Reading for Intermediate and Advanced Learners, Fall, 2011

I agree with most of what Brozo asserts in this article, but I felt a nagging sense of irritation while I was reading it. I couldn’t quite pin down what was aggravating me, so I read it again. It was on a second reading that I think I nailed it down.
It was the tone that this article takes, I think. When I summarized it in my head, it went all breathless and fast and something like this, “This boy’s reading issue is a crisis that must be addressed with all speed and these boys must be rescued from horrible classic literature because boys are different and we must accept it and meet them where they are and bribe them with stuff they already like so they can read and be successful because heaven knows we couldn’t ask them to stretch themselves or try something new because they are boys and boys just don’t do that didn’t you hear me at the beginning? This is a crisis!”
I realize this isn’t fair to Brozo. Boy’s literacy is in crisis state, and I think high-interest texts are important. But that brings me to the second part of what irritated me about this article. I am a woman, so I have to ask the question, “Aren’t there girls who are in reading crisis as well?”
Of course there are. There are readers of all genders and types who are in crisis. And bashing them in their cerebral regions with classic literature isn’t likely to improve the situation. But people advocate classics because for them the stretch is built in. These works will stretch readers in many ways when they read. I think people don’t believe that young adult novels have the same kind of built-in stretch factor. So the worry about them is, “how will these works make my students grow or think?” Perhaps a better sales pitch is not that students will be more interested in young adult novels, but that young adult novels can and will promote growth in reading skill and thinking.

I can relate to this article because I have a daughter and a son. From birth I have read to them, taken them to the library on a regular basis, bought books etc. My daughter is a strong reader where as my son tends to struggle somewhat. In second grade we had to work nightly on his fluency rate. He did not enjoy this very much but it has paid off. His rate is in the "appropriate" range. With that being said, I make an extra effort to find materials he REALLY enjoys. He is all about WW1 and WW2, history, and Graphic Novels.

This article reminds me again of the other two articles we read. It goes back to the interest in what they are reading. There are more novels out there that are more suitable for young adult girls, than young adult boys. Boys don’t want to read about love stories or drama’s like girls do. It is hard to find books that young adult boys would be interested in as there are not as many novels out there for them compared to girls. There are only so many football novels, mystery novels, and informational text books. Those type of books are good, but doesn’t hit all genres that they need to be exposed to for learning purposes. Teachers should always do a reading interest survey because this will show them what they are interested in. They should be aware of after school activities because if they are interested in a sport, maybe they can find books about their sport that could help direct their instruction. Now don’t get me wrong, I know there are young adult girls out there that haven’t found books to connect to like myself when I was in high school. According to this article, boys perform lower than girls, and I can understand why when it relates to the type of text they are exposed to. A lot of my high school teachers assumed boys were into the war type books because it had violence and fighting, but really, not all boys are into that. Maybe if high school boys liked history they would read those types of books, but not all boys do. They may like fighting and violence, but not the history piece of it. I don’t remember ever reading a book about sports or something that really related to something I liked, and really the only book that maybe a boy might have like would be Moby Dick. I read Moby Dick with one of my middle school students I am tutoring because he loves fishing and anything that has to do with whales and sharks. He was interested in the book at first, but quickly lost interest with the vocabulary and the way the book was written back in the “older time.” He was lost beyond words, and looked at me and said, “So what just happened?” Bless his heart, he was lost. This shows that interest can help guide toward book selection, but you have to be careful with what vocabulary is in the book and how a book is written. This is a problem and something I thing English teachers in middle school and high school really should think about when planning their instruction in their classroom.

Helping Boys Find Entry Points to Lifelong Reading: Book Clubs and Other Strategies for Struggling Adolescent Males

It is a chore to interest some boys in reading. Our county has tried many of the things mentioned in this article such as same sex classrooms. Some schools saw a success in this but the data gained is not dramatic. Elementary schools do recruit male teachers, but there does not seem to be a great deal of males who want to teach at this level for whatever reason. I know many boys who just do not enjoy reading. They would rather be outside hunting and fishing or playing sports. I know a particular boy who is very passionate about hunting. In elementary school he struggled with reading. He wanted to read certain books, but some teachers and our librarian would not allow him to read AR nonfiction books. Finally someone wised up to the fact that if he was not allowed to read nonfiction then he was not going to be successful. Adjustments were made and all students, males and females, are allowed to check out books based on their interest level. As a teacher we need to exhaust all avenues to help each of our students be successful readers. It is a known fact that if a student is engaged in the book they will want to read. Interest is huge in encouraging kids, especially boys. The idea in the article to doing word study to rap lyrics is great.
Our school encourages reading buddies as well. We have a big male population that does not necessarily have positive male role models in their lives. Bringing in positive male role models to read to or listen to boys read encourages a love for reading. They can see men enjoying reading and that is something that may not have been encouraged at home.

