Welcome to our Strategies for Motivating Students blog! Please read the instructions below before you begin:
Reflecting on the chapter readings and the Reading Interest Survey data compiled by your CLC, post an entry into this blog.
First... One person from the CLC should post the results of the survey to the blog.
Next...
Individually,
analyze the results of your CLC survey, identify the grade you teach,
and address at least one the following in one post to this blog:
As
a result of your team's survey results: (You only need to address one
of these questions; you are welcome to address more in your response,
however, only one is necessary - this is an individual response)
1) What stages of development are you students in?
2) What factors do you take into consideration when developing a literature-based lesson plan or unit plan?
3)
What types of reading motivational activities do you employ in your
classroom? What have you tried that worked or did not work in your
classroom?
4) Recommend some books that you have found to be successful as motivational tools.
Keep
in mind a blog is a place to capture ideas, exchange resources, and
virtually converse with your peers. Please take a few moments to read
other student's comments and feel free to post any responses to their
comments. You must post at least one entry into the blog to receive credit for this assignment.
Enjoy the collaboration with your peers this week!
Feel free to just take a look at the blog. In order to post your assignment, each student will need to join the blog. Below are the instructions to join the blog:
ReplyDeleteClick on Sign In on the top right corner of the blog page. If you have a gmail account, then you can sign right in by providing your email address and password. If you do not have a gmail account, then you will be prompted to create one.
Next, once you have signed in, you will see your email address in the top right corner of the blog page. This indicates that you are signed in and ready to go.
Next, go to the bottom left side of the page and click the Comments icon (appears like this (numeral Comments). Once you click on Comments, then you will see a box to post (copy and paste) your assignment or the comment you want to make for another student. Once you have placed your comment in the box, then you will click Publish. Feel free to place a 'testing, testing' post if you need to if you are not familiar with a blog. This is a great way to make errors and learn how to contribute to a blog. Have fun! Questions? Please ask-
Testing...testing. This is a great way to learn how to use a blog. You can add comments under the last comment posted. Please don't be concerned about making a mistake in the blog. This is all for practice and to enjoy responding to one another. You may have an 'oops post', and that's okay!
DeleteI just posted a reply to this message (very similar to our DQ forum) You can delete any of your own postings, if you would like, as well. I hope that my examples have helped you feel more comfortable with a blog.
DeleteTesting :)
ReplyDeleteJessica
Testing......testing!!!
ReplyDeleteI analyzed a very interesting survey entitled “A Survey of the Habits and Attitudes of Urban Middle School Students Toward Leisure Reading”. This study was conducted at an unidentified middle school in an urban setting. The school population was largely African American and low-income. 214 students took part in the study. Their ages ranged from ten to 15 years old, with the average age being 12. This study was conducted by the school librarians, who wanted to better understand the leisure reading habits of their students. The librarians discovered that, despite some stereotypical notions, urban teenagers are reading (Hughes-Hassell & Lutz, 2006). The results showed that they preferred reading periodicals, with topics such as celebrities, sports, and popular culture (Hughes-Hassell & Lutz, 2006). The 27% of students who reported they did not like reading cited “lack of interest” as the biggest reason (Hughes-Hassell & Lutz, 2006). Recognizing magazines and newspapers as legitimate reading materials, and making them more available in library collections may spark the interest of urban teenagers who do not participate in leisure reading (Hughes-Hassell & Lutz, 2006).
ReplyDeleteI teach 2nd grade. In my own classroom, my students report “lack of interest” is the second biggest reason they do not like to read. Most tell me it is because reading is too difficult. To help motivate these students, I find offering some sort of reward is helpful. It doesn’t have to be a big reward. Eating lunch with a friend in the classroom is the most popular choice among students who have earned their reading reward. I also take advantage of a program where children can earn free pizza certificates for reading a certain number of minutes per month. I also feel that it is very beneficial at this young age to see "good" reading being modeled, so for homework and reading challenges I allow the students to count minutes they were read to at home by a parent.
Reference:
Hughes-Hassell, S., & Lutz, C. (2006). What do you want to tell us about reading?: A survey of the habits and attitudes of urban middle school students toward leisure reading. Young Adult Library Services, 4(2), 39-45.
In order to promote reading motivation of my students, I try to always provide choices in their reading group or literature circle text choices. I look for multiple books that can be used to teach whatever skill we are working on and give them the chance to choose from those books. This requires me to use a familiar text we have read aloud as a whole group or read previously in small group as a model text to think-aloud through the skill. Then, the students work with a partner reading the same book as them to practice their skill. They can also use the book of their choice to practice their skill independently. This requires me to be more familiar with a range of books, but the students are more engaged during their collaborative and independent practice time, which is helpful because these are the points in gradual release that students can get off task. Providing students choice in reading material is one of the factors that positively influences reading motivation (Guthrie, Hoa, Wigfield, Tonks, & Perencevich, 2006).
ReplyDeleteI have also worked very hard to build a classroom library that is inviting and has a range of books to meet the needs and interests of all students in my classroom. I have organized our classroom library in a way that students can easily locate the genre or topics that interests them. They can also figure out where to return books quickly. Providing students with easy access to books is one of the factors found to motivate students (Guthrie, et al., 2006).
Furthermore, I strive to provide chances for hands-on activities or real world connections with what students are reading. This is another classroom strategy that can be used to promote reading motivation within the classroom (Guthrie, et al., 2006). For example, when we were learning about farms in science, reading, and writing we had the opportunity to take our third grade classes to a farm. While a field trip is not always possible, other activities such as projects, reader’s theater, video clips, pictures, or plays can provide the opportunity for students to experience what they are reading and better connect to it. This is even more important when the topic is new to students and they lack background knowledge in the area.
