Small group exercise

1. Small group exercise • Have you now or have you ever been a reluctant reader? • What is your reading autobiography? www.connectingya.com

2. Who Are Reluctant Readers? • Literate non-readers • Illiterate literates • Nonreaders • Aliterates www.connectingya.com

3. Why They Aren’t Reading By the time many students reach high school, they equate reading with ridicule, failure or exclusively school-related tasks. www.connectingya.com

4. Why They Aren’t Reading Students are not excited by ideas. They prefer to experience life directly rather than through reading. www.connectingya.com

5. Why They Aren’t Reading Many active adolescents are unable to sit still long enough to read for any prolonged period of time. . www.connectingya.com

6. Why They Aren’t Reading Teenagers are too self-absorbed and preoccupied with themselves, their problems, families, sexual roles, etc., to make connections between their world and books. www.connectingya.com

7. Why They Aren’t Reading Books are inadequate entertainment compared to other competing media such as television, video games and the Internet. www.connectingya.com

8. Why They Aren’t Reading Persistent stress from home and school to read constantly is counter-productive for some adolescents. www.connectingya.com

9. Why They Aren’t Reading Adolescents may grow up in non-reading homes void of reading material with no reading role models. There is no one to pass down the value of reading.. www.connectingya.com

10. Why They Aren’t Reading Some adolescents may consider reading solitary and anti-social. www.connectingya.com

11. Why They Aren’t Reading Reading is considered “uncool” and something adults do. www.connectingya.com

12. Why They Aren’t Reading Can’t find the good books www.connectingya.com

13. Small group exercise #6 Ranking and missing reasons www.connectingya.com

14. Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers • Cover - catchy, action-oriented, attractive, appealing, good "blurb" www.connectingya.com

15. Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers Print style - sufficiently large for enjoyable reading www.connectingya.com

16. Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers • Format - appropriate and appealing balance of text and white space www.connectingya.com

17. Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers • Artwork/illustrations - enticing, realistic, demonstrated diversity www.connectingya.com

18. Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers • Clear writing without long convoluted sentences of sophisticated vocabulary www.connectingya.com

19. Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers • Acceptable literary quality and effectiveness of presentation www.connectingya.com

20. Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction • High interest "hook" in first 10 pages www.connectingya.com

21. Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction • Well-defined characters and not too many of them www.connectingya.com

22. Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction • Sufficient plot to sustain interest www.connectingya.com

23. When you write, do you think about the potential book's appeal to non-readers?  • R.L. Stine: Almost all of my books are designed for reluctant readers. When I wrote and edited educational magazines, I learned how to write for different reading levels. I try to keep my scary books at a 4th-grade reading and vocabulary level. In addition-- short books, fast-paced, lots of surprises and twists, cliff-hanger chapter endings to force them to go on to the next chapter, and plot-driven books with little description to slow down the action. www.connectingya.com

24. Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction • Plot lines developed through dialog and action rather than descriptive text www.connectingya.com

25. Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction • Familiar themes with emotional appeal for teenagers www.connectingya.com

26. Power Up With Print • Young adults like fiction that: 1. Show YAs being independent from adults. 2. Reassure YAs they are "normal". 3. Present role models. 4. Demonstrate problem solving in action. 5. Allow to feel like winners/overcoming odds. 6. Display relationships of all sorts. 7. Capture intensity and uncertainty of their life. 8. Help develop of socially responsible behavior 9. Explore lives of other teenagers. . www.connectingya.com

27. Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction • Believable treatment (that does not preclude speculative fiction however) www.connectingya.com

28. Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction • Single point of view / not too many characters www.connectingya.com

29. Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction • Touches of humor when appropriate www.connectingya.com

30. Small group exercise • Ranking and missing reasons: what are the most important and what wasn’t discussed www.connectingya.com

31. 25 things to do to reach reluctant readers tomorrow • A library card: • Booklists: • Booktalking : • Build relationships: www.connectingya.com

32. 25 things to do to reach reluctant readers tomorrow • Celebrate Teen Read Week: • Contests: • Displays: • Follow-up: www.connectingya.com

33. 25 things to do to reach reluctant readers tomorrow • Freedom and choice: • Get input: • Get out of the library: • Get over yourself: www.connectingya.com

34. 25 things to do to reach reluctant readers tomorrow • Get them in the building : • Go the shelves: • High visibility merchandising: • Honesty: www.connectingya.com

35. 25 things to do to reach reluctant readers tomorrow • Keep current : • Listen: • Non-judgmental attitude: • Reader's advisory: www.connectingya.com

36. 25 things to do to reach reluctant readers tomorrow • Samples: • Wave goodbye to just fiction • Weed the collection: • Zowie! Get graphic www.connectingya.com

37. Consulting, training, and coaching for providing powerful youth services including library card campaigns and web projects patrick@connectingYA.com Connecting Young Adults and LibrariesPatrick Joneshttp://www.connectingya.com www.connectingya.com