Oh Those Boys!
As a teacher, one of the most frequently asked questions I receive is "how do I get my son to read?" It's a question that has puzzled many minds. It's one I've contemplated day after day and night after night. I stress about whether or not my male students are ready for the standardized tests coming up - will they be able to get the reading done in a timely manner AND answer the questions?
As I lay awake in bed contemplating this (and generally starting to hyperventilate), I now have a new thought that crosses my mind: how am I going to ensure that my own son reads (if I wasn't fully hyperventilating already, I'm definitely there now!)? I know all the statistics. I know how important it is for him to be a fluent reader. I know the challenges that often accompany trying to get a boy, of any age, to read. Most of all, I know what his father is like (he would rather be passing a kidney stone than reading).
After my husband brings me my brown paper bag to breath into (remember folks, I'm hyperventilating over this - it's SERIOUS!) and I regain control of my lungs, I decide to delve even deeper into research about boys and reading than I ever have. So, here are just a few websites I have found that has given me hope, ideas, and inspiration for not only my students, but also for that precious little boy who is growing inside of me (by the way, his name is Cayden Lee Nicholas Grady...not that you wanted to know that, but I wanted you to know it):
- http://www.pbs.org/parents/best-books-for-boys/6-ways-to-encourage-your-son-to-read.html - This website has tons of great ideas for helping boys find "things" (yes, I say "things" because books are not their only options, and "things" is much more descriptive (sarcasm)) to read that will interest them. It also has great ideas for the best times and methods for reading with them.
- http://www.guysread.com/ - This website discusses how to build boys into lifelong readers, and it also gives a great collection of the best books for boys of ALL ages! Every month they feature a new book that is specifically written with boys in mind. You can read the synopsis of the book on their website, and it even has a link to where you can order the book from!
- http://www.readingrockets.org/blog/55245 - This blog discusses how to use media as a means to get boys hooked on reading. We know, by research and experience, that boys are very visual. This is why they are more prone than girls to play video games - they can actually see and be a part of the story rather than create images themselves in an "imaginary" world. Dr. Julie Wood discusses how Kindles, Nooks, etc. are often great ''books" for boys because the books you can download on these technology devices often come with interactive pages and often games to play at the end of the stories (this checks their comprehension without them even knowing it).
I hope you have time to visit these websites at some point. I found them very interesting (they have lots of research crammed into them), and I have hope that they will provide me with the ideas that will be necessary for ensuring my little boy becomes at least a little bit of a reader (remember folks, he has half of his father's genetics, so these methods can only go so far).
As I sit here and ponder, thinking about my boy readers...they read one genre. I was that way, too...back in my "younger" days.
ReplyDeleteWhat caused me to branch out? Probably book clubs...and book sets I had in my classroom that we read to save money.
For instance, my initial love of fantasy/sci-fi comes from the set of The Hobbit I found in my classroom at Sulphur Rock. Have had kids tell me since then the same thing about that novel.
Interesting...so teachers modeling reading of various genres...could this be a good "thing"?
I read and collected Nancy Drew books. I was going to be a detective like Nancy when I grew up. Later, I started branching out and reading other things.
DeleteMy kids, including my step-son, were readers. When they were little pre-readers, I read them a story every night. As they grew, we moved to a chapter or two out of a chapter book. This was a nightly ritual: bath time, brush teeth, read for 20-30 minutes, and finally, "Night night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite, I love you." I think this routine allowed my kids to develop as readers. Once they were older, they read their book to me or their dad. We read everything from Goosebumps to Charlotte's Web, so there was no one genre. Both of them soon choose their favorites and began reading on their own.
ReplyDeleteI think another thing that contributed to them becoming readers was the television limit. They were allowed two hours of tv and computer time on week days and three hours on weekends. The time allowed expanded as they got older and shrunk if grades were low. To entertain themsevles, they played inside and outside and read.
I think limiting technology time is VERY important! Kids, well adults for that matter, need to be up experiencing life and challenging their minds - not sitting and living out life vicariously through technology. I think this is one of the reasons why many do not read - technology has replaced imagination.
DeleteYes, technology devours hours of reading time. Just can't go with the argument that reading texts, Instagrams, and such should count as reading...although they do spend hours reading these!
ReplyDeleteI should limit Holly's time on her phone...she does enjoy a good book when she finally dives into one.
Hummmm....
Thank you for your links. I realized last year that I had to do something about my boy readers. I was fortunate enough to get a grant to purchase book geared specifically towards boys. I am thinking a few magazine subscriptions for boys, some non-fiction, and then fiction that are lower level/high interest. I really need to pull my buys into the library. Currently, they just grab a book off the library shelves without even looking at it and then return it a few days later saying they didn't like it.
ReplyDelete