References
Guthrie, J. T., Hoa, L. W., Wigfield, A., Tonks, S. M., & Perencevich, K. C., (2006, winter).
From spark to fire: Can situational reading interest lead to long-term reading motivation? Reading Research and Instruction, 4(2), 91-116. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Tonya,
DeleteGiving your students choices in the texts they can choose from in their reading groups, literature circles, independent practice, and reading to a partner helps children take an active role in the reading process. These wonderful opportunities for choice as well as making it a priority to supply your classroom library with a variety of texts that are inviting and interesting to your students goes hand in hand with the Daily 5 method as well as the Working on the Work method of engaging students in their learning. If you haven't read about these methods of getting students engaged in the classroom, you should! It sounds like you are already following their way of teaching and doing a fantastic job!
The yellow team analyzed five surveys:
ReplyDelete-“A Survey of the Habits and Attitudes of Urban Middle School Students Toward Leisure Reading”
-“Factors that Influence the Decision to Read: an Investigation of Fifth Grade Students’ Out-of-School Reading Habits”
-“Just Plain Reading”: A Survey of What Makes Students Want to Read in Middle School Classrooms”
-“Literacy as a Leisure Activity: Free-Time Preferences of Older Children and Young Adolescents”
-a survey through the website SmartGirl.org
The following is a summary of what these five surveys indicated about teen reading interests and motivations:
The most promising conclusion that can be made is that many of today’s children have a positive attitude towards reading, and enjoy this activity both at school and at home. Students appreciate being given the ability to choose their own reading materials and subject matter, and are more willing to read for pleasure when given this opportunity. Many students enjoy reading something other than traditional books, such as magazines, comic books, and newspapers. Educators, parents and librarians must consider these as authentic reading materials, and make them readily available for use in and out of school. In addition, many of those surveyed indicated their teachers as a motivator for reading, whether it be through modeling or assigned reading. Educators who instruct their students to read will increase the amount of minutes students spend reading per day. The surveys also showed that for many students, a majority of their time spent reading happens at school due to afternoon and evening obligations. Allowing students the time during school to read for pleasure, as well as to learn, is an important consideration for all teachers.
I appreciate your comments about magazines and newspapers as authentic reading materials. Students themselves don't consider these when choosing reading material. Often times I have to remind them of the magazines I have in my own classroom library! This could be the result of years of being asked to "read a book."
DeleteDuring curriculum night, I always have parents who say, "My child doesn't like to read! What can I do?" I often tell them that as long as they see the parents enjoying reading, and there is a variety of texts available, it doesn't matter what they are reading,just as long as they ARE reading. Suggesting the sports page, or kids' magazines, and other out of the box texts, helps parents realize that there are other things their children can enjoy reading besides books. I think that we were brought up, like Tonya mentioned, "to read a book" and other materials were overlooked as quality reading material. Often, just the suggestion of a magazine written for children is enough to get parents to think out of the box and get their reader excited about reading again!
DeleteI researched a study that determined factors related to the decision to read. 199 (105 females and 94 males) fifth grade students, between 10 and 11 years old, participated in the study. 133 were European American, 41 Hispanic, 13 African American, 8 Asian American and 1 Native American. Students were from two different school districts, one school was from a rural area and the other school district was in an urban area. Data was collected over four months from six different sources including reflective journals, student activity logs, researcher administered reading surveys, state assessment testing on reading achievement, lunch status on free or reduced school lunch, and student interviews. The findings reported the amount of time students spent reading outside of school voluntarily is related to the influence of a positive educational home environment where the value is placed on reading in the home more than the factor of socio-economic background (McKool, S.S., 2007).
ReplyDeleteI teach second grade. Typically second graders in the beginning of the year are at the decoding stage of the reading process (stage 1). As the year progresses the students shift to the development of reading fluency (stage 2). The number of words read increases and gets closer to the number of words the student comprehends in oral language. At this age students are learning from what they read and stories they listen to. Students in this stage of reading understand what they read based on their own personal experiences. Not all students go through the same stages of reading at the same time. The development of reading skills are based on the individual child.
References
McKool, S.S. (2007). Factors the Influence the Decision to Read: an Investigation of Fifth Grade Students’ Out-of-School Reading Habits. Reading Improvement Project Innovation, 44(3), 1-12.
RDG 585, Lecture Notes, Module 7 [PDF Format]. Retrieved from Grand Canyon University Lecture Notes Online Web Site: https://lc.gcu.edu/learningPlatform/user/users.html
I'm so glad to see someone else who understands that children do not learn the same things at the same time in their development! It breaks my heart when I hear students say they wish they could read 'as good' as someone else in the class. I like to have a discussion with those students, to talk about how babies learn to walk at different times and children learn how to ride bikes and tie their shoes at different ages. But, eventually we all learn how to do these things. Reading is another example...we may not learn how to read as quickly as others in the class, but we all become readers in the end!
DeleteTesting...
ReplyDeleteTesting
ReplyDeleteMy article, "A Teen Take on Reading: Results from the 2005 Teen Read Survey" (Swenor, K., 2006), focused on a teen’s motivation to and interest in reading, as well as how often they visit their local libraries.
ReplyDeleteWhen it came to the results, 39% of students said that it was their teachers and parents, who encouraged them to read, yet 50% said it was the teachers, more than their parents. Many teachers believe that students don’t like to read because it’s seen as “nerdy” or “uncool,” but only 20% of the respondents claimed this as their reason for not reading enough. 65% of the students said that they only like reading about topics they have chosen, that they are passionate about, but still only 40% read for fun. The remaining 35% of students claimed they only read when it’s required in class for a grade.
