How Can Teachers Get Struggling Readers Excited About Reading?

5140 Inquiry Project Carol Holt

Most often the students who struggle with reading tend not to read a lot.

Because struggling readers find reading to be a difficult task, they practice

infrequently which can cause them to fall further behind in reading. When

low achieving students avoid becoming engaged in reading, their

opportunities to learn decrease (Baker, Dreher, & Guthrie, 2000). Struggling

readers are caught in a vicious cycle; they typically avoid reading, thereby

getting little of the practice they need to become fluent readers (Dreher,

2003). A feeling of competency and motivation decreases for low readers as

they continue to struggle with reading. What can teachers do to motivate

students who struggle in reading? This study explores the following three

areas for motivating struggling readers to want to read: (1) If students are

given a choice of what topic to read, will they be more motivated to read?

(2) If students have a hands-on activity that directly correlates with the

reading material, will they be more excited to read about the subject? (3) If

students are given a chance to share what they have learned about a topic

with their peers, how will they feel about their efforts in reading?

Choice

If students are given the chance to choose what they want to read, will

they be more motivated to read? According to Donalyn Miller (2009),

providing students with the opportunity to choose their own books to read empowers and encourages them. Choice is important because it seems largely related to interest and to control (Allington, 2006). For this study, a group of 5th graders who are currently reading below grade level were asked to vote on the next reading topic. They were given several topics to choose from (dogs, reptiles, mummies, or U.S. Presidents). As a group, these students decided to read and learn more about mummies and mummification.

Tapping interest is important, as considerable evidence documents a strong relationship between interest and motivation to learn (Hidi, 1991).

Investigations focusing on individual interest have shown that children as well as adults who are interested in particular activities or topics pay closer attention, persist for longer periods of time, learn more, and enjoy their involvement to a greater degree than individuals without such interest (Hidi &

Harackiewicz, 2000). Information books promote motivated reading because they appeal to students’ curiosity, and curiosity is a powerful motivation for reading (Baker & Wigfield, 2000). Informal observations revealed a rise in student excitement from the beginning to the end of the first book they read.

It was apparent that the interest level grew as meaningful conversation increased among students in the group. The tone and rate of speech also increased as students discussed what they read. Students generated many questions as well, some of which were added to the “What I want to know?” portion on a KWL graphic organizer. It was evident after reading one book that students were not only interested in the topic of choice, but wanted to learn more about the topic. According to the completed KWL charts, the students learned a great deal from the first book read. Much of what they thought they knew about mummies, however, was actually fictional. For example, many students indicated that mummies were not real people, mummies were wrapped in toilet paper, they walked with arms stretched out, made a moaning sound and had red eyes. Clearly, what students thought was factual information came from their knowledge of mummies seen in horror movies or on popular cartoons like Scooby-Doo. After reading the first informational text, Under Wraps, the “What I learned” column on the students’ KWL chart revealed documented facts they had learned such as,

“Mummies were real people wrapped in thin linen cloth.”

Several genres were collected on the topic of mummies including fiction, nonfiction, historical fiction and memoir. Once the informational texts were read, the students could better comprehend the other genres. According to

Soalt (2005), these texts help to build background knowledge, develop text related vocabulary, and increase motivation to explore the topic under discussion. The students in this study seemed to be especially interested in reading the nonfiction texts on mummies. Exploring informational texts prior to reading fictional texts on the same topic activates background knowledge for students with prior knowledge of the topic and builds it for students without prior knowledge (Soalt, 2005). Once the group began reading a historical fiction text, the students were able to identify the factual content within the fictional part, because they had previously read the nonfiction texts. Hands-on Activity

Will including a hands-on activity increase motivation to read? Real-world experiences usually evoke keen attention and a sense of wonder (Guthrie, 2001).

The students in this study were captivated by mummy facts, photos of mummies, and the Egyptian mummification process which includes using a drying mixture called natron. Once the students were asked if they would like to create natron and mummify something, they were very eager and enthusiastic about conducting this hands-on activity. Ross (1988) found that hands-on science activities aroused attention, questions, and active learning. Informal observations revealed students being alert with many questions about objects they could mummify, resulting in an assortment of insects and a variety of fruit.

During the activity, the students in this study were fully engaged and exceptionally focused throughout the entire mummification process. The natron mixture, a substance that occurs naturally in Egypt, actually dried out the fruit and larger insects, so that they looked mummy-like. A hands-on experiment within a reading lesson can be motivating and make the topic more meaningful.

