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Archives for February 2017

The secret to igniting a love of writing

February 26, 2017  •  S.E. Cohen  • Classroom Tips

At the start of the year, I give my students an interest survey about their reading and writing habits. Not surprisingly, many students report a dislike of writing.

Why? That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?

What I’ve discovered from both formal and informal research with middle and high school students isn’t really so surprising after all: Students don’t enjoy writing (or reading, for that matter) when they have little or no choice. In other words, we, as teachers, have helped kill students’ love of writing when we dictate the writing genre, topic, length, and format. The solution? Implement a weekly writing journal that allows students to express themselves in a variety of ways while sharing their writing with an authentic audience….
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Survey shows fewer middle school students enjoy reading for fun

February 19, 2017  •  S.E. Cohen  • Issues in Education

Middle school students report enjoying books less while high school students report enjoying books more, according to a recently released survey.

 A Scholastic and YouGov survey released last month shows middle school students (12-14 years old) reported an 11 percent drop in reading enjoyment between 2010 and 2016 while high school students (15-17) reported a 4 percent gain during that same time.

 While that’s good news for high school teachers, middle school teachers are left wondering what happened. The survey does not explore the causes, so it made me wonder about a couple of possibilities.

…
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Building a classroom library

February 10, 2017  •  S.E. Cohen  • Classroom Tips

Elementary teachers always have classroom libraries with books that get kids excited about reading. Once students reach middle and high school, though, Language Arts/English teachers often rely on school libraries. Do you?

About seven years ago I made a commitment to build my own classroom library. I’d read about the benefits for years from authors such as Nancie Atwell, Donalyn Miller, Kelly Gallagher, and Penny Kittle, but it took my own research to lead me to make the time and financial commitment. My classroom now holds 1,300 books and counting!

If you’re ready to start or grow your own library, here are some logistics to consider:…
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Getting middle and high school students to read more

February 3, 2017  •  S.E. Cohen  • Classroom Tips

John, a ninth grader, didn’t read – ever. When I gave students reading time in class, he would grab a book off one of my shelves and leave it open to the first page as he stared at the ceiling and around the room while everyone else was deep in the reading zone.

That is, until I handed him Tyrell by Coe Booth. His literature circle group had selected the book, so he made an effort to read a few pages.

Two days later, John appeared at my classroom door hours before his afternoon class. He shoved the book at me. “You can have this back,” he said.

My heart sank – another failure. “You didn’t like it?” I asked.

“No,” he told me. “That book was tight. It’s the only book I ever finished.”

When students tell me they don’t like to read, I know the truth. It’s really a matter of finding the right books for them….
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