When it comes to visiting the school library or the public library, only 24% said they go once a month or more. The remaining 76% claimed that they “never” visit a library. If students think it’s okay to read for fun, as long as it’s about a topic they like, why aren’t more teens visiting their local libraries?
First, were the libraries themselves. Students responded that they frequented libraries more often if they had a specific “teen” section. Also, it was said that some librarians “[overreact] to the annoying behavior of a few teens,” which usually results in the youths being kicked off the premises. Once sent away, few teens will want to return.
The second reason why some teens visited libraries and read more, had to do with their view of books as a younger child. The study found that the more a respondent was read to when little, the more books they read independently now that they were older.
Now, I teach 7th and 8th grade reading in an inner-city school (we “loop” with the same 150+ students for both school years). My students are always motivated to read realistic fiction and biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. They love the realistic fiction for exactly that, its realism. When I first began teaching, I assumed that my students might prefer fantasy or science fiction, as a way to escape from the unfortunate reality of being from a single family home and living in poverty. That is one reason why I fell in love with those genres a child, but my students have always preferred realism over imaginative. Also, they prefer to stick with stories that are familiar to them. They are always excited to read the Bluford High series, or a book/short story by author Walter Dean Myers. These books frequently take place within the inner city and deal with topics like bullies, gangs, peer pressure, violence, broken homes, and dating, just to name a few. Obviously, it’s easy for the students to make connections and to get involved emotionally with the characters.
Sticking with realism, the students are always more motivated to read when the book is about a real person, whether it was written by that person or not. Every year, we read about celebrity minorities, such as the Black Eagles, or Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first female African-American doctor. Other favorites include A Child Called It, written by Dave Pelzer about his severely abusive childhood, and The Color of Water by James McBride, which features the colorful character of his real white, Jewish mother who raised over ten African-American children, sending all of them on to college, too! I also like reading these books with the students because they always provide “teachable moments” where we can discuss the importance of hard work, never giving up, doing the right thing no matter how unpopular or difficult, and so on.
I analyzed a survey entitled “Literacy as a Leisure Activity: Free-Time Preferences of Older Children and Young Adolescents.” This survey was conducted with 200 participants, 100 sixth grade students and 100 ninth grade students. From each grade level mentioned above, 50 of the participants were male and the other 50 were female. The individuals who participated in this study attended a public school in Oregon. Over 90% of the participants were of European American descent and spoke English as their primary language. 13.8% of this district as a whole lived in poverty, as compared to 14.3% statewide. The participants were asked to complete a student questionnaire, or two-page survey on the following questions: 1.) How do you spend your free time? 2.) Estimate how much time you spend each day reading for pleasure outside of school. 3.) From the list, indicate which reading materials you prefer to read and/or enjoy reading during your free time.
ReplyDeleteBased on the results from this survey, several steps have been outlined in this study as to how to best promote student interest in reading. It is evident from the survey results and from the suggested measures implemented to encourage reading that students will benefit from increased opportunities to read in and outside of the classroom and opportunities to engage with text in a meaningful, authentic manner (Nippold, Duthie, & Larsen, 2005). These opportunities may include but are not limited to implementing book clubs or classroom blogs as a way to respond to literature, encourage and suggest that students read books from genres that interest them, and allow students to encounter print in a variety of contexts, especially digitally (Nippold, Duthie, & Larsen, 2005).
This is my first year teaching third grade. The past three years I have spent teaching second grade. When I am planning, developing, and teaching a literature-based lesson, I always take into account the various ways in which students learn and their personal interests when it comes to book selections. It is easy to go onto the Internet and find a graphic organizer that can be used to check for understanding, requiring students to record information gleaned from a book in regard to a particular literacy skill or concept. For example, when discussing story elements, some students may complete a story map that looks like a train. Each car on the train represents either the beginning, middle, or end of the story. Although I have used these in my classroom and feel that these types of organizers can provide valuable insight into what students are able to recall from a particular story, I also believe that they can be overused. Therefore, I try to implement a variety of strategies to help students practice and apply various literacy skills being taught. I have had students create foldables, play games, discuss literature through classroom blogs, and participate in a variety of reading experiences, such as “face-timing” another classroom in the district to listen to two different stories and then engaging a comparing/contrasting activity. I have also had my students host a poetry party each May in which they create their own poetry, find poetry written by others, and then share these poems with their parents and their peers. Students will remember these experiences and how these helped students connect literature to their own lives in a meaningful way.
Reading is the key to academic and future success. Understanding what motivates children to read and what positive or negative habits children have goes a long way to raising reading achievement in all students.
ReplyDeleteOut of school reading and reading for pleasure are two concerns in regards to today’s youth. The reading resources available at home are a strong predictor of reading success. Students that are exposed to a rich, literary environment at home are more likely to read for pleasure and show higher levels of reading knowledge (Clark & Hawkins, 2010). Book ownership seems to be the biggest indicator for reading enjoyment and success (Clark & Hawkins, 2010; McKool, 2007). Children from low income families didn’t have as many outside resources available to them. This put these students at-risk of reading difficulties.
Family attitudes and encouragement were also an influencing factor in a child’s reading(Clark & Hawkins, 2010; McKool, 2007). Socioeconomics did not seem to be a factor in determining parental support. Ninety-five percent of students that received family encouragement felt that reading is important to succeed in life compared to only 78% of students that don’t receive encouragement (Clark & Higgins, 2010).
