Help me give my students graphic novels like Voces Sin Fronteras that encourage my diverse, reluctant readers to go beyond a chapter book and see characters like themselves on the pages.
My students are a mix of both eager and reluctant readers which can stem from many different experiences in both their home lives and previous elementary schools. They are required to read each day both at school and at home, and while many students value this time as a break from the grind of middle school, students who struggle with reading are often frustrated and not engaged.
"Can we read for just 5 more minutes!" is one of the most rewarding things a language arts teacher can hear, especially coming from a student who just weeks before would barely crack a book during reading time.
Often times struggling readers will enjoy the length and variety that comes with a graphic novel. Nothing feels better than putting the right book in a child's hand and for reluctant, struggling readers, graphic novels feel like a book that they can get into.
My Project
Students need books with characters that they can connect with and that experience the same kinds of situations and problems that they experience, especially in middle school.
Unfortunately, the graphic novels that I have bought for my classroom in the past have either been "permanently borrowed" or are falling apart from being read so many times.
It is a constant battle to keep them bound with tape and on the shelves. They are always the first books a reluctant reader will choose to read, especially if they see other students reading them as well.
In my 13 years of teaching language arts to middle school students, I have found that most reluctant readers enjoy graphic novels because they are engaging, relevant, and diverse. A story can come to life for a reluctant reader when they experience the joys of devouring a graphic novel!
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