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Motivation/Engagement

What is Motivation/Engagement?

The likelihood of engaging in reading or choosing to read. When students set reading goals, value reading, and believe in themselves as readers, they more willingly and fully engage in reading activities

Why Is It Important?

It is important because some students may be disengaged, reluctant, or literate readers. Some may not be particularly good readers or students who can read well. but choose not to read. Teachers have to try to motivate and engage reluctant readers to change their behavior and attitude toward reading from one of apathy to one of self-satisfaction and involvement.

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Just Ask!

If a student struggles in lack of motivation, this remediation would work for them. With this activity, students will be able to share their reading interests and talk about things they actually enjoy. In doing so, they will become more interested in the class period, because the adult is appealing the student's abilities.

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Activity Directions:

  1. Gather a wide variety of poetry books. Select and introduce a few poems to students from various sources. Choose short poems that are likely to appeal to students who are reluctant readers.

  2. Repeat the above process over several days, tagging the pages and encouraging students to read poems you have shared and to select additional poems that are of interest. Read some of the student-selected poems to the class.

  3. After a variety of poems/books have been shared, invite students to find a poem that they really enjoy. Be ready for elections of humor, or more. 

  4. Once the poems are written on a sheet of paper, have students carry their paper with them throughout the day. You should also select a poem and write it on paper.

  5. At appropriate times, invite students to share their poems with each other. Some ideas for asking and sharing are:

    1. Would you like to hear my poem?

    2. Just ask if you’d like me to share my poem

    3. I’ve got a funny poem to read to you!

  6. Encourage students to select new poems to share from time to time. Poems can be selected that relate to other topics.

  7. These can even be placed on a bulletin board titled Poems We Have Shared.

  8. A class book poems can be made for the classroom library

Reference

Johns, J. L. (2019). Chapter 1: Motivation, Engagement,
           Interests, and Attitudes. In Improving Reading:
           Strategies, Resources, and Common Core 
           Connections (p. 14). Dubuque, IA: Kendall
           Hunt Publishing Company.

Item of the Week

If a student struggles in having a limited reading interest, this remediation would work for them. With this activity, students will be able to have the opportunity to share some of their reading with other students in the class. In doing so, they will practice presenting in front of others and also simply having the chance to get up and talk about something they truly find interesting and engaging.

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Activity Directions:

  1. The students have read a good book, story, article, etc. they may want to share it

  2. Tell students that “Item of the Week” will provide Ann opportunity for some of them to share their reading with other students in the class

  3. Develop guidelines for sharing and take time to teach students how to share. Some possible considerations are:

    1. Sharing is only 60 to 90 seconds

    2. Include title and author in sharing

    3. Decide the best way to interest others in the reading material

    4. Avoid giving away the ending

    5. A few sentences might be read aloud to interest or entertain

    6. Pretend that you are on TV

  4. Model a way to share something you have read and discuss qualities of that sharing with the class

  5. Provide a place where students can write their names, title, author of the materials they want to share.

  6. Once 3-5 students have signed up to share, meet the students individually to listen to their sharing and provide constructive feedback. Later, give each student a minute or so to share and “sell” their material

  7. After sharing, invite the class to vote for one or two of their items. A ballot box could be provided.

  8. Listeners can also have a reaction sheet as well. 

Reference

Johns, J. L. (2019). Chapter 1: Motivation, Engagement,
           Interests, and Attitudes. In Improving Reading:
           Strategies, Resources, and Common Core 
           Connections (p. 41). Dubuque, IA: Kendall
           Hunt Publishing Company.

Things To Remember:

Advice #1

Remind students that all sorts of people set goals. For example, sports figures set goals to improve batting average. 

Advice #2

Encourage students to ask their friends and family to help them.  Encourage students to praise themselves for finish their learning goals!

Advice #3

Explain to students that learning is an activity similar to sports and that they need to continue to have learning goals throughout their lives.

Advice #4

Have students create daily learning goals on an index card for  each day of the week. Take a few minutes at the end of the day to encourage students to reflect on ways they met that goal.

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