Educators need to find ways to close the gap between students that have access to books outside of school and those that don’t. There are plenty of foundations that are willing to support literary projects for schools, afterschool programs, and other similar groups. There are also grants available to promote literacy in youth. These options could be explored to possibly supply at-risk students with books, magazines, and newspapers at home.
I teach kindergarten in a low-income school. School started just over a week ago. I have 21 English Language Learners (out of 32) and five non-English speakers. Nine of my students cannot form letters to even attempt to write their names and 11 other students have severe problems with writing their names. I am going to have a lot of challenges this year. I have already begun slowing down my usual pace because they need a firm foundation before we begin moving into higher level skills.
My students are at Stage 0. They are just beginning to understand that sounds make up words. Most of my students are at the beginning stages of connecting letters and sounds. Once they master letter/sound correspondence, they will begin understanding that sounds put together create words.(Travers & Travers, 2008).
My students practice the letter sounds throughout the day. I also have them read “little books” that I have copied for them. They made library boxes out of shoe boxes. All of the books that they receive in class or in homework are kept at home in their “library.” My students practice reading the books to their parents at home. Even if they cannot afford books at home, I send home lots of reproducible books to fill their “library.” My students also made magical reading wands (chopsticks dipped in glitter) to use as a pointer while reading. After making their wands, they can’t wait to go home and read with them.
References
Clark, C. & Hawkins, L. Young People’s Reading: The Importance of the home environment and family Support. (2010). National Literacy Trust. London, England: p 2-32. Retrieved from: www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0000/4955/Young_People_s_Reading_executive_summary.pdf
McKool, S. Factors that influence the decision to read: An investigation of fifth grade out of
school reading habits. (2007). Reading Improvement. Mobile, Alabama: v44, n3, p111-131. Retrieved from: www.core.ecu.edu/engl/hackettt/motivation.pdf
Travers, B. E., Travers, J. F. (2008). Children’s literature: A developmental Perspective. [PDF Digital
Editions version] doi: 1009-0001-15B3-000015B4
Grade I Teach-4th/5th
ReplyDeleteWhat have I tried that worked or did not work in my classroom?
In order to motivate students to read and test on their accelerated reader books, my fourth grade team devised a program in which students earned “charms” based on points earned. Each student was issued a chain necklace in the beginning of the year and they added “charms” to their necklace as they read and tested on individual books. For every 10 points they earned, through the Accelerated Reading program, they were issued a “STAR READER” to add to their necklace. When they reached 25 points they were given a “Bookworm”. When readers reached 50 points they earned a “Book Lover” to add to their chain. The charm system went up to 250 points, with motivating charms to earn at every 25 point increment. Students tracked their progress by adding stickers to a class Accelerated Reader chart which was displayed on the wall. In addition to earning “charms” students worked to meet individual goals every 6 weeks. At the end of each 6 weeks there was an exciting field trip for those that met their goal. Students went roller skating, to the movies, had a pizza party, and enjoyed a sundae bar.
This strategy of using tangible rewards for reinforcing reading goals worked for most students since it was set up for success individual reading goals. However, it was frustrating for some struggling readers who felt as though they could never catch up to the more advanced readers. By earning something tangible at small goals, students felt as though they were constantly reaching goals and setting new goals. Most students enjoyed earning “charms” and adding them to their necklace to display their academic achievement. Other students were embarrassed that they didn’t have as many “charms” as others. Working towards a 6 week goal allowed students to set long range goals and make a plan to reach those goals. Having such a big goal was intimidating to some students and had to be modified.
Overall, this was a good program and strategy to implement. I found that while most students were initially only motivated by earning treats, they soon developed a love for reading. Students who began only reading to test on books began to read a wider variety of text to gain points. Readers ended up enjoying more literary genres than they had been exposed to and were able to suggest good books to their classmates.
While I don’t feel that using strategies to reinforce learning with rewards is always effective, and students shouldn’t only read to earn prizes, this strategy adds an element of excitement to reading for young students. I do believe having a challenge to meet or exceed and setting personal goals is motivating and realistic for students at all ages.
Jessica Barba
Below are some of the Surveys our team analyzed
ReplyDeleteI. Why students read
a. Students read to make connections to what they are interested in
b. Students are more likely to read if they are allowed to choose their text
c. Goal setting increases motivation in student reading
d. Being part of a collaborative group interests student reading
e. Students who have high self-efficacy are more likely to try challenging books (Kelly & Decker, 2009)
f. Giving books as rewards is more motivating than token rewards
g. Intrinsic rewards are the most meaningful and effective when students are reading
II. The motivation for reading a piece of literature
a. 120 3rd graders were surveyed
b. Majority of students chose books based on interest
c. Many chose books because they thought it would be easy
d. Motivational Systems Theory suggests people will attempt tasks they feel are attainable (Decker, 2009)
e. 4th grade students showed positive reactions to peer and family recommendations for literature
f. 4th graders are excited to gain new knowledge from non-fiction text
g. Students enjoy books that have special characteristics (graphic novels, pictures, charts, etc.)
h. As children age motivation decreases
i. Allowing children to discuss books they are reading with family and peers helps to motivate them to read
III. Reading Likes/Dislikes
a. 18,000 students surveyed in grades 1-6
b. All students would rather play than read
c. Reading interest goes down as grade level increases
d. All grade levels show that students don’t like to read over the weekend
e. Student interest in books declines as students develop other interests
f. Reading interest is directly related to reading ability (Kirby, 2011)
IV. Reading at home
a. 1,080 students surveyed in 1st-10th grades
b. 55% of 3rd graders read at home every night
c. 40% of 6th graders read at home every night
d. 23% of 7th-10th graders read at home every night
e. As student grade level increases their time spent reading at home decreases
f. Students that read more at home score higher on achievement tests
Green Group
ReplyDeleteStudents prefer reading in school when they are given a choice in the material and/or the people the work with. Students are more engaged when reading involves hands-on activities or projects that directly relate to the literature and skills being taught. This can be done with thematic units and makes learning seem more connected to their lives. Also, students enjoy having the chance to talk about what they are reading and how they feel about it with their peers. Teachers should aim to introduce high-interest text to students, which involves being in tune with their students likes and dislikes. Teachers should also ensure appropriate scaffolds are in place for students while reading and learning new skills. This helps boost student confidence and make reading more enjoyable.
