Literacy Now

I could not have been more excited on the last day of my first year teaching. The stress of slow progress and frustration melted into my badge of honor—I had survived unscathed. But had my students gotten my absolute best, especially as it applied to literacy? Despite my efforts, some students refused to buy in to the importance of reading. But, as a single father, I would get to spend the summer experimenting on my kids, with any luck; I’d have the “perfect formula” ready by next August. Unfortunately, my “summer students” revolted, and after three days I tossed out my lesson plans. I’d experienced the same problem at home and in school—despite skill level, reading was a nuisance. What was I missing?

The home literacy environment

While stationed in Paso Robles, CA, my daughter was blessed with the most dynamic kindergarten teacher. Budget cuts increased the maximum number of students per class from 23 kids with an aide to 33 without. The parents united and took turns helping each day. I was immediately hooked: the songs, the fun, the reading, and the hugs! By Christmas, the class knew the alphabet, sight words, and blends. Each week after, students were sent home with a book-themed bag of activities that focused on emergent literacy skills. I was immediately won over by creativity that bloomed in our home, inspiring our family to encourage literacy.

At the heart, this is a home literacy environment (HLE)—the resources, feelings, and actions in the home that support or inhibit literacy. Sadly, there was a time when I believed school success was solely the result of genes. Smart kids, with smart parents, became successful adults. I was mistaken. My beliefs regarding early literacy success were transformed with what Dolores Durkin described as “The Summertime Gap.” My kids began school with basic emergent literacy skills because we had books, went to the library, talked about stories, and promoted a culture that emphatically states, “Reading is important!” However, some kids don’t have books to read or parents who enjoy reading, which creates an academic gap between student levels on the first day of kindergarten. Teachers go to battle each year but ultimately lose to the summer months when some kids continue learning, whereas others forget what was learned. Parents must lead the battle as primary literacy educators, and teachers have done an incredible job empowering them to do just that. With that said, as a high school remedial reading teacher and literacy researcher, I believe we’ve missed a very effective opponent to long-term literacy success. 

Why isn’t literacy skills instruction effective?

Having experienced the new wave of literacy education, promoted by parents and enforced by teachers, I expected my high school students would, at the very least, want to read. I could not have been more wrong. Some struggle to read age-appropriate texts, and their avoidance is essentially self-preservation. However, some students can read but choose instead to fail, because they despise reading, a condition I’ve learned to label “aliteracy.” As my summer lesson plans indicate, the condition isn’t isolated to high school. Students of all ages, sexes, and ethnicities regard reading as no different from Ebola—a plague to avoid! I follow the rules, so why have my kids become alliterate? Is there an element that can be added to HLE empowerment that will prevent students from choosing failure over reading?

There are two immortal opponents to literacy: not all reading is enjoyable and, at some point, kids must choose to read on their own. Literacy skill instruction is not enough to overcome these factors.

The importance of household order

My oldest son is convinced he’s read Harry Potter. His excitement for the story has caused him to flip through pages and find words he can pronounce. Witnessing a child learning to read is exhilarating. The books immediately become games, which move into pictures, costumes, and sometimes a themed life. But a time comes when every child must begin reading-to-learn without the amusing implications. Readers sometimes have to buckle down and read a boring text or investigate vocabulary because it is essential. This self-discipline is likely to be enforced at school, but if household order is not an element of the HLE, students are unlikely to adopt the priority. 

My little boys came home for Christmas break playing “Polar Express.” Because they love me, I was given a golden ticket and allowed to come. Of course, I could have chosen to stay home, but the trip seemed too magical to resist. Reading is much the same when you consider the element of choice. There comes a point when kids are no longer so eager to please that their decisions reflect preference more than obedience. There is a bibliophile in every class, but most kids must discover their own reading style, and if never given the chance, they will never make the choice to read.  

I’ve redefined our HLE after I failed miserably that summer. We work on the activities teachers send home, but I’ve attempted to construct an environment that promotes self-discipline and discovery. As an unorganized person, I force myself to adamantly stick to a set of rules and schedule. My kids were not fans, but they learned objections don’t affect the outcome. Slowly, they garnered the self-control to do homework, go to bed, and clean despite their objectionable feelings. Some tasks require sheer will to complete and, to our dismay, reading is sometimes that way; therefore, self-discipline is required to endure.

