My students are English II students who have forgotten what it means to enjoy reading. It is my hope that in my English II class, I can remind them what it is like to appreciate reading.
My students are economically disadvantaged, minority, struggling high students who must pass the state reading requirements in order to graduate.
Many of my students receive accommodations due to having English as a second language or because of special needs.
The students are a subset of a rural school that ranges from struggling students to successful honor students. My students tend not to be involved in after school activities, because working after school is a priority for their family. When working is not a priority, the students often do not have transportation to participate in off hour programs. The school offers many electives that appeal to many different students. However, because my students struggle academically their schedules do not allow them elective studies. In addition to the required intensive reading, the students take intensive math. This ties up two of their elective credits. With the other required courses, there is no room in their schedule for electives.
My Project
The students will use the books to read during class and review any home reading assignments. During class, literary elements such as cause/effect, compare/contrast, point-of-view, predicting, and use of author's words or phrases will be analyzed. Students will make graphic organizers, participate in book discussions, and write questions to the author.
Providing each student a copy of the book, facilitates reading and allows the students to read at their own pace and build their own engagement. If I had to have the book shared among the students, then classroom discussions would have to be based solely on what was read in the classroom.
Since the school will be getting a visit from the author, and since my students struggle academically, being the first to read the story provides an upper-hand. My students will know the story, have discussed the story, and will have questions written for the author ahead of time.
Read any good books lately, one that you couldn't put down?
Imagine a struggling 10th grade student who struggles to meet the graduation requirements because they struggle with reading. John Dewey wrote, "Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." As an English teacher, I spend a lot of my time working to promote a love of reading among my students. So often, with the stress of standardized testing, students forget that reading can be enjoyable.
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