Chapters 13-14

Chapter 13: discusses the decrease in readers' confidence and excitement as they become middle school and high school readers. Beers presents many different ways in which teachers can increase the confidence level, and create life-long readers. The topic that most interested me was the idea of stance versatility. I have heard of the continuum concerning efferent vs. aesthetic reading. Beers presents a new option in which the teacher encourages students to be able to answer the questions on the review sheet (efferent purposes), but then shift to a more aesthetic stance of reading (becoming engrossed in the story, etc.). I agree that we as teachers need to encourage life-long reading, not just classroom reading. Students need to be able to see value in what they read, and still know how to answer certain questions. Beers shows a lot of different types of questions that encourage personal response to the text. Most of these questions do not require a right or wrong answer, but simply give students the opportunity to reflect and explain their opinions of the text. I think this is a great way to show students that it is not about the facts they understand, but what lies underneath the text. I could definitely see this helping in the confidence level of young adult readers.

Chapter 14: This chapter talks about finding the right book for reluctant readers. I found this chapter very helpful in that Beers lists traits of both fiction and non-fiction books that are geared towards the interests of reluctant readers. I think it would benefit all teachers to have that small section of the book as a reference. There are seven suggestions of ways in which teachers can encourage students to read more often. Here are three that caught my eye:

Suggestion #2: Read and Tease.

I remember teachers doing this when I was in school. Not as often in middle and high school, however. I think this is an excellent idea! Students are able to hear the text for a few chapters, and it peaks their interest in what is going to happen next. This way, they are not overwhelmed by the words themselves, but are trying to understand the story behind those words. I agree that teachers need to continue to read aloud as the students get older. It makes a big different if students can hear inflection, and hear an example of how the story is interpreted.

Suggestion #3: Create Book Jacket Bulletin Boards.

I always look at the cover of a book before I dig in to see what the story is about. It would have been so neat to have a teacher who took the time to create a collage of book jackets. It would have made me wonder what those books were about. I think this is a wonderful idea, because it is another way to intrigue young struggling readers, and create an environment in which the multiple genres and topics of books can be at your fingertips. It also encourages students to read books that interest them!

Suggestion #5: Create a Good Books Box.

I love this idea! It gives students options, and a little sense of power of what they read. Also, having it located in the library encourages the students to go back to the school library! I think it would also peak students' interest, and the news of the Good Books Box would spread quickly. I also like this idea because it narrows down the options for students. School libraries can be overwhelming for kids, and they don't search for books because they don't feel confident in their ability to find them. This idea shows students where to find "good books".