Although I have had little experience in an actual classroom, mainly my student teaching experience, I would have to agree with this article for the most part. It is painfully obvious that forcing the entire class to read a "classic" novel or a novel that the teacher might find valuable is not exactly helping the issue of male literacy in schools. I definitely agree that we have to help young males find texts that interest them and can hold their attention, but I still do not believe it is that simple. Just because I find a book that is about hunting, and I have a male student who enjoys hunting, does not mean that he will find his point of entry to life long reading from that particular book. I think that it is a combination of interesting topics, mentoring, and the students feeling rewarded for what and when they read that will push males to read for themselves, not just because they have to.
In addition, just because a male student is engaged in the text and might enjoy reading it, if they have a bad home life or other serious issues going on in their lives at school or outside of school, reading just might not be a priority and isn't something they are being encouraged to do at home. It is our jobs as teachers to work with these students as best we can to help them realize not only the importance of reading and writing, but of education as well, which centers around reading and writing of course. The ideas of male mentors and books club are good ideas, but in my mind I was still thinking about how to get students interested in participating in both of these. Ultimately, not only is it about helping these male students find books that interest them, and incorporating writing into their reading as well, it is about a change of attitude in these students to help them understand what reading can do for them right now and in the long run.
Lastly, I liked the idea of using the My Bag to get to know a student. I have used something similar before, a reading-writing survey, to gain an understanding of what types of books students like to read, if any, and what topics they are interested in. A simple survey or discussion about students' interests could also help a teacher find a student's entry point to reading.

I have stated before that I am a pre-service teacher, and although I have limited classroom experience, I have come into contact with the phenomenon discussed in this article. Growing up I knew my brother hated reading, my parents never did it, all the guys in my class thought D.E.A.R was a time to make paper footballs, or try to go lay somewhere in the room next to a girl and hope the teacher wasn’t looking. Obviously though it was not until I was in a classroom for internships and student teaching that I recognized this to not be a limited occurrence. NEWFLASH: it is still happening today! It broke my heart this past semester, during my student teaching, to hear the students in my class, specifically the boys, say they hated reading. I think that it all ties back to a similar root: we are not providing students with what they WANT to read. I think boys especially get the short end of the stick with this deal. When I would take students to the library, the girls would usually go find a book quickly or come ask me, or the librarian for a recommendation. But not the boys. They would stand a stare at each other until just a few moments before we had to leave and then they would grab a book about an interest: hunting, dirt bikes, sports. And yet this was wrong? There was not merit provided to the fact that they had actually selected a book. If we see them interested in book about basketball, we, as teachers, should see that we can lead this into young adolescent novel about basketball, thus creating the ‘entry point’

Again as I was reading this article it made me reflect on my own classroom. William Brozo was writing on the same exact thing I saw in my classroom. I could not understand why the boys were not interested in the books that were in my classroom library and that they girls were just reading away (that were not all girlie books, honest). Then I noticed that as I was bringing in books that related to my science and social studies classes the boys were reading - those books - books that interested them. What I also found was that when I was adding new non-fiction books to the classroom library or realistic fiction books about war, sports, cars, etc.(all those boy topics) I began to enjoy them more myself.

I agree with what Brozo is saying in this article. Although I have never had my own classroom, over the past two years I have worked with an after-school tutoring program tutoring third, fourth, and fifth graders. I have found it to be true that there are more boys that attend the remedial tutoring than girls. During my student teaching, I also found it to be true that the boys typically seemed disengaged when it came to silent reading time. This may have been the case in the past, but we need to try to change this. As educators, we need to strive to get our boys interested in reading and our lessons, as we do the girls. Sometimes I think it is just easier to teach to the girls because i'm female, but it's important to remember to step out and find the entry points of the boys in our classrooms.If we can access those entry points and get them a little more interested in reading, hopefully that interest will grow into a love for reading. Getting your students hooked on reading always comes down to knowing your students, their interests, and their instructional level. If you meet these criteria, there is a greater possibility of having a successful reader who reads not because they have to, but because they enjoy it.

This article supports one of the key points about reading development- student interest. If we want our students to grow in their reading ability, we must provide them with a wealth of opportunities to read materials of high interest. Brozo's discussion of student entry points reinforces the need for teachers to get to know students before we can adequately facilitate independent reading.

