reading challenge: engage your readers through technology
DESCRIPTION
Reading Challenge: Engage Your Readers Through Technology Engaging students in meaningful independent reading is often a daunting task. This session will share a reading challenge that uses technology to motivate students to read and respond to their reading. Discussion boards, digital book talks, and multimedia projects are utilized to enhance, inspire, and empower students in this challenge. Presenter: Erica Preswood - University School - Johnson City, TNTRANSCRIPT
Reading Challenge: Engage Your Readers Through Technology
Presented By: Erica Preswood English Instructor University School, East Tennessee State University
http://goo.gl/X9LNMG
Presentation Can Be Accessed @
Background
–SREB Literacy
“The notion that the development of reading skills does not extend into the middle grades and high school years is simply false. Much of what students learn in the earlier grades is lost
if it is not reinforced in the middle grades and high school. Students must continue to develop skills to comprehend,
analyze and apply what they read.”
The Inspiration
The Inspiration
–2002 Middle Grades Assessment
“The downside is that 43 percent of middle grades students said they read five or fewer books each year; 25 percent said they did no
reading outside school and 39 percent reported reading only half an hour or less per day.”
The Challenge8th Grade
The Challenge7th Grade
1st Nine WeeksSummaries and Discussions
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https://www.myhaikuclass.com/Zepp2/7thela/discussion
Student Examples
Laura Ingalls Wilder Eulogy Second Term Reading Challenge
! Friends and family of Laura Ingalls Wilder, we have gathered here today to remember a wonderful, hard working, intelligent, and talented woman. As you all know, I was a great friend of Laura and a big fan of her books. We all can agree that she was a very gifted writer and really captured pioneer life in her texts. I recall her telling me about how her daughter gave her a great idea. She could write about her exciting childhood in the Midwest. Her first book was such a success, she wrote more and more.Her novels were filled with valuable lessons and taught about the importance of family. Unlike other books, her literary works are true classics. Instead of being quickly forgotten, they have lasted. They are passed down through generations as a result of a combination of a great story and important messages.Her death is not just a loss for those who knew her. She will be greatly missed by anyone who loves great literature. She has taught me many life lessons and was a terrific friend. She is gone but never will be forgotten, and her stories will last forever.
Student Work Sample
Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games, takes place in the future in a country called Panem. Panem is a country that was once a continent called North America, where we live today. In The Hunger Games, it was said that “Panem rose up from the ashes”. In the dark days, or the time when the 13 Districts rebelled against the Capitol, District 13 was destroyed. This left only 12 Districts. Most of the story takes place in District 12, the Capitol, and the Arena. When the Districts rebelled against the Capitol, the dark days, the Capitol won. To remember what they did, the Capitol forces one male and one female from each district to fight to the death in The Hunger Games.
3rd Nine Weeks
Project Responses
4th Nine Weeks
Literacy Skills Review & Podcasts/Garage Band Creations
–T. Knight, University School Media Specialist
“I have seen the kids read this year. They have discovered new
areas of the library.”
–Matthew L.
“It has made me a better reader and writer. I didn’t think I could
like it or do it.”
The Impact
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Discovery Data
ReflectionsChanges For Next School Year
!-Students will create a Wiki in Haiku to store and present their Reading Challenge https://www.myhaikuclass.com/Zepp2/8thela/wk/2918605/wiki/view/10293469
!-Texts will be better aligned to curriculum/pacing in other content areas