Volume 45 • Number 2 • 2010 New England Reading Association N news E education R research A article The New England Reading JOURNAL Association Journal Volume 45 • Number 2 • 2010 EXECUTIVE BOARD DELEGATES Editor: Helen R. Abadiano PRESIDENT CONNECTICUT NEW HAMPSHIRE Judith Schoenfeld James Johnston Jennifer McMahon Associate Editors: Jesse P. Turner Rhode Island College Central CT State University The New Hampton School Lynda M. Valerie Providence, RI New Britain, CT New Hampton, NH Department Editors PRESIDENT-ELECT Linda Kauffmann Margaret Salt Spring Hermann Eileen B. Leavitt Capitol Region Education Council Plymouth Elementary School Julia Kara-Soteriou Institute on Disability/UCED Hartford, CT Plymouth, NH Diane Kern Durham, NH Sandip LeeAnne Wilson Miriam Klein Gerard Buteau 1st VICE PRESIDENT Sage Park Middle School Plymouth State University Editorial Board Kathleen Itterly Windsor, CT Plymouth, NH Margaret Salt, Chair Westfield State College Kathleen Desrosiers Westfield, MA MAINE RHODE ISLAND Miriam Klein Linda Crumrine Courtney Hughes Barbara Lovely 2nd VICE PRESIDENT Plummer Motz School Coventry Public Schools Nancy Witherell Lindy Johnson Falmouth, ME Coventry, RI Literacy Coordinator Journal Review Board East Montpelier, VT Barbara Lovely Kathleen Desrosiers Julie Coiro Fort Kent Elementary School Warwick Public Schools Ellen Fingeret PAST PRESIDENT Fort Kent, ME Warwick, RI Carol Reppucci Catherine Kurkjian Margaret Salt Central CT State University Jane Wellman-Little Lizabeth Widdifield Janet Trembly New Britain, CT University of Maine Coventry Public Schools Kenneth J. Weiss Orono, ME Coventry, RI Nancy Witherell SECRETARY _________________________ Subscription rate for Association members Angela Yakovleff MASSACHUSETTS VERMONT and institutions is $35.00 per year; Whitingham Elementary School Cynthia Rizzo Janet Poeton Retired educator membership is $20.00 Wilmington, VT Wheelock College Retired Classroom Teacher per year; Single issues are $20.00 each. Boston, MA Williamstown, VT Information on membership and Journal TREASURER subscription should be addressed to Sandip Lee Anne Wilson Amy Carithers Laura Robertson Arlene Hawkins, Executive Director P.O. Box 1997 Husson University Massachusetts DOE Chesterfield School Westerly, RI 02891-0916 Bangor, ME Malden, MA Chesterfield, NH _________________________ Advertising rates upon request. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Nancy Witherell Heidi Baitz Visit our NERA web page at Arlene Hawkins Bridgewater State College Ludlow Elementary School http://www. nereading.org Westerly, RI Bridgewater, MA Ludlow, VT No material contained herein necessarily reflects the opinion of the New England JOURNAL EDITOR Reading Association. Articles may be Helen R. Abadiano reproduced for educational purposes. Central CT State University Copyright© 2010 New Britain, CT New England Reading Association Published by Port Press in Portland, ME _________________________ text design & composition Christopher Kaiser R. Abadiano Farmington, CT New England Reading Association JOURNAL Volume 45 • Number 2 • 2010 EDITORIAL 43 Engaging students with global literature: ii The art of motivation: The 2009 notable books for a global society Engaging the disengaged readers Barbara A. Ward, Chair Helen R. Abadiano Washington State University, Washington Jesse P. Turner Marianne Saccardi, Co-Chair Lynda M. Valerie Greenwich, Connecticut April Bedford Central Connecticut State University, CT FEATURE ARTICLES AllenUniversity D. Evansof New Orleans, Louisiana 1 Motivating struggling readers: Three keys to success Eastern Oregon University, Oregon Nancy Padak Janet Hill Kent State University, Ohio Delaware State University, Delaware Cheryl Potenza-Radis Belinda Y. Louie University of Washington, Washington 9 Graphic novels: Composing with sequential art Ruth McKoy Lowery in high school English and history University of Florida, Florida Nancy Frey Marianne Newman Douglas Fisher South Pasadena Library, California Deborah L. Thompson San Diego State University, California The College of New Jersey, New Jersey 17 Building conscious competence: Vivian Yenika-Agbaw Reading our students, sharing our practice James E. Fredricksen Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania 57 Engaging the disengaged reader Boise State University, Idaho Elene S. Demos 26 Building comprehension for reading novels: John D. Foshay The prereading-schema building process Nancy A. Anderson Central Connecticut State University, Connecticut 63 Motivating disengaged readers University of South Florida, Florida Clare E. Hite through multicultural children’s literature Tami Craft Al-Hazza Dalton State College, Georgia Old Dominion University, Virginia 32 In teachers and students we trust: Real education reform is a writer’s workshop 