In my current grade level, we have a teacher who plans to implement book clubs within her classroom. After reading this article, I am encouraged to try book clubs in my classroom as well. Before I begin, I will have students complete an interview to pinpoint personal interests. This step will help me choose more appropriate reading material.

While the article focused on male students, I do have a few female students who seem reluctant to read. It's quite troubling that students can develop an indifference toward reading at such an early age. Again, looking at student interest should help rebuild a fondness for reading. Also, incorporating humor as a means of making reading fun will help. Brozo's point about having fun ensures me that my decision to use humorous poetry as an avenue for repeated readings in my classroom could be beneficial in helping students further develop fluency.

In regards to journal writing, I do have my students complete a daily reflection journal to summarize new skills and strategies learned in class. Now I am considering having children keep a reading journal on their book club readings. I would especially enjoy reading student reactions to their reading. This strategy will be beneficial in monitoring individual learning.

As Brozo discussed reading buddies, I thought about the vast number of volunteer forms that were completed and returned to our school last week. Next week I plan to speak with our guidance counselor to coordinate appropriate reading mentors for some of my students. Brozo is right; male students can benefit from working with male mentors, someone to whom they can relate.

Omar, a fourth grade boy, hates to read. There is a 45 minute block at Omar’s school called Accelerated Reader. The premise is that students will become absorbed in quietly reading a self-selected text. Omar spends this time “fake reading”. To a casual observer, Omar looks like he is engaged in the book. However, if you take a closer look, his eyes are mischievously trying to catch the attention of surrounding boys. I am Omar’s teacher during AR. This article gave me the idea to find out his interests and match a book to his level. Eventually I would also like to try forming a graphic novel book club during the AR time. I anticipate having difficulty finding the time to adequately plan for these endeavors. The article makes it seem so simple, yet my experience often shows a much more time consuming picture.

I think setting up book clubs for young men in school is a great idea! As stated in the article, it is important for the students to choose their own books. It is so much easier to read a book when it is something you are interested in. It is also important to get to know your students! You should know what hobbies your students have and what things they are most interested in. This is why I love having my students make a Me Bag. This is just like the My Bag that is discussed in the article. You wouldn’t believe how excited 1st graders get when they get to stand up and share the things they placed in their bag. It’s fun for the students and it’s beneficial for the teacher.

I agree with Brozo’s assertion that the gender-based reading achievement disparity is an “entrenched, popular perception and, indeed, an expectation that many boys simply will not become thoughtful, accomplished readers.” Teachers must be persistent and creative when it comes to helping boys find entry points into reading. This requires that we be sensitive to their literate behaviors, attitudes and interests. I remember when the Goosebumps series became popular. The books were criticized for their quality, but the series sold over 350 million books world-wide and got many boys excited about reading.

Brozo offered some practical, tangible suggestions in his article. I liked the idea of having boy book clubs, which provide a forum for boys to participate in critical discourse with students who have similar interests. Furthermore, the participants can have greater control over the book choices. I was also interested in the idea of community reading mentors. If we want to change society’s perceptions about male readers, we first need to change the way male readers see themselves. Rickey did more than help Marcus develop as a reader; he helped Marcus develop as a person. Many adults would have avoided Marcus’ interest in juvenile crime but Rickey used it as an opportunity to help Marcus explore multiple perspectives and educate himself about the injustices of the juvenile court system.

I was inspired by Daniel’s literate journey and his transformation as a “born-again reader.” It reminds us that it is never too late to help boys find entry points into reading and that there are multiple entry points throughout our lives.

I feel so lucky to teach second grade! Why do I say this, because this grade is the one when a lot of students find their entry points to EARLY literacy. Most of them have been through the processes of learning how to read and are reviewing it. Suddenly, many doors open up for them and they began to explore many genres. I have been so fortunate to see many boys and girls amazed by these doors. I feel it is my job to keep these doors open. Boys are a challenge. I constantly have to be on the look for new titles. I stock my classroom library with many genres, classic and current texts. As part of "My Bag," I have each student fill out a writing topic sheet with their parents at the beginning of the year, so I learn their interests and they have topics to write about. This has really helped me to keep them engaged in reading and writing.
Eventhough, second grade readers are not adolescent readers, Brozo is correct about boys finding their interest points and us, as teachers keeping them going. I truly believe it is harder to keep boys interested in reading. As for adolescent boys, mentoring is so powerful. Finding the right mentor is key. I believe Rickey and Daniel were the right mentors for their boys. The book clubs by gender was an interesting concept for at risk students. All of these were well thought-out strategies for male readers.

