Game of Groans

How do we motivate teenagers to read?

When I was a 1st grade teacher, one of the best moments was when the children would sit on the rug while I read "Three Billy Goats Gruff". When I would reach the end of the book, the kids would shout in unison, "Read it again! Read it again!" They wiggled in their uncomfortable criss-cross apple sauce position, as I read the story again for the 3rd time. Reading to kids was great...

until I became a high school English teacher. 

"Do we have to read?" 

"Reading is boring."

"Can't we just watch the movie?"

I felt like a lowly villager taking on fire-breathing dragons in hoodies. What had happened between those years of schooling? How did kids, eager to learn when they were younger, become so disenchanted with school? Had we, teachers and the school system, killed the joy of learning?" As I started researching and reflecting on why students didn't like or know how to read, I came upon this powerful spoken word piece by Lamont Carey titled "I Can't Read." 

When I first started teaching high school, I tried everything in my power to get my students to read. I would bribe them with Movie Fridays or bring them candy. I soon found out those methods were futile and short lives (as well as expensive). Through the years, I learned a few strategies and philosophies that worked. Using research from educational gurus such as Carol Jago, Kate Kinsella, and Kylene Beers, I created a list of strategies for my students. In fact, Jago in her book titled Classics in the Classroom writes, "Most teachers model their practices on what they have observed during their many long years as a student. However much some assign blame to schools of education for their graduates’ failure to raise test scores, the truth is that most of what new teachers know about teaching has come from their own experience of schooling. If we believe that instruction can and should be improved, we are going to have to look more closely at both how teachers learn and how to improve individual lessons"

Which strategieswork best with teenagers? 

1.) Let them choose- yes, this includes anime, magazines, blogs, audio books, and even podcasts.

2.) Hook them in- often, I would pass out just the first page of high-interest books such as Luis Rodriguez's autobiography Always Running, or diary pages from The Freedom Writer's Diary (*note-these books have very graphic scenes-but that's what hooks them in). 

3.) Have them tell their stories- using online tools such as Storybird.com or Adobe Spark, I have students write their own narratives. They then post their stories using Padlet.com for others to view. Here is a picture of my virtual display wall. Kids can read each other's blogs and leave positive comments. 

4. Use music- Who doesn't love to rock out to a good jam? Well, so do students. So instead of putting on my old school hits, I have my students analyze their favorite songs. I begin by playing Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall, oh and I show them the poetic, yet disturbing music video. Then, I have them create a short presentation where they breakdown their songs. 

As Shari Edwards notes in her blog "Using Music to Improve Reading Fluency" 

"Besides giving students time for repeated reading, working with lyrics has other benefits.
Students find rhyming words and word structure by pulling out this already familiar text.
Vocabulary development helps comprehension in other types of reading.
Song lyrics are a natural springboard to studying themes.
Students use close reading strategies to boost comprehension skills."

These are just a few strategies that I have used over the years in my classes. These methods have helped some of my toughest and most reluctant learners. I have found ways to connect with my students and was able to give them the gift of reading.