Reluctant Readers Revolution Part I

My Students

What was the title of the first book that captured your imagination and made books your friends for the rest of your life? Many of my students have willingly listened to stories and have read stories from our reading series, but they have not sat down with a novel. They don't know books as friends.

My students live in a rural area on the eastern plains of Colorado.

The students are very dedicated to learning and work at rigorous pace to achieve their individual goals. One third of my students are two-language children. They are excited to master both of their languages at a higher level each and every day. One of the challenges at our school is isolation. We are more than two hours away from science museums, art museums and zoos. In a time of budget restrictions, all field trips outside our city limits have been canceled by the school decision makers. Our computer lab does not access the Internet and the only computer in my classroom is the teacher computer. Books and other literacy materials are the resources many of my students depend upon to experience people, cultures and places outside of our part of the world. "Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. Charles W. Eliot

My Project

I want to share an amazing novel with all my students. When I was a kid, I read for fun. I remember my mother begging me to stop and go outside for some fresh air, as I became so immersed in a book that I wouldn't leave the couch or my bed until I had read the final words of the story. Of course, at that time, reading was one of a few entertainment options for young children. Today's children have a plethora of digital distractions. When I ask them what they did after school last night, the answer is likely to be, "Played video games." In 2004, The National Endowment for the Arts published a research study called, "Reading At Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America." The survey confirmed that electronic media is a dominant influence in the lives of America’s young people, while literary reading is on the decline. The book I have chosen for this request will replace the hand controls with a novel that will open the door to literary reading.

My reluctant readers need something that can compete against digital diversions for their attention.

“The Invention of Hugo Cabret” is not like any book that I've ever read before. The illustrations help tell the story. The graphics can grab the children’s attention and the text gives them an extraordinary read. “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” is the book I have chosen to transform my reluctant readers into revolutionized readers who are rearing to go! Pick it up yourself, you'll see!