"A book must be an ice-axe to break the seas frozen inside our soul."
-Franz Kafka
While it pains me to admit this, reading is not a favorite past time for most public high school students. This is just an unfortunate a truth for me as it is for students. Reading is one of those activities that becomes nearly impossible if you are not fully prepared to engage with and commit yourself to the material in question, which makes it downright torture for students. As a teacher responsible for helping my students unpackage the themes and messages buried in an author's text, my students' reading of the the book is critical for any semblance of success.
So how then do I help overcome this monumental obstacle? One of the keys it seems is to present the texts in a way that allows students to relate to the characters or the story. In short, make the text important. Be ready with an answer to the question of, "Why should I even bother reading this?!?" No one wants to read something they have no connection with, so as a teacher, it is up to me to be creative in my selling of the stories. I don't want to sound like I'm trying to trick the students into reading, but like any good salesman, I will carefully manipulate the consumer in a way that is best for all parties involved. As long as students have some interest in the text being taught, ensuring their engagement and actual reading of the text becomes a much easier process.
The same general idea is true in regards to writing about literature. While an assignment asking students to merely re-word what an author wrote would be easy for a teacher to grade, it would be mind-numbing for a student to compose. Great writing assignments about literature engage the writer and make them a part of the narrative that is the assignment. Whether it be how an interpretation changed over time or how a part of the text spoke to them personally, a writing prompt that draws upon the experience of the reader is one that will surely engage and interest students.
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So how then do I help overcome this monumental obstacle? One of the keys it seems is to present the texts in a way that allows students to relate to the characters or the story. In short, make the text important. Be ready with an answer to the question of, "Why should I even bother reading this?!?" No one wants to read something they have no connection with, so as a teacher, it is up to me to be creative in my selling of the stories. I don't want to sound like I'm trying to trick the students into reading, but like any good salesman, I will carefully manipulate the consumer in a way that is best for all parties involved. As long as students have some interest in the text being taught, ensuring their engagement and actual reading of the text becomes a much easier process.
The same general idea is true in regards to writing about literature. While an assignment asking students to merely re-word what an author wrote would be easy for a teacher to grade, it would be mind-numbing for a student to compose. Great writing assignments about literature engage the writer and make them a part of the narrative that is the assignment. Whether it be how an interpretation changed over time or how a part of the text spoke to them personally, a writing prompt that draws upon the experience of the reader is one that will surely engage and interest students.
-Welcome- -Philosophy- -Lessons- -Focus Areas- -Recollections- -Resources- -About Me- - Legal-