I also began an “alone time” ritual. On holidays and during the summer, we separate for 30 minutes of alone time. Everyone goes to a different room and can do anything aside from play with electronics. No pressure from me, no pressure from siblings, pure unadulterated autonomy. Their rooms are filled with toys, drawing material, and books they’ve chosen. I am assured that each will choose a plastic superhero or some engineering project 90% of the time. But I’m confident that eventually each will choose to read a book, and this is the time they will have the chance to fall in love with words, forever thwarting the aliteracy plague.

Where do we go from here?

I’m not as creative as some, but experience has taught me both the value and the inadequacy of empowering the HLE solely with emergent literacy skills. For early literacy success, we need to introduce parents to the importance of self-discipline and discovery through household order.

Nick Murja teaches remedial reading and writing at Palo Duro High School in Amarillo, TX. He is working on a PhD in Literacy, Language, and Diversity at Texas Tech University.

In my role as a college instructor in children’s literacy, I lecture my students about the importance of building joyful attitudes along with children’s developmental skills. I shared with my Children’s Lit class my former first graders’ enthusiasm as they embarked on the latest installation of Diary of a Wimpy Kid or proudly reported finishing a Harry Potter volume. However, as we delved deeper into the importance of positive attitude and motivation, many of my students reported how difficult this was for them because they didn’t particularly enjoy reading.

It occurred to me that although many children begin their literacy journey with excitement and enthusiasm, sometimes they lose their way. Something happens that makes reading no longer joyful and satisfying the way it once was (if it ever was at all).

The challenge

Both my daughters, ages 11 and 14, have always been avid readers. As a voracious reader myself, fathoming a world without reading for pleasure was difficult for me. In fact, I began to feel sad for the many children—and adults—who were missing out on the vicarious experiences and the temporary escape that a good book provides.

I wondered if there was hope for nonreaders. Maybe they still just hadn’t found the right book or genre that would motivate them? What had happened to them somewhere along the way that led to this state of affairs in their adult lives? Would it be possible to trace their lack of interest or motivation to some earlier literacy trauma? (Disclosure: My undergrad degree is in psychology. I have a tendency to attribute all adult deficiencies to some sort of childhood trauma.) In any case, my curiosity was piqued.

The journey

As a certified reading specialist, I am aware of the research on children’s attitudes and motivation in reading. Children who like to read tend to read a lot and, thus, get better at it. Those who don’t like to read (often those who struggle with reading) read less often and, as a result, get less practice at it than the motivated readers. But how do you spark that attitude and motivation? That is the $64,000 question. (Or maybe just the question—I was on a budget.)

I started asking my own girls, “Why do you like to read so much?” and “What do you like to read?” Then I started thinking about kids their age who don’t like to read and what circumstances led to their feelings. Fortunately for me, my girls have lots of friends, and thus my own personal research study began!

Over time, I interviewed 30 children on the topic of reading attitudes and motivation. Twenty-two were girls and 8 were boys. (That’s the breaks when you have only daughters.) The children ranged in age from 9 to 15 (and yes, if you're wondering about ethical research, I did have parents sign consent. I wasn’t necessarily thinking about publishing a formal research study, but you never know!). What I found out from my “mini study” was quite interesting!

The Holy Grail: The findings

Out of the 30 children interviewed, I was able to classify 16 as motivated readers, 11 as “neutral” (neither particularly enjoying nor reading) and 3 as clearly being “reluctant” readers. Interestingly, many of the motivated readers also tended to be early readers. Did the early reading lead to more motivation and enjoyment? Or was because they enjoyed reading (or being read to) so much that helped them to become early readers? The age-old “chicken or egg” dilemma.

Some of the more popular genre mentioned were fantasy/adventure, fiction/nonfiction books about animals, humor/joke books, and mythology and informational (sports, biographies, magazines) for the boys. The girls reported most of these, but also included "Coming of Age" type fiction, graphic novels, and fan fiction.

Other factors that had a positive impact on children’s attitudes and motivation included:

• Frequent opportunities to read for pleasure in school (D.E.A.R., etc.)
• Teacher reading to the class
• Access to “good books” in the classroom
• Teachers giving an interest inventory and then matching kids to books
• Early (preschool) exposure to good books
• Book clubs (recommendations from friends)
• Reading a book in anticipation of the movie
• Books based on TV series
• Choice (This is an important one—research indicates that children who have choices for in-school reading generally are motivated to read more and have more positive attitudes toward reading)

In the end, for me, these kids may not have given me The Holy Grail, but they provided a lot of insight into what motivated them to read.

