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Rescuing the Middle School Reader

Explore beliefs & strategies for engaging middle school readers, with tips for at-risk students. Boost self-esteem & competence with dialogue journals, modeling reading, & empowering choices.

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Rescuing the Middle School Reader

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  1. Rescuing the Middle School Reader K.McElhatten Spring Cove Middle School 2004-2005

  2. Your Beliefs & Wonderings In your group, brainstorm the following on the provided paper: GROUP 1:What do you know and wonder about middle school readers? GROUP 2:In general, what do you know and wonder about middle school students? GROUP 3:What do you know and wonder about at-risk and reluctant readers?

  3. My Beliefs & Wonderings Some among many of my beliefs about the middle school “beast.” • Middle schoolers stop reading because they are focused on extracurricular activities and social development. • Middle schoolers prefer collaboration and social interaction. Also, they need to exert power over their environment. They will do so at ALL costs. • At-risk and reluctant readers come from low-print homes where they rarely see an adult reading or modeling reading habits. Also, they avoid reading because it makes them feel incompetent and lowers their self-esteem.

  4. So What? • Give students time to read. It may be the only time they get. Make a predictable time each week where students can dedicate at least 25-30 minutes to reading. • Use dialogue journals and turn note writing into a productive, social classroom activity. • Model Reading Strategies. On silent reading days, also read. Additionally, remember that reading is far more than decoding sounds. It involves complicated thought processes that many students need to see modeled.

  5. Why is it so successful? These strategies help boost student self-esteem as described by Dr. James Levin from Penn State. • Significance • Virtue • Competence • Power • Self Esteem +

  6. Self-Esteem Significance: Are we valued by the people we want to be valued by? Student receive positive feedback through letter writing. Virtue: Are we making a valuable contribution to our community? Students recommend books to other students and scaffold literary analysis through letter writing. Competence: Are we good at the things we do? Scaffolding and positive feedback from peers and teachers help increase students’ sense of reading competency. Power: Do we have control over our environment? Students are given the choice to whom they write and in which reading material they select.

  7. Sources of Research Atwell, Nancy. In the Middle: New Understanding about Writing, Reading, and Learning. New Hampshire: Boynton/Cook, 1998. ISBN: 0867093749 Bintz, Willliam. “Using Written Conversation in Middle School: Lessons from a Teacher Researcher Project.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. March 2004: 47: 6, p. 482. Harste, John. Creating Classrooms for Authors and Inquirers.New Hampshire: Heinemann, 1995. ISBN: 0435088505 Mizokawa, Donald. “ The ABC’s of Attitudes Toward Reading: Inquiring about the Reader’s Response.” The Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. September 2000: 44:1, p. 72. Oberlin, Kelly. “Implementing the Reading Workshop with middle school LD learners.” Journal of Reading. May 1989: 32, 8: p. 682. Robb, Laura. Teaching Reading in Middle School. New York: Scholastic Professional Books, 2000. ISBN: 0590685600 Richard-Amato, Patricia. Making It Happen: From Interactive to Participatory Language Teaching. New Hampshire:Pearson ESL, 2003. ISBN: 0130601934 Routman, Regie. Conversations: Strategies for Teaching, Learning, and Evaluating. New Hampshire: Heinemann, 1999. ISBN: 032500109X

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