Help me give my students motivation to read by using interesting stories like "Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science" and Breakout Boxes.
The ninety one seventh grade students I teach each week day are diverse and eclectic. They love sports, social media and friendships. They do not always see the purpose of reading classic literature or writing an essay, but if I can motivate them it is amazing to watch them get excited about discussing a short story or composing a persuasive speech.
The energy and the passion that surrounds my middle school students is contagious and inspiring.
They would do anything for a friend and pretend that they believe all adults are boring. When teachers take the time to get to know them, they are desperately wanting an adult to connect with. I try to be that adult and encourage others to do the same.
My Project
Breakout boxes are exciting puzzles that student groups work together to solve. They are similar to escape rooms because students use clues to break open the box. I have used them in my classroom on numerous occasions creating my own generically made plastic boxes and combination locks.
To motivate my students to read more nonfiction, I will use the breakout boxes and the two very interesting nonfiction novels: "I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban" and "Phineas Gage A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science." My students will read the novels and solve puzzles to determine main ideas, supporting details, word meanings and other comprehension concepts.
Often times nonfiction can be difficult to get students interested about, but by using the breakout boxes, I hope to increase enthusiasm for this genre. In addition to learning about the nonfiction topics students use cooperation to work together to achieve a goal.
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