My students need multi volume series books to help them stay motivated to read. Some series volumes I have included are as long as 12 books which will keep them reading for a long time!
As a girl, I remember always having a Mary-Kate and Ashley or Wishbone book in my hand. Or when Harry Potter came out? I didn't leave my room for days! My friends and I were so excited about reading, we couldn't imagine any other way of life. As many first-year teachers do, I brought worldview that everyone loved reading an learning. This was quickly shattered.
I soon discovered that my students were brilliant but unmotivated; talented, but reluctant.
However, year after year one thing always remains true; they all discover that they love to read.
I remember reading Midsummer Night's Dream with my students at the end of last year. In the beginning of the unit I asked each one of them what they thought reading Shakespeare would be like. Ninety-five percent of them answered "boring" or "too hard." By Act III, I had students running into my classroom asking if we were reading today. It is that spirit that I love about my students. The ability to let go of pride and see reading as more than just a boring chore but an experience and I always hope that they don't lose that spirit in high school.
My Project
It is proven that students who read do better in, you guessed it, reading! You would think that would be enough to get students and parents on board with reading. For some families it is but the problem lies with something I call "The Netflix Effect." Once a student has finished a book, they can become lost and can spend a lot of time trying to find a book that interests them. This is similar to when we finish a TV show we spend hours looking for another show that was just as good but end up just watching The Office for the hundredth time.
So, I did some research on how to help students choose a new book to read and what I found was something so simple I wondered why I hadn't thought of it.
I stumbled upon an article that was all about multivolume book series and as I read I knew this was something I wanted to implement in my new classroom.
For this project, I have included high interest multivolume series books of all different levels for all genders and cultures. For example, "The Selection" series has some strong female protagonists and deals mostly in relationships drama. Meanwhile, "The Ranger's Apprentice" series features male protagonists and deals in action. Each series I have included in my list has at least three volumes. It is my goal that by including multivolume series books in my classroom library, that students will gain a "hunger for reading" and in the meantime improve "student fluency and engagement with reading" (A School-Wide Culture).
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