Reading is a part of every English Language Arts classroom. Some students love it, some like it, and some dread it. While reading is a life-long skill for everyone, there are ways to engage your students in a classroom to ensure they are practicing reading skills, which will help them year after year.
Consider starting your daily lessons with 10-15 minutes of
reading time or ringing a DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) bell a few times a
week; as well as this being a great 'settling' activity, this also means that
students have to get in the habit of carrying a book with them at all times,
just in case!
MAKING LEARNING ABOUT NEW BOOKS FUN
I have personally done book talks with my students and I have also invited our
librarian to share some of the latest books with my students. This is
definitely a great strategy, but sometimes students require a bit more action.
So, to get everyone up and moving and learning about some new book titles that
they might like to explore, I use this Reading Escape Room with them!
SHARE YOUR OWN LOVE OF READING WITH YOUR
STUDENTS
It sounds obvious, but if we want students to become enthused by reading then
we first need to model this behavior ourselves!
This can be as simple as just creating a poster for your door which lists the
books that you are currently reading and a brief summary of what they are
about.
INTRODUCE READING COMPETITIONS
Students love competitions (especially when there are prizes involved!) so use
some good old-fashioned in-class rivalry to get them reading!
A competition that works well with every age group is the 'Read your Height'
challenge. This can be completed individually with students racing to read
their own height in books, or it can be turned into a whole-class challenge
with students competing against other classes in the school to see who can read
an average height first. This also works great as a display board idea; when a
student has finished reading a book, they can measure the spine and add it to
the wall as a visual reminder of how close they are to meeting their target.
I'VE DONE THE READING, NOW
WHAT?
Are you tired of the same old paper and pencil tests at the end of a text? Are your students struggling with remembering the details from a novel or play that you have studied in class? Are you searching for a fun, collaborative activity?
Look no further! I have the solution for you!
I have written an informative blog post about this Whole-Class Novel Study Final Project!
Click HERE to access the project.
Check out some other reading activities and resources for your classroom:
- Engaging Reluctant Readers in the High School English Classroom
