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Books my reluctant readers love to read and add to their library.
Filed Under "At-risk" students, Dealing With Stress, Special Education
I’m of mixed minds about what happened. On one hand I’m delighted, and on the other hand I’m annoyed. What am I talking about? Well, one of the books my struggling and/or reluctant readers actually ask to read has disappeared from the classroom, and no one seems to know where it is.
I’m always looking for books that my students will actually want to read. Almost all of the boys in my classes like reading non- fiction books and the shorter the articles the better. Lots of large, colourful illustrations of weird and wacky things hold their attention very well. Books like The Guinness Book of World Records or Ripley’s Believe It or Not are perfect. There are lots of books like that to be found on sales tables in book stores and even in grocery stores. I’ve found books about baseball, basketball, and motor cycles that have engaged my students in my local grocery store. You just never know when you’ll find a treasure on those sale tables.
My students absolutely love reading these kinds of books because they are filled with interesting facts and illustrations. The illustrations help them understand the text. Come to think of it, the illustrations are a scaffolding system that prepares them for what they’re about to read. The illustrations tell them a bit about the topic, and then because they’re curious about the topic they’re motivated to read the brief text about the topic. Best of all, they’ll share what they ‘ve learned and lots of excited discussion happens.
I guess I should be pleased that one of the books is missing again. Yes again, each year I buy two new copies of The Guiness Book of World Records and Ripley’s Believe it or Not and each year by the end of second semester someone has added them to their personal library at home. I figure that’s quite a testimonial for those books when students who hate reading books decide they like the books well enough to take them home. That’s a 5 star endorsement all right.
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6 Responses to “Books my reluctant readers love to read and add to their library.”
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When I came home from my first semester of college, I found that my mother had returned all the books I’d stolen from the school library and textbooks I’d loved from my English classes.
It’s taken me years to rebuild and I am sure that I am still missing some favorites.
As a classroom and librarian, I’ve always seen a stolen book as something of a victory. Congratulations!
Doug
Doug,
Thank you very much.
Agreed. Stolen books are a victory – annoying though it may be!
I love the image of the illustrations as the scaffolding to their understanding…
Lindsay,
I find that many of my academically at-risk kids are strong visual learners so illustrations are perfect. I’m forever drawing little pictures in the margins of their notebooks to help illustrate my points.
http://www.debrennersmith.blogspot.com
one of my favorite books for the reluctant reader is “It’s Disgusting and We ate it”
I noticed the books you mentioned are non-fiction. Need I say more?!