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Re: How to Motivate 3rd & 4th Grade Readers
Posted by sm on 7/13/08

Thanks to everyone for sharing their concerns and ideas. Trust me, I
am learning something new everyday and I appreciate everyone's advice.

One thing that I also found to be very helpful is to read many
children's books for several reasons. **I can help my students with
book decisions. **We have discussions about the book as they are
reading. **I am able to select books for read alouds. **If I am
teaching a writing skill, I know which book to pull samples from to
use as mentor text. **My students see that I love reading and they
are amazed at how many books I've read.

I need to start reading aloud with nonfiction materials. We
subscribe to Time For Kids which is a great resource. It is
important to also model reading nonfiction as well.

sm

On 7/12/08, how awful wrote:
> I'm so sorry to hear that your lower readers are being forced to
> read books that are too hard for them. No wonder they hate it.
> And this is at the age of 8 and 9. Look at the other posts about
> the positive and negative effects of AR and you will find that AR
> is not the culprit, it is all of the other requirements we put on
> the kids to earn so many points, only chapter books, adult
> analysis techniques of what is being read, etc. If you were
> forced to read only sports magazines or horror stories, had to
> take insightful notes on them, summarize them and then be tested
> on them, wouldn't you hate it too?
>
> It is too bad the adults are coming up with the "incentives" the
> kids are supposed to be working toward. The adults are making the
> kids do activities like college students and they are elementary
> kids. You'd do better with having the kids share in their own way
> what the book means for them. Each grade level may want to
> brainstorm a list of ideas from the kids about what would work for
> them. Then come up with a hierarchy of goals to work towards that
> will be celebrated rather than milestones that must be reached or
> the student is labeled a failure whether intended or not.
>
> When you talk to your colleagues start with this: "If you always
> do what you've always done, you will always get what you've always
> gotten. Obviously, the current implementation of AR is having
> some detrimental effects that will continue if the implementation
> is not changed. If we don't mind the detrimental effects, then
> let's continue with what we've done. If these effects are not our
> intent, then we have to change the implementation or we will
> continue to have kids hating to read."
>
> That should at least get them to pay attention and buy in to the
> process of change. I hope you have great success in changing the
> current climate of AR at your school.
>
>
> On 7/12/08, bshteach wrote:
>> Thanks for the excellent ideas!!
>>
>> I think part of the problem is the requirements put on the
>> students before they are even allowed to take an AR test. They
>> can ONLY read chapter books, even the lowest readers, NO half-
>> point books are allowed at all!! Plus several teachers have
>> them write extensive notes about each chapter, and then a
>> general summary at the end of the book. Several parents have
>> shared with me that the joy for reading we establish in grades
>> 1 & 2 is extinguished in 3rd and 4th. That just breaks my
>> heart!!
>>
>> I truly do not think that AR is inherently the problem, but I'm
>> not sure how to approach these teachers to say something needs
>> to change. I will print up your suggestions to share with
>> them, though I know they already do some.
>>
>> Any other 3rd & 4th grade teachers that would be willing to
>> share their successful strategies would be greatly appreciated
>> as well!!


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Posts on this thread, including this one


• How to Motivate 3rd & 4th Grade Readers, 7/11/08, by bshteach.
• Re: How to Motivate 3rd & 4th Grade Readers, 7/12/08, by reading teacher.
• Re: How to Motivate 3rd & 4th Grade Readers, 7/12/08, by reading teacher - addition.
• Re: How to Motivate 3rd & 4th Grade Readers, 7/12/08, by bshteach.
• Re: How to Motivate 3rd & 4th Grade Readers, 7/12/08, by how awful.
• Re: How to Motivate 3rd & 4th Grade Readers, 7/13/08, by sm.
• Re: How to Motivate 3rd & 4th Grade Readers, 7/13/08, by Thomas.