When teachers are encouraging students to choose reading as an activity, there are a few key points to remember. Providing students the opportunity to choose, especially among high-interest books, also encourages independent reading. This may mean making an effort to keep classroom and school library up to date with high-interest text. Giving the students the chance to talk to their peers about their independent reading material through buddy reading or book talks also promotes reading. Using books that relate to content discussed in class also encourages students to do the same with their independent reading material. Students also enjoy trying material recommended by peers, family members, and teachers.
Motivation has long been a concern of teachers. Research has shown that motivation is a key factor for student achievement (Edmunds & Bauseman, 2006). Teachers have requested more studies be done in the area of reading motivation in order to find ways to improve student’s reading attitudes, and therefore reading abilities (Edmunds & Bauseman, 2006). The following is a compilation of recent studies exploring reading motivation in terms of what children read and why they read it, their attitudes toward reading, their reading likes and dislikes, their reading habits at home, their families attitude toward reading, what books they own, what role e-books play in their motivation to read, and how their eating habits relate to their academic success.
To discover student likes and dislikes in reading a survey was completed on 18,000 students in grades one-six. The results of the research presented statistics that showed students who had lower reading levels were less interested in reading in general (Kirby, 2011). Interest in reading began declining in grades two and three as students become interested in sports and other activities (Kirby, 2011). The survey revealed that most students would rather play than read and don’t enjoy reading over the weekend (Kirby, 2011). Additionally, the study found that students with reading disabilities believe that reading achievement is something they can’t control (Kirby, 2011). This survey indicated that reading interest was directly related to student ability (Kirby, 2011).
In another survey to uncover students reading habits at home, 1,080 third-tenth graders were surveyed using an adaptive Motivation to Read profile. Results obtained in this survey stated that 55% of third graders read at home every night (Kelly, 2009). The percentage of students reading at home decreases dramatically as they increase in grade levels; 40% of sixth graders and 23% of ninth and tenth graders reading every night (Kelly, 2009). The data in this survey compared achievement in standardized tests to amount of time spent reading at home and exposed students who read at home on a regular basis scored significantly higher than those who don’t read at home (Kelly, 2009).
Green Group Pt2
ReplyDeleteStudies show that while students eating habits do affect their ability to learn, most students do not have good eating habits. Most students skip breakfast and of the ones who do eat at school they “have a very sweet breakfast- milk , cereal, juice. That’s high in sugar. The children are bouncing off the walls by the time they go into the classroom,” says Maddie Wright the cashier and cook at Madison County Central School in Madison Florida (Jacobson, 2005). Schools have implemented programs such as making the students choose three different items but according to Wright, “two of them end up in the trash,” (Jacobson, 2005).
According to Petscher in his article A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship between Student Attitudes towards Reading and Achievement in Reading student’s attitudes toward reading determine how well they read and how much they read (Petscher, 2010). He has shown that the overall attitude toward reading include instruction, cognitive skills, and time. Will this indicates that more classroom time needs to be spent on students attitudes toward reading but most research focuses on cognitive components of reading. Alexander and Cobb has stated that attitudes about reading may be a predictor of future reading.
A survey done by Chris Cameron of the United Kingdom in 2010 86% of children from seven to sixteen owned a cell phone but only 73% owned a book. Access to books has a direct effect on children’s reading ability. No wonder reading levels are decreasing. (Cameron, 2010).
Families who, generation after generation, have positive attitudes towards reading do so because of a number of factors. Students whose environment is fostered with positive role models (parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, neighbors, and relatives) (Nickoli, Hendricks, Hendricks, Smith, 2011) tend to love reading too. Young children whose environment is surrounded with verbal interaction, variety of texts, and family members who enjoy reading also have a positive attitude towards reading. Lastly, students who grow up watching parents and/or family members take and make time to read to them, take them to the library to check out books frequently, engage them in discussions, and who monitor and restrict their TV time, grow up with positive attitudes towards reading.
Digital books are the way of the future. Students are already exposed to all kinds of e-readers and e-books in school. These e-books and digital books are often met with criticism from students. Students often find that the textbooks that they are required to use aren’t available in the digital form. The purchase of e-books is not an easy process in some cases, and therefore frustrating to students and parents. Most students are very “social network literate” and would use e-books more if there were less restrictions. Restrictions including the sharing of the e-book and tools to study on the e-book are a few of the reasons students are hesitant to purchase e-books over the traditional hardback textbook. Students can share the traditional textbook, split the cost with a friend or classmate, and then return it to the bookstore to regain some of the expense. Digital rights restrictions make sharing and returning the e-book impossible.
One of the surveys that I researched had to deal with the attitudes towards reading. Families who, generation after generation, have positive attitudes towards reading do so because of a number of factors. Students whose environment is fostered with positive role models (parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, neighbors, and relatives) (Nickoli, Hendricks, Hendricks, Smith, 2011) tend to love reading too. Young children whose environment is surrounded with verbal interaction, variety of texts, and family members who enjoy reading also have a positive attitude towards reading. Lastly, students who grow up watching parents and/or family members take and make time to read to them, take them to the library to check out books frequently, engage them in discussions, and who monitor and restrict their TV time, grow up with positive attitudes towards reading.
