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The Power of Choice: Literature Circles for Reluctant Readers

The Power of Choice: Literature Circles for Reluctant Readers . Megan Kosakowski Patricia Eaton The Maritime Academy of Toledo . The Maritime Academy of Toledo . Maritime is in its 8 th year as a Community School . Small Community School in downtown Toledo, Ohio.

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The Power of Choice: Literature Circles for Reluctant Readers

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  1. The Power of Choice: Literature Circles for Reluctant Readers Megan Kosakowski Patricia Eaton The Maritime Academy of Toledo

  2. The Maritime Academy of Toledo • Maritime is in its 8th year as a Community School • Small Community School in downtown Toledo, Ohio • Considered Inner-City/Urban • Considered a High Level Poverty School, 83% considered economically disadvantaged • 25% IEP • Grades 5-12 • Nautical Theme • (Career Tech Program) • Max capacity of 250 students • Classroom Ratio: • 21: 1 Approximate breakdown of student ethnicity: Caucasian – 45% African American- 40% Hispanic – 15% Approximate breakdown of teacher ethnicity: Caucasian- 17 teachers African American- 1 teacher

  3. Reading Scores Throughout the Years10th Grade OGTs

  4. What Students Hear…. • http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/A-Tale-of-Two-Cities-Introduction-Oprahs-Book-Club-Webcast-Video • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZzQOuEj2mc

  5. Literature Circles in the Classroom: The Power of Choice Students have to have a reason to read other than to please the teacher. Students have to be presented with different options in order to create the desire to read. Students have to make connections to the material in order to see the value of the material. Students have to be excited about choosing the stories/books. This is done by using a WIDE variety of pre-reading techniques. This can take time. The assignments from the reading have to be creative, personal, interesting to the student, and not always paper/pencil. Model Novel Literature Circles with Short Story Use “Literature Circles” while teaching the Short Story

  6. The Short Story:The Last Spin by Evan Hunter Step 1: Create a Symbol for yourself. What makes you stand out as an individual? Step 2: Make a prediction based on the title and the photo that you see. Step 3: Pre-Reading Activity: Cool Quotes Step 4: Read and Discuss in Groups Step 5: Extended Activity

  7. The Short Story:The Last Spin by Evan Hunter Possible Discussion Questions: (See “Active Reading Means…” handout Discuss During Reading Activity, if Teacher does one (see “Written Conversations” handout Extended Activities • Draw or Paint the jacket that Danny wears. • Write a one-page essay that effectively explains the title of the story • Create a presentation about gang violence in our area. • Write a poem entitled “Click” about the game played in the story. • Write a sequel to this story explaining what happens to Tigo after the shooting. • Re-write the ending of this story to include a positive outcome. Act out the original scene, then act out the positive outcome. Students will vote on the better ending.

  8. Other Short Stories Presented…. “A Lamp in a Window” -Truman Capote “Parker’s Back” -Flannery O’ Conner “On the Surface” -Megan Kosakowski “Man From the South” -Roald Dahl “The Love of My Life” -T .C. Boyle “The Sniper” -Liam O'Flaherty

  9. Novel Choices: Making Predictions and Activating Background Knowledge

  10. Book One: Nineteen Minutesby Jodi Picoult Step One: Make a prediction on what you believe the book is about based on its title and cover.

  11. Book One: Nineteen Minutesby Jodi Picoult Step Two: Complete the “Cloze” Activity with Mrs. K to see if this is the book for you.

  12. Book One: Nineteen Minutesby Jodi Picoult Reading Level – High/Challenging Interest Level - High Pages - 441 “Sterling is an ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens-until the day its complacency is shattered by an act of violence.” Gist of story – A bullied high school student who has been treated like an outcast by his peers decides to get revenge. You enter the minds of two high school students, one popular, one not, and experience how they handle situations in a typical American high school.

  13. Book Two: Breathing Underwaterby Alex Flinn Step One: Make a prediction on what you believe the book is about based on its title and cover.

  14. Book Two: Breathing Underwaterby Alex Flinn Step Two: Discuss the following statements with a partner: Sometimes I wish I belonged to a different family. When I have kids, I will never hit them. Abuse is common in relationships. 4) Verbal Abuse is not as bad as physical abuse. *Character quote activity to follow

  15. Reading Level – Average Interest Level - High Pages - 263 Book Two: Breathing Underwaterby Alex Flinn “To his friends, popular and handsome sixteen-year-old Nick Andreas has led a charmed life. But the guy’s in Nick’s anger management class know differently. So does his ex-girlfriend, Caitlin.” “Anyone else feel like that? Like your life's a big act. Like you're trying to be a man when you're just a scared kid, trying to keep under control when you really want to scream, cry, maybe hit someone. Ever feel like you're breathing underwater, and you have to stop because you're gulping in too much fluid?”

  16. Student Project Sample

  17. Book Three: Forever by Judy Blume Step One: Make Predictions

  18. Book Three: Forever by Judy Blume Step Two: Form a Conversational Discussion Group And discuss the following prompt until the timer runs out. “How important is it to be in a relationship while in high school? Many say that couples who form in high school now will not even see each other 5 years from now, so how valuable can they possibly be?

  19. Book Three: Forever by Judy Blume Reading Level – Low/Med Interest Level - High- Skyrocketing Pages - 192 “Katherine and Michael can’t get enough of each other. Their relationship is new, unique, and sincere. Although they haven’t been together that long, they know its serious. But it’s senior year of high school…”

  20. Novels Used in My Classroom 11th Grade 10th Grade The Pact – Jodi Picoult Rash – Pete Hautman Johnny Got His Gun – Dalton Trumbo The Dive from Clausen’s Pier – Ann Packer Fast Food Nation – Eric Schlosser All Quiet on the Western Front- Erich Maria Remarque Night/The Wave – Elie Wiesel/Todd Stasser Alive! – Piers Paul Read Nineteen Minutes- Jodi Picoult Breathing Underwater – Alex Flinn The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson Inexcusable – Chris Lynch Freedom Writer’s Diary – The Freedom Writers Search and Destroy – Dean Hughes How to Save a Life- Sara Zarr The First Part Last: Angela Johnson 12th Grade Sold – Patricia McCormick Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey through his son’s addiction Slave: My True Story – MendeNazonSmashed- A Story of a Drunken Childhood Native Son- Richard Wright Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology Room – Emma Donahue The World Without us – Alan Weisman

  21. An Example Video…

  22. Some testimonial videos…

  23. Some testimonial videos…

  24. Pre-Reading Activities: Making the PERSONAL Connection • Table Texting • Group Conversation • Written Conversations • Character/Cool Quotes • Carousel • Art Analysis • Musical Narrative • Four Corners • Cloze Reading • Video Clips/YouTube • Bizarre Facts/Statistics

  25. Any Questions?

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