Ludmila Battista teaches children’s literacy and early childhood development courses at Kaplan University. She is also faculty coadvisor for the first online chapter of Autism Speaks U. Her background includes elementary education, course development, and curriculum assessment and reading instruction. She is also a certified reading specialist/reading teacher.

Sara Lost and Found. Virginia Castleman. 2016. Aladdin.

Ages 9–12

Summary

Sara Olsen is 10 years old and lives in squalor in an apartment with her older sister by two years, Anna. Their father for all practical purposes has abandoned them while he plays and sings in local bars; he is seldom sober enough to care what his daughters are doing in order to survive. Their mother left a couple of years ago and has not been seen since. Sara is fiercely independent and determinedly loyal to Anna, whose mental instability is apparent when readers meet her. Despite tremendous efforts, Sara can no longer keep their lives on track, and the sisters enter the foster home cycle again.

Over Sara’s objections, Anna is placed in a facility for unstable children whereas Sara is placed with another foster family, the Chandlers. She begins school, is learning to read and write, makes a best friend, learns to love the Chandlers and their young son Kevin, and finds a special project to give back to the community. Just when adoption seems likely, her dad protests the process from his jail cell.

Castleman knows the foster care system well: She was adopted when she was 6 years old from an orphanage. She wrote this story to draw attention to the flawed foster care ­­system and to give a voice to foster and adopted kids. Sara’s story will tug at heartstrings; however, readers will cheer for her to succeed, for she is a heroine in the style of The Great Gilly Hopkins—the book is a must for middle school readers.

Cross-Curricular Connections

English, health, art, social studies

Ideas for Classroom Use

Defining Family

As a prereading activity, explain to students that there are many kinds of families. Have students brainstorm the different types of families that they can think of. If they are stumped, offer them ideas. For example, small families, grandparents, adopted children, foster care families, older age families, stepfamilies, only child, many siblings, and so forth. Beginning with students’ brainstorming ideas, create a list about anything your students know about families. This may include history, traditions, family members, and feelings.

Using cutout figures, create Sara’s families at various periods in her life. Then guide students in creating a bulletin board on which they can pin pictures of their family. Students can share their family pictures with other students. They can also compare pictures to notice the differences among the students’ families. Be sure to send a newsletter home to students’ parents, asking them to send a couple pictures of the family to school with their child.

Mental Illness Among the Young

According to a recent New York City Health Department analysis of city preteens’ mental health, over 145,000 children between the ages of 6 and 12 suffer from mental illness or other emotional disorders—constituting 1 in 5 NYC children, the New York Post reports. Guide your students to research mental health issues and correct terminology. Educating the young about peers who have emotional disorders can go a long way toward building tolerance and understanding.

Vocabulary: The following words may be introduced though research activity or class discussions.

• mental illness, clinical depression, postpartum depression, suicide, dementia, anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobia, personality disorder, mood disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, personality disorder, schizophrenia, dissociative disorder, eating disorder
• delusion, hallucination, anxiety, compulsion, obsession
• neurotransmitter, neurochemicals
• psychotherapy, cognitive and behavioral therapy, group therapy, drug therapy, hospitalization
• neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric social worker
• stigma

Mental Health Awareness Project

After noting Anna’s mental health issues and symptoms, have students participate in a team project where team members research a specific mental health disorder, gather reliable health information and resources, and present research findings to the class. Using the data gathered, teams will prepare and come to the next class ready to set up their posters at the beginning of the class. Create a Gallery Walk of posters and have students prepare an evaluation sheet of the effectiveness of team creations.

Nutrition

Guide a discussion about the sisters’ diet as the try to survive on their own in the apartment and on the run. List these on whiteboard or easel paper.

Note that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends a daily intake of approximately 1,800 calories per day for the moderately active 10-year-old boy and girl. Of these 1,800 daily calories, approximately 540 need to come from protein sources, 1,170 from carbohydrates, and the remaining 90 calories (<10%) from other sources of dietary sugars.

Divide the class into small groups. Discuss the aforementioned daily caloric intake information with the class. Using USDA-approved food group and calorie charts, instruct each group to plan a daily menu, to include healthy snacks, which will total 1,800 calories per day. Ask each group to share their menu with the class. Have each group replace one meal of their menu with the zero calories of a paper towel. Groups will then add the number of calories in the revised menu. Ask each group to state which meal they replaced and share their findings. End with a discussion of how the loss of one meal’s worth of calories can affect nutritional health.

