From: Sarah Mulhern <evil_twin2327_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2011 20:42:51 -0800 (PST)

I've been following this discussion with fascination.  I'm a current hi gh school teacher (9th and 12th grade English) and a former 6th grade teacher .  As a 6th grade teacher, I met many reluctant readers.  Most were rel uctant because they didn't know they loved reading.  Why not?  Beca use they hadn't been exposed to books beyond those required in school or those forced down their throats by their parents (with good intentions, but still ...).   If we want kids to read, they need access to great books. Un fortunately, that is becoming harder and harder for teachers.  Parents do n't (or can't) take their kids to the library or bookstore.  School bud ge ts are being slashed and libraries are being cut out of the curriculum. A0 For many students, classroom libraries are the only place they have access to books.  But most of those are funded solely by the teacher.  Dis tric ts budget their money for textbooks, so the burden falls to the teacher. We need to get books into classroom libraries.  If you have books arou nd the house, find a teacher to donate them to!  (Need help connecting wi th a teacher? Check out #ARCsFloatOn http://thereadingzone.wordpress.com/20 10/11/04/arcs-float-on/   Connecting teachers with bloggers/reviewers/a ut hors to get books to kids.) Across the board, the best way I found to get reluctant readers to pick up a book was to share read alouds in the classroom and to let kids TALK about books.  Social reading is real, an d it is powerful.  Let kids reco mmen d books to each other, let them booktalk, let them have some of the power. Their peers will listen!  And read alouds will draw them to author s an d genres they might not have been familiar with. Finally, we need to get ARCs into the hands of kids.  My 6th, 9th, and 12 th graders are drawn to ARCs like flies to honey.  Even the most reluct an t reader is intrigued when they know they can read a book "first", before t he general public.  A single ARC can get into the hands of up to 70 stu de nts in my classes, with many others ordering their own copy, recommending i t online (Facebook and Twitter), and begging me to buy a hardcover copy. If publishers would send ARCs to classroom teachers, they would be get ti ng free advertising for their book AND helping reluctant readers to become lifelong readers.  ARCs are like magic.  :)

Thanks for this great discussion! Sarah Mulhern Gross_at_thereadingzone
Received on Sun 06 Feb 2011 08:42:51 PM CST