ReplyDeleteAs a kindergarten teacher, I often see students who have had little or no exposure to books, magazines, or other types of texts until they come into my classroom. Those students whose parents have read to them since birth, and whose environment is surrounded by verbal interaction and a love of reading seems to be the minority. Having such a diverse population of readers, it has always been my mission to treat parents/guardians/grandparents the way I would like to be treated. It doesn’t matter if you can supply your child with a library of books, a couple of books, or even no books. I make it clear from day one, that my classroom library is their library. Inviting family members to volunteer in our room as reading buddies, mystery readers, and publishers (where they help a student “type” his/her story on the computer and print it)is a huge part of our sense of community at my school. This not only makes family members feel special and a part of their child’s learning experience, but also motivates the child to do better in reading.
I also motivate my students to read by bringing in 6th grade reading buddies from the middle school next door. These 6th graders need fluency remediation and my kinders have no idea! They just love listening and participating in reading activities with the “big kids”. I’ve been lucky enough to receive a grant for books for my classroom library because of the development of the reading buddies program and other teachers are catching the reading buddies bug! We now have 5th graders who, are not pulled out to go to other classes, coming to the kindergarten team to help with our 90 minute reading block. Kindergarteners are motivated to read and record on their nightly reading log because if they have read all week and logged onto their reading log, then they are allowed to work with the 5th graders! As of yesterday, I had two fourth grade language arts teachers asking how they could get their students involved in becoming reading buddies. Not only are we motivating kindergarten students to read, but also fostering a sense of school community and love of reading in the older elementary grades as well. Maybe even a world leader or two?!!
What hasn’t worked? Well, after 19 years of teaching, I could fill up a page, but one of the things that comes to mind first is giving the children books that I thought they should be reading instead of surveying them and finding out what interested them. I couldn’t figure out why some students who I knew were great readers, weren’t completing their reading logs and were fussing about DEAR time. It was me all along!!! I wasn’t taking into consideration their individual needs as a reader, and it was coming back to haunt me! After putting more choices of books, magazines, and other texts in my classroom library, and letting the children pick the books, on their level, that they wanted to read, I found more and more reading logs completed.
CLC Survey Outline – Red Team
ReplyDeleteSize and Population: The articles used for this assignment investigated reading habits among children between 5th grade and high school.
Eating Habits: 2 out of the 4 articles report a certain percentage of students were eligible to receive free or reduced lunch at school. No other eating habits were reported.
Attitudes toward reading: 2 out of the 4 articles report the importance of parental modeling in regards to reading. If the parents attitude towards reading is positive, it is more likely for their children to feel motivated to read. It is assumed that reading becomes valuable in their life. One of the articles mentions the importance of giving students a choice in order to increase the probability of the student making the choice to read on their own.
Books owned by student: One of the articles studied reported the difference between low income families and middle/high income families. The majority of the low income families had access to only one source as access to books, which was mainly the library. The middle/high income families had various sources, such as the library, the bookstore and a home library. In a second study, those students who owned or had access to books were more likely to read outside of school and on their own.
Conclusions: It was unanimous in all 4 of the articles used for this assignment; students who have been read to since their early childhood years and have had access to books are the ones who are more likely to read outside of school without being told to do so.
I have taught kindergarten for the past 14 years. I have tried many ideas and suggestions that have been given to me throughout my career to motivate my little ones to read and enjoy literature. Some of the motivational activities that I employ during most, if not all of my read alouds is called Think-Pair-Share. This activity has been one of the most successful in helping my 5 year olds engage in every story that I read to them. Throughout any given reading, I stop at certain parts of a book and ask them questions in regards to the skill I am focusing on. Take for example predicting. When I stop in the book, I have my students put their “thinking fingers” up, and ask them to predict what will happen next. This only takes a few seconds. The next step is to have them partner up and take turns in sharing their predictions with a friend. The final step is to have certain students share their predictions to the whole class. This not only helps students use the language, but it helps them organize their thoughts before sharing to the group. This activity can be used throughout the day.
Think-Pair-Share is a very effective strategy that can be used, as you mentioned, across all curriculum areas. This strategy is very successful for all learners in the community. For a student that is struggling with oral language development, it may bridge the "language of poverty" to "academic language." A student's initial reply may state, "I'm gonna be at the festival." After a class discussion of responses, his new response may be "I am going to the festival." Many teachers use Think-Pair-Share. In my opinion, the thinking portion of this is critical because it equates to the wait time that is not often given. It allows a student to actually think of a response before they are required to respond. I have seen this strategy used in several classes, but the most effective use of it is when the teacher is mobile and is actively listening to the partner shares. This is not only an effective assessment tool for teachers to use, but it can also allow a teacher to highlight a student's response that they feel should be modeled or highlight a student who typically is not recognized for their input.
DeleteAnother variation of this strategy is a Think-Pair-Square. The premise of this strategy is similar to the Think-Pair-Square. It just adds one more step where a set of partners shares with another set of partners. I have seen this used when the thinking task is more complex or can have a variety of responses.
Intrinsic motivation is a condition when all internal influences are in place and working together. In the articles read this week, a common theme was creating an environment where if students have choice they will be very motivated. It has been documented that if we put students in charge of their learning they become very happy and successful. These students were also motivated by having a purpose for their reading. A student commented that he became very excited about learning how to read when he heard his teacher think aloud as she was reading. He said that prior to that he never realized that teachers had to think when they were reading. He figured they just knew it. The lesson that he learned was that reading is thinking, which motivated him in reading.
