Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.
I’m sure there must be one in every classroom, right? The nonreader. The one who pretends he has it all together. The one who keeps the same book for weeks traveling to and from home.
I am having a hard time writing about this. I’ve already gotten up twice to make tea, to eat a cookie. My heart wants to talk to you, but my head is not sure how.
I made a student cry last week. I don’t like to make students cry. This one came about unexpectedly. I asked Mitch (name changed), a 6th grader, about his reader response post. He explained that his post about “The Elf on the Shelf” was his reader response. I thought it was his Slice of Life story. I said, “We need to talk about your book selections.” His face turned red. His eyes welled up. We moved out to the hallway.
I want to honor free choice. A few weeks ago, I allowed him to read “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” But even then I said, “OK, but next time you need to pick a book on your level.”
“I’m just not much of a reader,” Mitch told me, “I’d rather play outside.” We talked about ways he could work reading into his nighttime routine. When we returned to the classroom, my other students rallied around him with book choices.
Most of my gifted students are avid readers. I gave up the nightly log last year when it became burdensome for both me and my students. Every day we have discussions around books we are reading. This student, however, has not caught the wild reader fever. Quite the opposite. He is a closet nonreader. Now we all know, and he felt the chastisement. I’m not sure if things will change very quickly. Mitch has to find the right book. He will flourish only when he is understood and accepted. So how do I make him excited about reading, honor his choices, and advance his reading skills? Please give me your advice in the comments.
Reflections on the Teche 
Margaret, I have enjoyed visiting your blog recently! I think all teachers have that pull between levels and love when it comes to reading. Donalyn Miller’s Reading in the Wild really helped me bring the two together. Not knowing your student, I’m thinking of the strategy from her book-book stacks. Providing him a stack of books to choose from that involve passion and leveling if that’s what he needs. You create the stack of titles, he chooses. I don’t know if that will work for you. It’s clear you have a heart for your readers. I wish you the best.
I have read Donalyn’s books and have taken on the 40 book challenge. I also have given him a stack of books to choose from. We are working on it. It helps knowing I have such a supporting online community.
Hi Margaret, My daughter Clare was a closet non-reader until she met up with her fifth grade teacher. Mrs. Muirhead hooked her with play-aways. Clare could read well, but she just didn’t want to be bothered. With play-aways, Clare loved that she could still be active or draw and listen to a story. From these experiences, she realized how much she enjoyed stories. Now, she is the daughter who reads in her spare time. Go figure… In any case, you might give it a try–there are so many ways to listen to books, now, even more than there were five years ago!
I think I will find a book on tape for Christmas break and see how that goes. Thanks.
Listening to books is a great idea. It is so hard to balance everything in the classroom, but once he finds a book he loves and builds his confidence, I’m sure he will discover his love of reading. Graphic novels are always great to pull them in, because they think they are getting away with something.
He is now reading one of the I Funny books by James Paterson. Another student has taken on Raina T.’s Sisters. I need to get over my attitude about graphic novels.
I think he just needs the right book. You know, THE book. I’m not sure how to help him find it – other than trying lots and lots and lots of different ones.
Tough one.
Thanks, Dana. Our conversations have now begun. I need to keep on top of him for a while. I am hoping we will find the Just Right Book.
Oh I have lots of experience with non readers. In my classroom the non reader segment has diminished over the years due to school wide efforts, but there is a always a group of struggling readers.
The twist you have is the gifted class — full of passionate readers. Mitch is lost in that world, and probably feels like he just doesn’t fit in. That was my daughter and son. They were in the gifted classrooms and they were not readers. Both had struggles with reading it wasn’t because they didn’t want to, it just didn’t come to them easily. It was a fight in their brains. My daughter still remembers the level she was (T) when she left fifth grade and the shame that went with it. I think we need give our students the gift of time and knowledge that they will get there. Audio books really helped my kids, also reading aloud (Melanie’s ideas are great). The knowledge that they are not alone in their struggle (authors, scientists, leaders who have struggled) helped a lot too. My kids still have to work harder than their classmates in reading, but both have become excellent writers and do find books they love.
By the way you didn’t make him cry, you just showed him you cared and you are there to help. Hang in there!
You totally understand this student. He wants so badly to fit in. The boys gave him a James Paterson book to read and I gave him a goal for each day. We’ll see how this works. I don’t want to be too hard on him and turn him off.
