has to do with your interest but is there more detail then that?
The third article was wonderful. I got great ideas that I can even use for myself. the teacher seems rohave a wonderfu lconcept of how to help children with reading.
My favorite is the Reading ZOne. I think that this will help children use thier imagination and they can go to world they want to in thier heads.
I also this it is a great idea no to push. The teacher walks around and ask how they like the book and what they think will be next, etc.
The last article had wonderful ideas but where do we as teachers find the time to use these?
From reading these articles I learned a lot of good facts about children and reading. It was great to learn that most children do want to read and do better when they enjoy what they read. It was comforting to know that when given the time in class to read that it benefits the students. This helps to ease fears that when given the time in class students are not really getting any thing from it. I often hear parents say that they are probably not even reading or that reading is something that could be done at home and teachers should be teaching. I liked how the first article gave specfic examples of how much students are getting from leisure reading and how it is a postive activity to have.
ReplyDeleteThe article also expressed the need for reading workshops that teachers should attend to help futher their understanding of reading and what they should do to increase the interest of students in thier classrooms.I thought it was very important that the last article mention the fact that if the parents are not literate then the children that we will be teaching will not have the extra exposure to print at home. I felt that this is a very important thing to think about and to factor it into a child's learning ability. It is probaly a point that many teachers forget to think about or take into consideration.
Some questions that I had after reading these articles were:
What is a good reward that could be given to the students that are working extra hard in reading?
What is good way to approach parents that may be illiterate?
Is there a better time to allow free reading? Like morning or afternoon?
Can students really get something out of books that are "to easy" for them?
When having a student that is showing no progress in reading, where do you start at to try to get them to understand "words"?
What do you do with a student that reads too much?
One of the most important things that I learned about reading motivation involves recreational reading/reading for pleasure. In addition, Free Voluntary reading discussed findings that recreational reading is the major source of our reading competence and is a bridge to heavier reading.
ReplyDeleteSteps to a Successful Reading Program
Good, fun, interesting reading material, book-rich classroom environment
Reading needs to be done in a comfortable classroom surrounding
Students have freedom to choose their books of choice
Encourage Social interactions discussions about books with their peers
Teachers serve as models and share our personal reading experiences
Question:
The Krashen article states: “Studies indicate that a text needs to be about 98% comprehensible in order for it to help the reader acquire new vocabulary”. Students that have learning disabilities should not be held to these types of comprehension standards. If a learning disabled student only has interest in a book that is too hard for him/her to comprehend should I assist by reading to them? Should teachers be more concerned with interest or comprehension standards for learning disabled students?
Question 1:
ReplyDelete• tapping into a child’s natural curiosity about books and reading is one key to fostering a lifetime love of reading
• an active teacher model is key—instead of just reading silently during D.E.A.R or SSR time, teachers should share their experiences of reading with her students—so they will know how reading enriches our lives (authentic learning model)
• that self-selection or the freedom of choice is the most important factor in getting kids to want to read—to let them read what they want.
• and the second most important is giving them time to read their chosen book.
• the reader’s bill of rights by Daniel Pennac
• eliminating the frustration of reading by making it easy and being honest about what we actually do as readers in the real world
• no more AR, no more Decodable Readers! Yay!!
• reading workshops and brief lessons
• minimal accountability—down with quizzes and book reports!
• the social aspect of reading—sharing a good book with a friend
• that reading Sweet Valley series or any other such “fluffy” titles actually helped ELL students better learn the English language than textbooks or other “quality” texts
• confidence unlocks competence in reading more challenging material
Question 2:
• The articles kept mentioning “quality literature”—what exactly is that? Where are the criteria for this “quality literature”? This seems to be a limitation of this wonderful new freedom of reading choice? Where do the teachers’ personal tastes interfere with their students’ desire to read?
• How will I fit all this reading time into my limited schedule?
• If I am reading along with the kids, how will I be able to police whether they are reading or just going through the motions?
• What good will this wonderful instructional model do if the whole system doesn’t implement it?
• What is the difference between a reading workshop and a literature circle?
• Will this model of teaching reading replace the old model of teaching-to-the-test?