ReplyDelete“Children begin learning from their teachers how to understand each other as early as preschool (Travers & Travers, 2008).
Some studies indicated that students’ level of motivation was increased if they had access to printed materials at home or if they had parent models that read for pleasure. Motivating students in our classrooms requires a library that embraces literature from diverse populations. As a homework assignment I would ask families to go to the library and do a report of things that they discovered.
I am a literacy coach for grades one through six. I use a book entitled “Yardstick” that gives helpful information on student’s developmental stages and conversations that they may engage in. I find this book is a very useful tool for teachers. It guides them in their lesson planning for selecting higher-level thinking and engaging the students with their interests.
An example of a motivational activity that I used when teaching first grade was tying a goal of mastering 100 sight words to “winning” a stuffed toy of their choice and having the “honor” of having their picture posted next to the words that they read. Even though this was an extrinsic motivator, the students were intrinsically motivated by belonging to the “successful club.” Students understood that mastering these 100 sight words would sail them into being a reader. This activity was very successful and popular with students and families. In contrast, I had a prize box in which students would get stickers for turning in specific assignments. Although students did the activity, gaining access to the prize box as the year went on was not something that they valued, because it was not tied to an achievement. I feel that this motivational system wasn’t as successful because they were just doing what was expected of a successful scholar.
Reading ability can be a strong indicator of present and future academic achievement. The majority of children feel that reading is important to succeed in life (Clark & Hawkins, 2010). There are many reading motivators and habits that children form towards reading. The following surveys were designed to explore these motivators and habits in order to better understand how to improve reading achievement and interest in elementary, middle, and high school children.
ReplyDeleteThe study, Young People’s Reading: The Importance of the home environment and family support, by Christiana Clark and Lucy Hawkins, was conducted to explore “the types of resources young people have at home that support literacy and how this differs according to demographic background, and how home resources relate to reading enjoyment, attitudes and behavior as well as reading attainment” (Clark & Hawkins, 2010). The researchers conducted an on-line survey of 17,089 students aged 8 to 16 from 112 schools. They collected attainment data from 4,503 of the participating students for reading. They also compared these findings with a similar study conducted in 2005.
Children who come from richer home literacy environments show higher levels of reading knowledge and skills at the start of kindergarten and throughout school (Clark & Hawkins, 2010). Book ownership seemed to be the biggest indicator for reading enjoyment and success. Twice as many students that owned books indicated that they read every day and read for enjoyment. Book ownership leads to long-lasting enjoyment of reading and reading attainment.
Family attitudes and encouragement also influence student’s reading. Students that received support and encouragement from their parents were twice as likely to say they enjoyed reading and read outside of the classroom compared to those that didn’t receive support (Clark & Hawkins, 2010). Students who feel encouraged by parents have more positive attitudes toward reading than students that don’t. Fifteen percent of students talk to family about reading every day, 27% at least once a week, 25% rarely talk to family, and 20% never talk to family (Clark & Hawkins, 2010). Higher reading levels were seen in students with families that encouraged and supported them. Ninety-five percent of students that receive family encouragement feel that reading is important to succeed in life compared to only 78% of students that don’t receive encouragement (Clark & Hawkins, 2010).
The results of this study indicated that an area of concern is the gap in access to resources, in particular, books (Clark & Hawkins, 2010). Students from lower socio-economics accounted for the majority of those that did not have books at home. Family attitudes and support also influenced a child’s attitude toward reading and ability in reading attainment. Students can be taught to read, exposed to a wide variety of genres, and receive time for academic and pleasure reading at school, but without a literary-rich family environments, some students are limited in the progress they will make.
The study, Children’s Attitudes to Reading, by Marian Sainsbury discusses nine and eleven year olds attitudes towards reading. The survey was completed by the National Foundation for Educational Research. This survey was first conducted in the year of 1998; however it was submitted again in the year of 2003.
The boys and girls were asked a number of positive and negative statements about how they felt about reading. They were asked to respond by saying agree, disagree, or not sure. Based on the results of the survey it showed that the ones who are better readers like to read stories, magazines, and newspapers. However, between the years of 1998 -2003 the confidence level of the children’s reading had improved.
ReplyDeleteThe study, Motivating Boys to Read: Inquiry, Modeling, and Choice, by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey identified motivational factors for students in reading. It also looked closely at trends of male and female adolescent students to see if their reading behaviors and habits were vastly different. There has been an assumption that boys are less motivated to read than girls. Not only was data taken on students but also a closer look at the curriculum and instructional practices in an English classroom. In this study, there was a comparison between the number of books that were read in eighth grade (junior high) and ninth grade (senior high). There was a startling contrast noted between books that were read in eighth grade versus ninth grade. In eighth grade, on average, male students read approximately 2.5 books; and female students read approximately 3.8 books for the year. In ninth grade males, on average, read 11.2 books and girls read approximately 11.7 books (Fisher & Frey, 2012).
Concluding factors on the increase of books that were read fall into the following categories. Students were motivated because of the difference in curriculum between the two grades. In ninth grade, students were given more choice, modeling of thinking, and a free range of reading to answer essential questions. This led to higher order thinking. In eighth grade, students’ assignments tended to be more generic in nature and the purpose of reading did not lead to critical thinking. Students commented that when teachers modeled think alouds that they were amazed to find out that the teacher’s reading process actually involved thinking and was not based solely on their knowledge. The essential motivational item in this article dealt with a curriculum that was embedded in critical thinking due to students’ reading for a purpose. Schools used the model of having essential questions in all subjects across the school’s curriculum.