That’s such a tough situation; especially since he’s surrounded by avid readers. I see someone recommended Reading in the Wild. Yes! That’s a must read! I think right now it’s best to honor any choice he’s making. Scaffolding up the ladder can come later. Right now you just need him to get aboard the reading train! I agree with Jennie that graphic novels are a great start. Has he read the Amulet series? My students LOVE them!! So many great novels have been made into graphic novels, too, like The Red Pyramid, Wrinkle in Time, Hansel & Gretel (Neil Gaiman, which even has a Lexile level over 1,000!), etc. Knucklehead by Jon Scieska (sp?) is a wonderful memoir with short chapters. There are some scary stories I love to recommend to reluctant readers like the A Tale Dark & Grimm series by Adam Gidwitz (which has a FANTASTIC audio version, which could be another way to hook him into the reading conversations – who says you always have to “read” good books? ;-)). Has he read Tom Angleberger’s Origami Yoda series? Another fantastic audio series!! Nonfiction picture books may hook him, too – or longer ones like How They Croaked/How They Choked. OR Guys Reads books. They’re compilations of short stories. He may love to feel like he’s accomplishing reading short stories instead of having to plod through whole novels. I’m done now. Ha.
Thanks for all these recommendations. He loved Guy Write by Ralph Fletcher but carried it around for weeks. He even wrote stories inspired by the book. I thought this was great, but we hit a road block. I am going to tuck away all these wonderful suggestions. I bought Knucklehead and was saving it for read aloud. I think I’ll read it right after Christmas. I also have Guys Read and will pass that on to him. Great ideas!
I think this is a breakthrough moment, Margaret. Perhaps he needed to acknowledge this for himself, and perhaps he will now begin to work with you to figure out books he CAN learn to love.
If there is a break through, I have this community to thank for it. I no longer feel alone and defeated.
This is hard. I agree- it might- might- be finding the right book. What about something by Gary Paulson? Or Maniac Magee? Or John Scieszka’s Knucklehead? Or Marshfield Dreams by Ralph Fletcher? Start it with him- read the first few pages aloud…Good luck.
I have some of these and will be trying them out. I don’t want to embarrass him further by reading with him, but we could do a class read aloud and maybe some buddy reading. Thanks.
My son is the same and when he started reading the entire Jack Stalwart series I got really excited but then what. He didn’t find something else. It seems to me he prefers non fiction but I’m still struggling to get him actually reading it. Good luck!
Yes, Mitch loved Ralph Fletcher and Andrew Clements, but I need him to move up the ladder. We’ll see. Great suggestions here.
I love that you care enough that it keeps you awake at night. You will be the person to help him as you care and he will know that, and trust what ever you lead him into. Have fun exploring all of these wonderful ideas from our amazing community. 🙂
Thanks for the support and confidence. I do care a lot, maybe too much. I think the reason he got so upset was he heard the disappointment in my voice.
Graphic novels help elective non-readers.
Choice is way more important than levels.
Some kids have so much work to do they need to daydream. Suggest he keeps a pictorial/word journal of what he thinks about.
I’m an adult but I love YA fiction.
Readers who do not naturally dip into the reading state don’t get the same pleasure that habitual readers do.
😀
Maybe if he reads enough of the books like The Wimpy Kid, he will then be ready for more. Practice does help stamina. Who knows what grabs each child so that he or she is ready for the next step? I love all the suggestions. And I don’t know what kinds of books he might like. I have had success with a book by David Almond, a realistic adventure that’s a little mysterious and a little magical. If you can hook him, there are a few others. The title is Skellig.
Thanks. He seems to enjoy funny books, so I’ll give him loads of them. Then maybe we can move on to adventure. Thanks for the book suggestion.
And I know how much you care about this, Margaret, so your student will know too. Hugs to you!
Margaret,
What about Gordon Korman? Framed, Swindle, Zoobreak? It sounds like both of you are asking for help and that is really a great place to be!
So many good suggestions. I thought I had a big library, but I don’t have these. Maybe the public library does. Thanks.
Everyone has offered so many helpful comments, there isn’t much left to say! Holly mentioned the How They Croaked/How They Choked books, but there’s so much great nonfiction out there these days. Maybe that’s what will hook him. Although they’re not funny, Steve Sheinkin’s books, especially Bomb, are excellent. I know you’ll do your best to help him find “the book.”
Thanks for the suggestion. I don’t know the book Bomb.
So many good suggestions here! That’s what I love about the Slice of Life PLN. 🙂 I’m going to add a thought here too: what if he is a digital reader? What if books are such a stumbling block for him right now that he needs a break from the stress? http://www.wonderopolis.com has great non-fiction reading opportunities, Sports Illustrated is on-line, as are lots of other sports websites. My husband claims he is not a reader, but he spends at least an hour a day reading online: CNN, the newspaper, etc. My father-in-law too!
PS: I’ve had to embrace graphic novels this year too. I was reluctant, but my students LOVE them. (grade 2 and 3 boys most especially)
The problem I have with graphic novels is that I don’t want to read them, but I am learning that I don’t have to read everything my students do.
We do a Wonder of the Week every week. I require outside reading and responding, but I haven’t thought about allowing a magazine for this requirement. Thanks.