It is important to mention that measures were taken so that the hands-on activity would take a minimal amount of time to complete, because weak readers need as much time as possible to read. According to Donalyn Miller (2009), developing readers must spend substantial instructional time actually reading if they are to attain reading competence. Students as Experts

If students are given a chance to share what they have learned about a topic with their peers, how will they feel about their efforts in reading? Once the students were told about being “mummy experts” and would share what they have learned with the other 5th graders, the students were excited. As soon as the students were told that the event was planned for the following Tuesday, I heard energized comments like, “I can’t wait until next Tuesday.” On the day of the event, the “mummy experts” were ready to share the facts they had learned about Egyptian mummies and the mummification process. Each student appeared eager and performed the tasks in a professional manner. Each student had facts to share on one of the following:

 Mummies found in Egypt and the location of Egypt in Africa

 Egyptian afterlife Belief

 Mummification process

 King Tutankhamen

 Tomb robbers/tomb treasures

 Animal mummies and other mummies

 Hieroglyphics

 Natron drying mixture

 Mummification experiments

It was a day for these struggling readers to shine among their peers. The students were asked to complete a survey by answering if they enjoyed reading about mummies and mummification, and to explain why or why not. Then students were to order sentences indicating what they liked best:

 Being able to choose the topic (mummies)

 The hands-on activity in class (mummifying insects and fruit)

 Sharing with students what you learned about mummies

The survey results revealed that the majority of students (12 out of 13) liked the hands-on activity the best. Eleven students liked sharing with students what they learned second best, with the third vote going for being able to choose the topic. The majority of students indicated that they enjoyed reading about mummies and mummification. When asked, “Why?”, their responses focused mostly on the hands-on activity;

 I liked reading about mummies, because we did experiments.

 I like the fruit and insects in natron.

 I liked the hands-on activity.

 The natron experiment

 I liked to read the books and mummify insects and fruit.

Conclusion

Allowing students to choose a text or topic that is interesting to them is one way to motivate reluctant readers. Studies have confirmed the conventional wisdom that choice is motivating (Guthrie, 2001). Incorporating an activity can spark student interest when there are real-world connections to reading. A hands-on experiment within a reading lesson can be motivating and make the topic more meaningful. As the student survey results showed along with informal observations, most students in this study prefer having a hands-on activity during a reading lesson. The data revealed what was most appealing to this particular group of fifth grade students concerning how to make reading more interesting and motivating. Teachers should consider student interest when planning lessons for struggling readers. Teachers should also keep activities to a minimum in order to maximize reading time for students. A hands- on activity that directly correlates with a topic can generate interest and motivation for struggling readers that, in turn, can facilitate reading comprehension and meaningful learning. Informal observations reveal students are still reading the mummy texts independently even though we are now reading a fictional text on a new topic as a group. Nonfiction Resources

 Under Wraps by Meish Goldish  Tales Mummies Tell by Patricia Lauber  Mummies and Pyramids by Sam Taplin  Mummies Dried, Tanned, Sealed, Drained, Frozen, Embalmed, Stuffed, Wrapped and Smoked…and We’re Dead Serious by Christopher Sloan  Treasures of King Tutankhamun photographs by Lee Boltin  Animal Mummies by Charlotte Wilcox  The Mystery of King Tut by David Dreier  The Mystery of the Hieroglyphs by Carol Donoughue  Ancient Egypt by George Hart  Pyramid by David Macauley

Historical Fiction Resources

 The King of Egypt by Pam Rushby  Mummies in the Morning by Mary Pope Osborne  Ms. Frizzle’s Adventures Ancient Egypt by Joanna Cole  The 5,000-Year-Old Puzzle by Claudia Logan

Memoir/Read Aloud

 I Am the Mummy Heb-Nefert by Eve Bunting

References

Allington, R.(2006). What really matters to struggling readers . New York: Pearson.

Baker, L., Dreher, M.J., & Guthrie, J.T. (2000). Engaging young readers: Promoting achievement and motivation . New York: Guilford Press.

Dreher, M.J. (2003). Motivating struggling readers by tapping the potential of information books. Reading & Writin g Quarterly , 19, 25-38.

Guthrie, J.T. (2001). Contexts for engagement and motivation in reading. Reading Online 4 (8). Available: http://www.r eadin gonline.or g/articles/art_ind ex.asp? HREF=/articles/handbo ok/guthrie/ inde x.html

Hidi, S. (1991). Interest and its contribut ion as a mental resource of learning . Review of educational research, 60, 549-571.

Hidi, S., & Harackiewicz , J.M. (2000). Motivatin g the academica lly unmotivated: A critical issue for the 21 s t century. Review of Educational Research, 70, 151-179.

Miller, D. (2009). The book whisperer . San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.

Ross, J.A. (1988). Controlling variables: A meta=analysis of training studies. Review of Educationa l Research , 58, 405-437.

Soalt, J. (2005). Bringing together fictional and informational texts to improve comprehension. International Reading Association , 680-683.