I recently encountered an article in the Atlantic titled “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books.” It scared me a little but it made me realize the importance of giving students time in class to read independently. Over the years, I tried different ways to check that students read the assigned novel but there’s no surefire way to make sure they read. I switched from giving quizzes to collecting notes but with AI and websites, it’s important that we actually see our students read.
My school switched to weekly 90-minute blocks so I’m taking the opportunity to have reading blocks during those periods. Students bring their assigned novel to class with their notes and read. It will give me the opportunity to circulate around the room to see what page they are on and make a note. I will also be able to answer any questions about the plot or characters as a whole group or during quick, quiet conferences. There will always be a way around however teachers check for reading, but this way I can at least encourage students to take some time with a text and come to me with whatever challenges they face with the reading.
Many students might take a look at the length of say, Jane Eyre or Emma, and not even pick up the book. I’d love to think that every single one of my students reads every novel I assign in its entirety, but the truth is, reading a long novel can be a serious challenge for many students. However, if we force them to sit down with it for 20 minutes a week, they might learn how to wrestle with the style and find a rhythm and keep going. Whenever I start to read a book, I read very slowly. Once I get familiar with the language and narrative style, I can read faster and still appreciate the atmosphere and symbolism of the story.
I also like to talk to students about how and where they read outside of my classroom whether it be in school during their free period, in their home, in a library, or outside. The place students read has a lot to do with their enjoyment of the process. I give my students one due date for the notes, so they can look at their schedule and plan longer reading sessions. It may be hard for many students to read 20-30 minutes a night after a long day learning at school, playing sports, working a job, taking care of their siblings, doing their other homework, or eating dinner. I encourage students to read in longer blocks so that they can connect various parts of the plot and understand the connections between all the characters. I have no problem reading nonfiction in small chunks, but novels have a lot of thematic layers and patterns to keep track of. If students have a month or more to plan out their own reading schedule, they won’t fail to read a short section of the text by an assigned date.
Because my students read the entire book independently, we can read passages out loud in class once we start to study it. Reading out loud shouldn’t be something that ends after reading circles in elementary school. Students love to listen to their teacher’s creative interpretation of the emotion of the narrator. We have to make the text come alive if we really want students to love reading and give novels a chance.
Teacher's Workshop, professional development for secondary ELA teachers
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