Mapping My Life

A Life Map is a graphic organizer of pictures and images that illustrate a person’s life; explain pictographs (graduation cap, heart, stick figures) as you present your own map. Use The Life Map Checklist to create your own and share with students. Then, as a group and using the same checklist (with creativity if information is not available in the book), create a Life Map for Sara. Ask students to create their own Life Maps that can be used for any autobiographical writing.  

Resources

Mukherjee, S. (2013, March 26) Most of the NYC preteens with behavioral problems are going untreated. Available at http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/03/26/1774521/nyc-preteens-mental-health-treatment/

Additional YA Texts With Similar Themes

*Angelais, M. (2014). Breaking butterflies. 2014. Chicken House.
Anonymous. (2006). Go ask Alice. Simon Pulse.
Draper, Sharon M. (2012). Out of my mind. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Nevin, J. (2015). All the bright places. Knopf Books for Young Readers.
Nolan, H. (2007). Dancing on the edge. Harcourt.
Sones, S.(2006). Stop pretending: What happened when my big sister went crazy. Harper/Teen.
*Vizzini, N. (2007). It’s kind of a funny story. Disney-Hyperion.

*Books recommended for mature readers.

Judith A. Hayn is professor of Secondary Education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She is a member and past chair of SIGNAL, the Special Interest Group Network on Adolescent Literature of ILA, which focuses on using young adult literature in the classroom. Jay Cobern is an English Education graduate student at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Recently, I was “invited” to attend a meeting to introduce the latest district initiative. The two district presenters rolled out the plan, which focused on writing across all content areas. As a former English teacher, now an instructional coach/reading specialist, I applaud this effort. Although writing has always been considered an English department “thing,” content area writing lessons will be required of all teachers. The focus on writing is a welcome opportunity to connect the reading standards that have permeated everything we’ve done. By including writing, we are stressing the significance of a comprehensive literacy program. In this way, students will (hopefully) understand the value of writing in all content areas and realize that good writing is necessary to learn, to inquire and, ultimately, to succeed.

As I was listening to the directives, the presenters explained I was chosen because I am one of the “change agents” in the district. I secretly commended myself for this compliment and silently agreed to help spearhead the effort in my building. But then, I realized maybe I’m not that important after all. As a matter of fact, maybe the entire audience really isn’t that valuable.

As praise was being heaped upon me, one of our presenters pulled out his phone. I’m assuming he was checking e-mails or texts and not the time, because there was a clock in the room. I grew more uncomfortable the longer he was checking his phone. At one point, he turned his back to the audience and began talking to someone. His counterpart continued the presentation.
I began to be more interested in the presenter’s phone than in the presentation. I was captivated by the demeanor in which he attended to his phone.

I wondered, what could be so important that this presentation, with principals, assistant principals, literacy coaches, and classroom teachers, was interrupted to check one’s phone? Do we really believe people in front of us need to wait while we check our phones for other, more pressing matters?

Then, we were shown a video that was meant to assist us in understanding and implementing this new initiative. As I was watching the video, I noticed both gentlemen were on their phones, again checking whatever needed to be checked. Although I’m sure they both had seen the video multiple times, I wanted them to watch it again. I wanted them to show me that the video and, ultimately, their presentation was so crucial to the betterment of the district that they had to watch it again. I wanted them to show me that they believed in it. But that didn’t happen. I watched the video, and they focused on their phones.

Here’s my problem: You’ve “asked” me to buy into this opportunity. I get it. I think it’s worthwhile. I believe in what you’re selling. But, as you sell it, you are showing me there are other things more important than this meeting, this initiative. As a matter of fact, this program that you explained is so vital that its success rests on my shoulders is actually so unimportant, that you have to check in with other, more important people and opportunities. You’ve shown me it really doesn’t matter.

As a seasoned national presenter, I have never checked my phone during a presentation. Never. I use my phone for the stopwatch feature and to keep me on track. That’s it. And that’s what I expect from other presenters.

Then I equated this to our students. Although I hope teachers don’t take out their phones while teaching, do we give students our whole self in the classroom? Do we put distractions aside so we can concentrate on the whole person? Do we believe in what we’re “selling”? Maybe we need to “disconnect” more from outside distractions, too.

