With your Affinity Group, create a concept map that briefly identifies several key classroom activities that you believe can support engagement in reading. Consider how to transform traditional activities with reading in ways that will better develop the habits of independent life-long reading.
Articles of the Week
Student choice of topic to be covered
Reader's Theater/Retelling
Performing in some way for the class by either reading a scene or reenacting a scene from the story.
A.R. for Independent Reading
Engaging assignments like Book Commercials, videos, etc
Assigned Reading about X, Y, or Z
(College Classroom)
Change the activity so people have choices about what to read.
For example, in my course about the American Dream, I have everyone read Ragged Dick, among other books. All are what I would call "primary" texts. There is value to reading certain things, but I could work in choices. Perhaps in a couple of the later weeks, once people have an understanding of some of the main ideas of the course, I let them choose a book or "text" they think is about the American Dream. Then, they have to come to class prepared to talk about it, combined with a short written response on how it relates to the American Dream. This would accomplish a few things. 1. They may be more engaged because they choose. 2. They are showing they can identify the American Dream in different forms and mediums (one of the learning objectives). 3. They are also addressing writing and presenting on the humanities, another objective. Now I'm just just dispensing knowledge, but asking them to take part.
"Book Tastings"
Giving students a number of reading options. Let them interact with the stories in a speed-dating fashion with a set amount of time
Student research for supplemental sources, facts, etc
conferences about books chosen
Creating a podcast (or episodes for an established podcast) that relates the plot/themes of the text
Peer-to-peer conferences as well as teacher-student conferences
Allow students to create a Book Tasting "Menu" from their own favorite texts to share with peers
Creating a movie trailer for the book or some other form of digital retelling (i.e. stop motion video, comic strip apps, etc)
Allow students to choose their own articles each week, instead of an assigned common text
Students can create a website for their book
Students can rewrite a scene of their reading using slang and/or connecting it to a song