The study, Factors that Influence the Decision to Read: An Investigation of Fifth Grade Students’ Out-Of-School Reading Habits, by Sharon McKool, was conducted in order to investigate the reasons behind why some children choose to read while others do not deem reading as valuable. The researcher chose to study fifth graders from two schools from different areas in the same school district: Fieldcrest Elementary School (School #1) resides in a metropolitan area and Mountain View Elementary School (School #2) resides in a residential area. Research and data was collected within a four month period. The researcher used the following sources to collect data: “reflective journals and memos, student activity logs, the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey, the Motivation to Read Profile Survey, reading achievement information from state mandated assessment testing, free or reduced price lunch status, and student interviews.” (McKool, 2007)
This study suggests there is no difference among the levels of socio-economic backgrounds in regards to fifth graders and voluntary reading outside of school. It did however find that both avid and reluctant readers shared common grounds when asked about the reasons behind not choosing to read outside of school. Among these reasons are three factors that play an important role in the relationship between students and their motivation to read outside of school. The first factor that plays an important role is their self-concept as a reader. If students do not see themselves as a good reader, then it is obvious they will choose not to take on the task of picking up a book for leisure. The second factor is the amount of television they choose to watch and the third factor is after school organized activities they may be involved in. In addition, some students “from low income families, added they did not have time to read because of taking care of younger siblings and/or doing chores” (McKool, 2007).
ReplyDeleteBy the end of the report, it was very obvious that students whose families exemplified reading as a positive leisure activity were more motivated to read on their own. These are the students who usually found value to reading, whether motivated or not. For the reluctant readers, many of them demonstrated through their answers to the surveys and answers to their interviews that their families did not spend much time reading to them as younger children. As they grew older, reading was not something they were motivated to do.
The results of these surveys all conclude that children that have access to books, magazines, and newspapers outside of school tend to be better readers. Children with support from their family also have more positive attitudes toward reading and more positive concepts about themselves as readers. Teachers and curriculum also play a role in a student’s reading success. These two factors can especially make a difference to the students that do not have access to books or support at home in regards to reading. The goal needs to be to get more students reading, inside and outside of school, for academics and for pleasure. A step towards accomplishing this would be to locate programs that can supply children in need of home reading with books and to evaluate present curriculums, making updates and changes as needed to keep students’ reading motivation high.
References
Clark, C. & Hawkins, L. Young People’s Reading: The Importance of the home environment and family support. (2010). National Literacy Trust. London, England: p 2-32.
Fisher, D. & Frey, N. Motivating boys to read: inquiry, modeling, and choice. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. (April 2012).Vol. 55, issue 7: 587-596.
McKool, S. Factors that influence the decision to read: An investigation of fifth grade out of school reading habits. (2007). Reading Improvement. Mobile, Alabama: v44, n3, p111-131. Retrieved from: www.core.ecu.edu/engl/hackettt/motivation.pdf
Sainsbury, M. and Clarkson, R. (2008). Attitudes to Reading At Ages Nine and Eleven: Full Report. Slough: NFER
Individually, outline the results of your CLC survey, identify the grade you teach, and address at least one the following questions:
ReplyDeleteWhy students read;
According to this research, a teacher can take proactive steps in the classroom to attempt to increase student motivation in reading.
Intrinsic rewards are more motivating than extrinsic rewards. However, when giving an extrinsic reward, giving students a book is more likely to increase reading motivation than giving students a token reward.
Why students choose a particular piece of literature;
students have given the following reasons for reading a particular book: (a) personal interest, (b) book choice, (c) knowledge gained, (d) attractive features, (e) the book seems to be a text within their reading abilities, (f) having access to books, and (g) recommendations from peers, family members, and teachers.
As students age, their motivation to read diminishes. This may mean “thinking outside the box” when choosing reading material for this age group, such as graphic novels and e-books.
Reading Likes/Dislikes;
Students that are better at reading find reading more rewarding.
Reading at Home;
Students who read every night tested higher on Standardized Achievement Tests.
Girls are more likely to read every day than boys, especially in lower grades.
Eating Habits of Students;
This study shows that most students eat a diet high in sugar and fat. Schools are trying to comply with federal laws giving students better choices for meals but when given the choice to eat healthy foods they are choosing not to eat.
Studies show that many students are skipping meals altogether.
Attitude towards reading;
This study shows that students attitudes toward reading determine how well they read and how much time they put in to reading.
How many books students own;
In this study we learn that more children own cell phones than books. We also learn that this affects how well they do in school.
Family attitudes towards reading;
Family culture plays a key role in the development of a student’s love of reading.
Students whose families have a social connection with books see themselves as part of a reading community.
Feelings towards digital text and e-books;
Student textbooks (hardback), as of 2011, were not all available in digital format.
Buying e-books and digital texts is complicated and frustrating for students.
Students are interested in using e-books, but want better tools and fewer restrictions when purchasing them and utilizing them.
Students want to be able to share their books. Digital rights restrictions make this impossible in some cases.
2) What factors do you take into consideration when developing a literature-based lesson plan or unit plan?
ReplyDeleteThe factors I take into consideration when developing a literature-based lesson plan or unit plan are as follows.
1). Do we have the resources?
2). Will all of my students be able to understand the literature?
3). Will my administrator approve of what I am teaching?
4). Will the parents approve of what I am teaching?
5). Will my students enjoy the literature?
6). What scaffolding can I use to make sure my students understand the literature?
These are the main factors I take in to consideration. I also talk to the other teachers on my team to make sure we are all on the same track.