The first thing that came to my mind only after reading the title was for an educator to be considerate of diversity among not only just boys but girls as well especially with required reading selections. I know some of my comments may not be agreeable and English majors probably think my thoughts are ludicrous. I asked my twin boys that just graduated high school what required readings they liked and disliked. Both their dislikes were the books, 1984 by Orwell, Frankenstein by Shelley, Pride and Prejudice by Austen (they said it’s a women’s book and really got on their nerves), The Scarlett Letter by Hawthorne, (they said they needed a dictionary to look up so many words just to try to understand). One son liked The Crucible and The Diary of Anne Frank, his brother thought they were very boring. Some books they did like were Les Miserables, My Forbidden Face, and in elementary they loved the Chronicles of Narnia, and two of my three sons absolutely loved all The Harry Potter Books and movies. I tried to read them and hated them. This is one reason why children, especially boys need someone to help them find their desires that hook them on the understated enjoyment of reading a good book.
We always need to keep in mind that so many children are never exposed to books at home for reasons that are usually the same. There are many boys out there that would find many stories fascinating, but because of undiagnosed issues like ADD and Dyslexia they are incapable of focusing and understanding. I realize that now as I was finally diagnosed with Adult ADD. The only HS English Readings that I remember understanding and enjoying were Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea and Moby Dick, The Red Badge of Courage and Of Mice and Men. I’m sure there were a few others that I can’t recall, but I do recall hating some of the required readings because I just didn’t understand them.
Brozo is on right on track with the idea of boy’s books clubs and finding out their interests and then introducing them to books as such. I also believe Brozo has a good idea using music lyrics from songs and raps that interest students. I have watched a video before that was amazing at how these children improved.
I hate to be negative about closing the achievement gap, but no matter how dedicated teachers are, there will always continue to be issues for reaching all males and even females when it comes to installing and having them realize they can learn to love to read. When I read a good book, I usually don’t watch the movie if it comes out because it is always disappointing.

I can definitely relate to this article. The boys in my sixth grade classroom are the hardest to get excited about reading. I have to admit, my criteria for choosing read aloud material for the boys in my classroom look something like this: violence, war, curse words, mystery. If it has any of the listed elements, it’s usually a go! I have never implemented the My Bag strategy but instead have conducted reading interview to find out what they do when they are not at school. Like the My Bag activity I am looking for entry points to get them started reading. I also like the idea of having reading mentors. Many of my boys would really benefit from the extra attention given by another male. I have considered the idea of gender based book clubs but have always struggled with the implementation piece. It sounds like it might be worth figuring out. I understand the freedom the boys in my class would feel without having girls around to hear what they are saying. I got some great ideas from this article.

I like the idea of viewing boys as a resource in the classroom. They certainly have plenty of enthusiasim and excitement for life! Sometimes it is simply difficult to find "where rubber meets the road." In other words, what makes them really excited about READING? I teach kindergarten, so my goal is to NOT turn them off to literacy early on. I think it is probably easier to do this in kindergarten than in middle school and high school! However, I've found it too easy to read books that I like...not necessarily what relates to my students. At this age with boys, I've found that information books about bugs and animals and space (an many other things) are my best friends! I have a great set of non-fiction early readers and I try to keep information books out for each unit of inquiry that I teach. Of course, my girls love this, too...but I believe that it is especially beneficial to my boys. The pictures spark their interest and they want to know more. When they have a question, we look for a book to find the answer.
Last year, all I heard about was Star Wars. I found that when I incorporated this interest into their writing time, they became much more excited about writing! Some even chose to write "Star Wars episodes" in their journals during free time. I think it just boils down to not being afraid to let them go where their interests lead.

The theme in this article was along the same lines of the other article: finding the reader's interest. Interest is a major factor in reading for anyone, boys especially. Allowing the students to pick which book they would like to read gives them that feeling of control as well as giving them something to relate. Another key thing the article talked about was giving male youth the support they need when finding that entry point for reading. Support and interest are key for these students because they need to feel involved. I liked the quote from the article, "it's not where we begin, but what we develop along the way on our literate journeys that's important." Everyone's journey is different, but it's those common themes that help keep us involved and connected. The article suggested boys book clubs for these readers and that it helps with their self-esteem as well as giving them a sense of belonging. They should feel safe and comfortable in these groups. The three important lessons it suggested when ensuring their success was to make sure the book club members' interests are included. There it is again, interest!! I think allowing the members multiple modes of expression should be considered for any classroom. I also feel the mentoring would be a fantastic idea. What is the best way to get members of the community involved? This allows the student someones outside perspective, other than a teacher, and can help with their reading.