Motivating Students to Read Fiction

by Helen Holdridge, Karrer Middle School, Dublin, Ohio

Today's students are presented daily with an ever-expanding array of activities in which to participate. Sports and video games consume a large portion of the students' days and evenings; competition for reading time is fierce. How does one fit any kind of reading into this busy schedule?

I have come to believe there are three essential ingredients needed to encourage students to read fiction. The first, and perhaps foremost, is to give the students a choice of what they will read. Students are more motivated to read when they have a say in what they are going to read. Motivation is built in when they like what they are reading.

Second, the classroom library must have a wide selection of books and cater to a variety of reading levels. If books are readily available, students will be more likely to make choices quickly and easily.

The third ingredient is to give students time to read during the school day. And every now and then, it's fun to take reading to a more celebratory level. For example, during Read Across America Week, students at Karrer Middle School were encouraged to bring pillows and blankets on an assigned day, and they settled in to read for an entire class period. It may seem unusual to present this to a class of seventh graders, but the students loved it and asked when the next "read-in" would be held.

What kinds of books do middle schoolers like?

Children in middle school seem to focus on books that in some way relate to themselves or have characters around the same age as themselves. Margaret Haddix's books are good examples of this; currently, the waiting list for her newest book, Double Identity, is long. So is the waiting list for Louis Sachar's new book, Small Steps. Students also like humor, mystery, and fantasy genres, as well as books with lots of action in them or books with interesting language. Often series books are in high demand, and there is a waiting list for them; they fly off the shelf as soon as they are returned.

Reluctant readers, as well as students who are busy with many other activities, are much more likely to choose a book with short chapters, a good deal of white space, a relatively large type font, and generous margins and line spacing. So this is something else to keep in mind when choosing books for the classroom library. You can sometimes view book excerpts and layouts on the Scholastic and other websites.

Clearly, research and extended reading are required by the classroom teacher before books are purchased. Many ideas can come from book clubs. However, the best ideas usually come from the students themselves. (See the list of student recommendations in the Student Voices section. This list was generated by the students in my classroom this year.)

How do you turn students into enthusiastic readers?

Read-alouds.   One of the most effective ways to promote interest in reading fiction is by reading aloud to the students. Picture books are a good way to create interest in a topic. Sometimes I read a novel out loud. Other times I tease the students with a passage or a chapter to spark interest in a book. This usually results in a "war" for the book or sends parents scurrying to local bookstores to look for it. I always rehearse the read-aloud before presenting it to the class since it makes my delivery more fluid and students respond much better when a book is read with enthusiasm and expression.

As a variation of the read-aloud, you might want to incorporate Kelly Gallagher's "Reading Minute," as described in his book Reading Reasons (2003).   For those of you who are unfamiliar with Gallagher's work, the reading minute is sharing an interesting piece of reading at the beginning of the class period. Sharing takes a very short amount of time; the content varies and comes from a variety of sources. Gallagher suggests the teacher direct the reading minute for the first month of school. After that, the students take over. Follow-up is not necessary. In Gallagher's words, "All the Reading Minutes share one goal: to demonstrate to our students that there is a world of reading richness out there."

Book browses and talks.    I also feel it is important to set aside class time during which students will visit the school library for book browses or for book talks by the media specialist, who usually has new books about which to tell the students. Students carry a clipboard with Post-its and a browsing form to keep track of the books that sound or look like something they would like to read. Setting aside this time underscores to students how much the media specialist and I value reading.

Student to student.   Not surprisingly, one of the best ways for students to find good books is through recommendations from other students. Student book talks are essential to promoting wide reading in the middle school classroom; students listen to their peers. Our book chats have become one of the most popular forms of finding good books to read. Students sit with a Post-it on their desks, ready for good ideas, as they listen to each other discuss the most recent books they have read. It makes sense if you think about the good books you have read; would you rather make a poster about the book or sit down and talk to someone about it?

Teacher to student.   As well, sharing my reading habits and coming in with several of my favorite books is always popular with students. They like to hear how I manage to stir a pot of soup in the kitchen with one hand, while my other hand holds a book. Equally amusing is how I often stay up way too late to finish a book, or how I used to get in trouble as a child for reading with a flashlight under the bed covers.

I often keep the current book I am reading on a stand on the desk, so students can see what I am reading. Frequently, I will share a short, appropriate piece with the students. I am sure most of my students could answer the question, if asked, about my favorite genre or author.

Everything you've got!   Because so many outside activities vie for our students' time, it is important for all of us to keep in mind that our goal is to turn each student into a lifelong reader by using as many strategies as possible to promote reading fiction in the middle school classroom.

Reference

Gallagher, Kelly. (2003). Reading reasons: Motivational mini-lessons for middle and high school. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Helen Holdridge has taught a variety of business and English courses for more than thirty years, starting her career in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by teaching ninth-grade English, typing, and accounting. Transferring to Watertown, South Dakota, she continued to teach typing, eleventh-grade English, and office education. She began teaching in Dublin, Ohio, in 1986, where she has taught sixth- and seventh-grade language arts and reading at Davis, Sells, and Karrer Middle Schools. She is currently teaching seventh-grade language arts and reading at Karrer. Helen earned her B.S. in business education and English, grades 7-12, from Northern State College, Aberdeen, South Dakota, and her M.Ed. in guidance and counseling from South Dakota State University, Brookings. She has also done postgraduate work at Ohio State University, earning reading certification, grades K-12, plus completing numerous hours in reading beyond that certification.

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