In Krashen's "Free Voluntary reading" articles, I learned that SSR reading is meant to encourage reluctant readers to take an interest in reading outside of the classroom. It is not intended or effective for more advanced readers. Both the sheltered popular reading and narrow reading approach make sense for 2nd language learners. The material has a personal value or has consisitency that can be built upon for better comprehesion. The study by Mason of the Japanese students was interesting because the ones who did the best were the ones who read in English but wrote summaries in their native language. I think these findings may be due to the native Japanese speakers reading in English, understanding the concepts in their minds that they read in English but having to find a way to express those same concepts in Japanese. So, basically, they have to be able to think in both languages almost simultaneously, becoming more proficient in both. Also, FVR has shown to increase test scores more than direct instruction in grammar and vocabulary. The environment in which free voluntary reading occurs plays a role in reader success.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea in "Pleasure Principle" of letting the readers carve out their own identity as readers. Our tastes change and evolve the more we read and the more we are exposed to. I also strongly approve of reading being a reward in and of itself. I remember reading programs in school that gave rewards. There were always a few students who lied about the number of books they read, defeating the purpose of the program.
Readers become more motivated to read when reading becomes a social activity- readers discuss what they have read, what they like to read and why and favorite authors.
Questions:
How can we encourage fellow teachers/co-workers to implement a FVR program when there is so much focus on teaching to the tests?
Should extra free reading time be given as a reward but not rewarded?
TONYA MCDONEL
One of the most important things I got from these articles are is that children NEED to have a little freedom to actually enjoy reading. Letting them choose their own books is essential in doing this. Dictating to children what they can and can't read is going to turn many students away from reading anything at all. I know this from experience. I was told what to read all through grade school and now I do not enjoy reading. I didn't enjoy it then, either. It always felt like a chore to me.
ReplyDeleteAnother important point that I took away from the readings is that free reading in schools is essential to learning. Children grow from reading, and reading in schools helps them in all subjects.
A few questions that I have are...
1. Is there one single way that is best to teach children how to read? If so, what is it?
2. How can you determine if a student is reading TOO much?
Things I learned: by Scotty Powell
ReplyDeleteThe reader needs to be in a comfortable enviorment, for the reader to totally focus on the work at hand.
Teachers plays a huge role in encouragment, this helps the students want to read. Motivation is the key element.
Students need to read some that grabs their attention, something that interest them.
Got to make it fun.
Questions I have:
What is the right amount of time to read? How much time before a student doesnt grasp the information anymore? How can you capture there attention to want to read? How can you get the Whole family involved? How far is too far in rewarding?
After reading the articles I feel that my eyes were open to the importance teacher’s play in a student’s interest in reading. The role teachers hold concerning student’s exposure and attitude towards books was astounding. I learned that teachers must show an active interest in reading in order to build interest in their students.
ReplyDeleteI learned that the classroom atmosphere must allow students the opportunity to select their own books from a large selection of books, the freedom to voice their opinions about the books they read, and the right to read for pleasure, not for testing purposes. I also learned that “rewards” should not be presented to students for reading and teachers could label reading levels on books differently to allow more self confidence for all readers.
I learned that students need to be able to use their own voice regarding how they feel about books and authors. I also learned that many students select books based on what their peers have said regarding the book because it is “familiar” to them.
I was surprised that students should be encouraged to skim, skip pages, and look ahead in the book, but when I think about my own reading experiences I realized that I do the same thing.
One item that interested me was the huge role that self selection played in reading motivation. With so many reading assignments, AR required books and tests, it is easy to see how students would begin to shy away from reading, but if self selected reading is the answer to increase reading motivation and therefore increase literacy skills, why is it rejected in most classrooms?
•In such “test crazy” days with AR reading points being dictated to every student, how do you find time for reading that will not be tested or evaluated without creating problems with other teachers and the principal?
•After reading about how reading helps English Language Learners, how can you provide the necessary tools to help ELL students in your classroom?
•How should one select books for a classroom library that would meet all readers reading levels and interest? Is there a “criteria” for each grade level or does it really even matter?
•What can a teacher do to reach a student that “hates” reading and refuses to engage during reading time?
•If there are no tests or assessments, how can a teacher know if students are truly growing from their reading time?
I had always known that reading books was an important part of a child's learning but I didn't know to what extent. I thought that just as long as they were getting some reading in no matter what kind, that it would be beneficiary. After reading the article about FVR I look at free reading differently. I also had some of the same concerns that they talked about in the article.
ReplyDeleteDo they read when given FVR? Choosing their own easy books. And do you really think they are getting info if not asked about it?
I agree that reading at school is a great opportunity. Many students do not have the parents and support at home to be able to read. Also students that have the opportunity to read at school have a world of books at their fingertips in the library. I also think that each classroom should have a plethora of books for the children to check out and read. Teachers play a big part in teaching children to learn to love to read.
Some questions that I have is where does the AR program fit in to a classroom if there are no test or reports?
How can you get a child to like reading?