69 Working effectively with ELLs: Barry Lane What public school teachers should know Yanhui Pang Discover Writing Company Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania 35 Motivating young readers: Theory into practice Jacqueline A. Parke John Marshall Middle School, California Cynthia L. Meyer Cerritos Elementary School, California The NERA Journal (2010), Volume 45(2) | i New England Reading Association JOURNAL Volume 45 • Number 2 • 2010 76 REVIEW OF PROFESSIONAL BOOKS 91 REVIEW OF RESEARCH IN THE CLASSROOM Engaging readers in the classroom: Pygmalion in the classroom: Research, beliefs, and strategies Motivating disenfranchised readers Sandip L. Wilson Diane Kern GeraldHusson University,Buteau Maine University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island 94 COMPUTERS IN THE CLASSROOM Plymouth State University, Massachusetts Sara Hess Video games for the disengaged (and not only) students Julia Kara-Soteriou Pittston Consolidated Elementary School, Maine Maureen Montgomery Central Connecticut State University, CT GaelUniversity Romei of Maine, Maine 102 NOTES ON THE CONTRIBUTORS University of Maine, Maine 85 NEW ENGLAND WRITE-LIGHTS Interviews with Ann Turner and Wendell Minor Spring Hermann Author ii | The art of motivation: Engaging the disengaged readers Helen R. Abadiano Jesse P. Turner Lynda M. Valerie Central Connecticut State University, Connecticut TO THIS DAY, I REMEMBER THE FIRST DAY THAT WORDS ON A PAGE HAD MEANING TO ME... MR. FALKER HAD REACHED INTO THE MOST LONELY DAR KNESS AND PU LLED ME INTO BRIGHT SUNLIGHT AND SAT ME ON A SHOOTING STAR. I SHALL NEVER FOR GET HIM... THANK YOU, MR. FALKER. ~Patricia Polacco, 1998~ ur hope and dream: That all our students First, Nancy Padak and Cheryl Potenza-Radis will have precious moments to share convince us that while “it’s easy to work with readers about teachers like Mr. Falker and how who come to us intrinsically motivated and full of en- these teachers have inspired them to thusiasm… it’s our responsibility to provide purpose- become good readers and to love reading. ful and authentic literacy environments for all our OPatricia Polacco’s story is evidence that there IS a Mr. readers, especially those who are struggling or disen- Falker and each one of us can be THAT Mr. Falker! gaged. Their article “Motivating struggling readers: Acknowledging that engaging ALL readers, par- Three keys to success” stresses that “Authentic reading ticularly the unmotivated, reluctant readers, is essential leads to purposeful, engaged reading. Engaged reading to student success, this issue is dedicated to the theme: yields improved reading. And improved reading leads “Transforming disengaged readers into engaged read- to more authentic reading.” Then follows Nancy Frey ers in our classroom.” We are pleased and proud of the and Douglas Fisher’s “Graphic novels: Composing with breadth and depth of the articles addressing this partic- sequential art in high school English and history”—a ular theme by authors who stimulate our thinking, chal- persuasive articulation of the impact of graphic novels lenge our understandings, and invigorate our teaching. in students’ writing. The article argues for students to The NERA Journal (2010), Volume 45(2) Editorial | iii be “given the opportunity to marry words with images Melissa had provided us with excellent book reviews [so] they create new knowledge for themselves.” James appropriate for pk-12 and her column would definitely E. Fredricksen calls attention to the need “to make our be missed. Thank you, Melissa, for your valuable course content both relevant and possible for students contributions to NERAJ! to be successful” if we are determined to motivate the Complementing Parke and Meyer’s article disengaged readers. His article “Building conscious Elene S. Demos and John D. Foshay’s “Engaging the competence: Reading our students, sharing our prac- disengaged reader” permits us to listen in and join in the tice” challenges us to consider a different approach to authors’ conversation about Richard and Jackson, their motivating the disengaged readers—“reading readers disengaged readers, including their plans and strategies and reading our teaching.” In “Building comprehension to assist them to become engaged readers. In the same for reading novels: The prereading-schema building token, Tami Craft Al-Hazza’s “Motivating disengaged process” Nancy A. Anderson and Clare E. Hite pro- readers through multicultural children’s literature” pose an independent strategy—the prereading schema- echoes the IRA/CL/R/SIG’s book award committee’s building process to activate readers’ prior knowledge and concern that certain cultural groups in classrooms today build a scaffold for new knowledge such as vocabulary may have been “forgotten in the school curriculum and