I left the meeting knowing that I will do what is asked of me because I believe in it. However, there’s a lesson to be learned here: Please know everyone is watching you as you’re on your phone. You are supposed to be modeling to your audience the value of your product. Don’t minimize it by sharing your time with something or someone else. If your project is so important that you called a two-hour meeting after school, be present—totally present—in what you believe in. Otherwise, don’t bother.

Peg Grafwallner is an instructional coach with Milwaukee Public Schools.

It was Tornado Awareness Month. I’d just spent a class period with a group of seventh graders deeply involved in close, authentic readings on tornadoes. We had read about what causes them, their impact, how to protect ourselves from these swirling monsters. It was the last period of the day, so I was just about to collapse into my desk chair and start scanning e-mail when I realized I was not alone.

Brandon was still there, and he was annoyed. Brandon was not yet an energetic reader, so I was not surprised he was annoyed. Of course—we had been reading that day.

“I need to talk to you, Mrs. Scullen.” He paused for effect. “Just so you know, I don’t believe in tornadoes.”

I must have looked bewildered. He continued.

“You know, they can do a lot with computers these days.”

And he was gone. Off to the bus. I sat there with my jaw hanging open, reanalyzing my life choices.

Brandon was an enigma. Not only did he not believe in tornadoes, he also didn’t believe he would ever read and enjoy a book. I had been trying my best to find just the right thing for him. We’d had some successes and some misses, but nothing that really gave him that “good-read” rush of adrenaline that I was hoping he would have.

Then I remembered it was almost time to start my end-of-the-year read-aloud, and I was again hopeful. Like so many books my students read, I knew it would be a slow start, but after a few chapters, they would love the book.

For several years I had used the book Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls to finish our year. This book is hysterical and tragic, sentimental and old-fashioned. It’s a gem of a coming-of-age novel. I used this novel as a read-aloud “year-ender,” because the school library would close for inventory, leaving my students without access to books, and I wanted to keep them reading. Each day my mantra would be, Don’t worry. You are going to LOVE this book.

My students would respond with familiar eye rolls and groans. “This book will never be good!” Jay Berry (the main character’s) sister believed in fairies and made wishes in fairy rings. She played in a treehouse. And she was 13—too old for that! “Oh man, Mrs. Scullen! Seriously? Fairy Rings?”

Just as I said with so many book recommendations for my students, I would repeat: Don’t worry. You are going to LOVE this book. This is a story you will remember forever. Trust me.

There were always one or two Brandons in every class with “the attitude.” Arms folded. Face of disdain for old-fashioned language.

“Have I ever steered you wrong about a book before? Trust me, you will LOVE this book.”

About halfway through the book, Jay Berry gets himself in a jam. Spoiler alert: Jay Berry finds himself in the woods with a chimpanzee and about 100 little monkeys from a circus train wreck, and a still full of sour apple mash in barrels on the way to being fermented into whiskey. I’m betting that none of you have ever been in the presence of 100 drunk monkeys, but Wilson Rawls apparently had.

If you want to build an eagerness to read from a book, read aloud a chapter of a book describing the behavior of drunken monkeys who manage to trick a young man into drinking sour mash and losing his britches in the woods.

Then, ask students to predict what his mama is going to say when he comes home from the woods, drunk and without pants, and tells her a bunch of monkeys tricked him into getting drunk. “Honest!”

Now you have their attention. Even Brandon’s.

The best part happens after the book concludes, when the students—previously full of disdain—had to admit they “did, kinda, sorta, like this book.” Then they ask if Wilson Rawls had any sequels. Did he write anything else? Can we ask him to visit our school?

My response? “Hey, if you are looking for a good summer read, Wilson Rawls did write another book, Where the Red Fern Grows.”

Every child a reader? A book for every reader? Yes. Maybe not this book, but there is one. There is even a book for those who don’t believe in tornadoes.

The task is so big; the work you do in your schools is overwhelming. I get it.

My mantra for you is this. There will be many Brandons. You will have to work hard to win him over, but don’t worry. He’ll get there, as will all the others. You will LOVE this work. This is a story you will remember forever.

Julie Scullen is a former president of the Minnesota Reading Association and Minnesota Secondary Reading Interest Council and is a current member of the International Literacy Association Board of Directors. She taught most of her career in Secondary Reading Intervention classrooms and now serves as Teaching and Learning Specialist for Secondary Reading in Anoka-Hennepin schools in Minnesota, working with teachers of all content areas to foster literacy achievement. She teaches graduate courses at Hamline University in St. Paul in literacy leadership and coaching, as well as reading assessment and evaluation.