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Ask for help > how to engage students in novel reading?
how to engage students in novel reading?
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esther-stacy
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how to engage students in novel reading?
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Hi all,
I have been teaching A Christmas Carol this
year, and students don �t seem to be interested in reading it. Every time
when it was time to discusss the novel, i found most of the students
had not finished that part yet. At the first time, i just gave a
worksheet to finish before the end of the class. Today it happened
again. i was so upset about that. I talked with one students why they
didn �t read before the class, he said that maybe students didn �t realize
the importance of novel class.so i spent the rest of class discussing
why we have novel class, what can we learn from novel and how you can
enjoy reading a novel more. When we finish the novel, i intend to ask
students to do a stage play of the novel.
Do any of you have better ideas to motivate students to see the beauty of reading a novel?
Thank you for sharing.
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10 Sep 2012
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gilderoy_lockhart
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I don �t remember enjoying reading while I was in school. Unfortunately, there are only a few students who will actually enjoy themselves while they �re at it, specially if it is the teacher who has chosen the novel they HAVE TO read. Being somewhat optimistic, I would say that they �ll learn to actually enjoy it after they have left school (and maybe university). In the meantime, what you can do is bring the novel to their level, and use other strategies: yeah, a stage play may work, but in the eyes of many teenagers, acting is just as lame as reading (don �t shoot the messenger; that �s what some of my students have told me, and it �s not just about foreign languages, it happens with their mother tongue as well.)
- Consider the use of new technologies. Ask them to split the class in groups and create a fictional twitter account (can do it offline, doesn �t have to be an actual twitter account, it �s just to get the idea) for each character and ask them to write what is happening in the book in 140 characters or less. That will have them reading at least to find out what the other twitter accounts are all about. Allow them to use acronyms and emoticons, to make it more entertaining.
- Ask them to create a puppet show with the characters. Divide roles for each group: decoration, making of the puppets, scripting. They will have to read the book to accomplish each task.
I can �t think of any more right now, it �s almost 1am here, and I �m a little tired (and hungry!). As soon as I can, I �ll get back to this post. |
10 Sep 2012
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stuartallen77
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Hello,
I have been teaching in China for ten years and can I ask what the level of your students is? I �ve taught nearly every level imaginable in China and I think that a novel like this might simply be too difficult, both linguistically and culturally.
If you really want to stick at it, then watch �A Christmas Carol � with Jim Carey (2009) with your class. It is fun and sticks quite closely to the book, and in this way, your students will get a good feel for the story, the characters and the imagery that Dickens was trying to portray of Victorian London.
Following the film, your stude ts should show a far greater interest and understanding in the book.
Hope this helps,
Stuart Allen Teaching in Xi �an, China 13679189112 |
10 Sep 2012
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rainyp
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well, let me share what i do before starting a novel or any reading. I do some pre-reading. Ask students, if they like reading or not, if they read novel, talk bout their fav books or novel etc to motivate them, then some idea bout da novel we �l read etc hope it �ll work :) |
10 Sep 2012
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darryl_cameron
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The first thing I would check is reading level. The target of any reading is to understand 95% of the words in the text. If the level is any lower than 90% then understanding hinders appreciation. If level is OK then why wait till end of term. Do short role plays and act single scenes from the book would be my second option. |
11 Sep 2012
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PhilipR
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A Christmas Carol from Dickens? Yawn.
I think the mandatory reading of the so-called classics is the best way to put students off reading forever. Why not use a more engaging and contemporary book?
I think it is is more important that they read instead instead of what they read. |
11 Sep 2012
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gilderoy_lockhart
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"I think it is is more important that they read instead instead of what they read."
Totally agree with this. For instance, I got my hands on some reading material from an important publishing company, and I asked my students to choose the book they found most appealing (from mystery to sci-fi to historical to romantic novel). So, they read what they wanted from a range of books I offered. This gives you SOME control over what they read, but not TOTAL control, which is what some students resent.
If it is, as said, mandatory reading, then try to make it "less boring" for them. As I stated before, when you split the work then it makes it so much easier on the students. Ask them to read some chapters and write "tweets" about it. Could even be in real time. But do not present it as "one of the classics", as it might put them off before starting. |
11 Sep 2012
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ELOJOLIE274
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I think asking pupil to read a mandatory book is always boring - for the pupils because they usually don �t like the book in question and for the teacher who has to talk about a book most of his/her pupils didn �t read...
try to find out where their interests lie and find a book they will like.
some popular teens � novels:
harry potter
twlight
hunger games
pretty little liars - for girls especially
...
http://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/young-adult
otherwise you can find a less modern book/novel that was adapted for the cinema and study the book and the film - look at the differences, similarities, study specific scenes... that way they don �t have to read the whole book - especially if it �s written in old-fashioned english - and still can talk about the story...
if you have specific books to teach them - a list giving by your supervisor... - a good incentive to make them read is small/short tests at the beginning of each lesson (or chapter): ask them 5 questions about small but important details that they need to know/remember to understand the rest of the story :( but that �s definitely not a very pedagogic way to make them love reading :(((
good luck!
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11 Sep 2012
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