First of all I want to thank those many LM_Netters who responded with
suggestions for books that would "hook" readers--especially by having
an
excerpt read aloud to them. I tried to thank most of you personally,
but
may have left a few out--my apologies, you all are terrific.
My colleague and I presented a workshop on our ideas for the Sustained
Silent Reading period that we are instituting at our school. We did it
twice, had good attendance at both (there were other workshops
simultaneously) and the response has been terrific. We are now being
asked to give the workshop yet again so that teachers who could not
attend could hear us. We gave more ideas than just the "hooks", but I
will limit my response to what we received from LM_NET.
Here are the suggestions:
Book ôHooksö
Encouraging Reading by Reading Aloud
At the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), which I
attended this summer, I talked to Walter Minkel of School Library
Journal about reading ideas for reluctant readers. He suggested that
the teacher read aloud to students. That got me thinking. What if
the
teacher read a paragraph that "hooked" students into reading a
20-minute
passageùfrom a novel, short story, biography, true story, etc. We
could easily copy a section for the class to read as a group. I
passed
this idea on to my colleagues at LM-NET, a librarianÆs listserv and
here are their suggestions.
I came up with excerpts from ôMy Life in Dog Yearsö by Gary
Paulsen. Great stories about dogs that have affected the authorÆs
life. Some are happy, some are sad. Any chapter works on its own.
---
What about one of the short selections in ôSpiders in the Hairdoö?
It seems that all kids enjoy urban legends...just an idea!
---
I just finished Life of Pi and it's a book I wouldn't have probably
picked up on my own but my son followed me around the house waving it
in
front of me 'till I took it!! There are lots of 'hooks' in it.
...especially for the sciences. There are great mini stories
throughout
about zoo's, animal behavior, shipwreck and survival strategies. (Pi
is
stranded on a 26 ft. lifeboat with a Bengal tiger from his father's
zoo.)There is humor, too. Another idea for younger kids is Gary
Paulsen's, How Angel Peterson Got His Name. Each chapter is a
separate
tale of "extreme sports" Paulsen style. Parachuting off a barn and
towing each other behind a car on skis, etc. This might be good for
Driver's Ed!
For history, there are some great passages in such books as John
Ransome's Andersonville Diary (Civil War prisoner of war camp at its
most gruesome) and Albert Marrin's, Victory in the Pacific (one
passage
tells the story of the two radio tower men eating breakfast and
ignoring
the approaching Japanese bombers zeroing in on Pearl Harbor.)
---
We have had a great surge of interest in Richard Peck and Karen Hesse
after reading just a page or two from each of their books. They won't
stay on the shelf! Same is true for Because of Winn Dixie by Kate
DiCamillo and any of the Lemony Snicket books. I could run a library
on
four authors!
---
I am in a similar situation as a new LMS at a 7-12 school with low
reading interest. You mentioned Paulsen - I have read the first
chapter
of his "Hatchet" to different grade levels and they always beg for
more.
It ends on a cliffhanger note.
---
When I do booktalks, I read the beginning of Monster by Walter Dean
Myers. sort of a prologue which ends with something like "what the
prosecutor called me... Monster." You can hear a pin drop when I
read
this passage, and I've had lots of kids come and request it afterwards.
I think this would be a good book for h.s. teachers (and a fiction
book
that boys will read).
Adam Janowski
Library Media Specialist
Naples High School
1100 Golden Eagle Circle
Naples, FL 34102
E-mail: NHSWebmaster@collier.k12.fl.us
Phone: 239-430-6644 Ext. 390
Fax: 239-430-6673
Library web site: http://collier.k12.fl.us/nhs/lmc/
School web site: http://collier.k12.fl.us/nhs/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-
All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu
In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation.
LM_NET Help & Information: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/
Archive: http://askeric.org/Virtual/Listserv_Archives/LM_NET.shtml
LM_NET Select/EL-Announce: http://www.cuenet.com/archive/el-announce/
LM_NET Supporters: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/ven.html
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-
LM_NET
Mailing List Home