Findings
Section 2: New Learnings, New Structures and a New Class
After four months of working with a co-teacher as part of the GSE resident program, I applied for and received a long-term substitute position teaching the my research would be starting over with a new class but this time I was armed with new learnings about reading and a slightly different focus. I felt like I had found the key to intrinsic motivation. I needed to offer autonomy when it came to reading structures and pace, but I also needed to carefully choose a book that students would want to read and talk about. I wanted to incorporate reading into projects, but that would come later.
This new team of 56 eighth graders appeared similar to the last class except they were even more social and appeared to have more negative feelings about reading. On an initial survey given before I started teaching the class, only 36% of the students loved or liked reading at home compared to 56% in the last class. They felt slightly better (41% liked or loved it) about reading at school. Thinking back to Mario’s experience, I knew that I needed to get the class excited about reading first, before expecting them to read independently. If over half the class had negative feelings about reading, an independent reading program may not work for all students. Reading Workshop worked well for those that already like reading but not for those who aren’t willing to give reading a chance. |
Choosing a Gateway Book
In order to build positive feelings about reading, I decided to introduce what I call a “gateway book.” This is a book that is action packed and fun to read. The purpose of a gateway book is to help break down the walls built by students who dislike reading by creating a shared, enjoyable reading experience. I recommend reading this gateway book out loud to students in a whole group, at least to start with.
Reading out loud and discussing together can break down walls put up by students who have spent years struggling to read independently. Having a positive experience with a book and coming to common understandings about it by discussing it together as a whole class through a gateway book can change student’s feelings about reading. I knew reading together as a class would frustrate some students but I wasn’t sure how to solve that problem yet. Listening to the students would eventually help me find a solution.
After looking at the initial data, I knew I had to pick a great, action packed book that was sure to entice even the most reluctant reader. Unwind, the book I used for book groups in the previous research cycle seemed to be a good choice for this class as well. It was relatively new, published in 2007, and as I asked around, only one student on the team had already read it. She had actually heard about it from a student in my previous class and asked to borrow it. I also assumed that it would hold their attention because surveys from my last research cycle showed that only 1 out of the 26 students who read it didn’t like it. That student had marked an X in between “yes” and “no” when asked if she liked her book.
Unwind was definitely the right choice. This class proved to be very hard to calm down in normal circumstances but would be completely silent and still for hours at a time while I read the book Unwind to them. They begged for more and many read ahead. One sentence is all it took before they were completely silent and calm.
Looking for Purpose in Discussions and Assignments
Like the first class, this new group did not want to discuss the book with their peers. Even less students in this class, 31%, marked the choice, “talk to friends about the book” when asked “what would make reading in school more fun?” I expected this class to have higher numbers than the first class because they appeared to be more social. In fact they had almost identical feelings about talking and reading with friends. I had learned from the last research cycle that students ended up wanting to talk but only if it served their purpose. Either they needed their peers to understand the book better or to open up their minds to other opinions about the book. In order to build intrinsic motivation to read and discuss, the conversations shouldn’t be teacher generated.
With this class I planned to read aloud and if the class stopped me with a need to discuss something, I would let it naturally happen. Otherwise, I would just keep reading. My focus at this point was simply enjoyment. I hoped their guard would go down and that their feelings would change about reading. If they enjoyed the book maybe they would be willing to dig deeper into the messages contained within.
I was also looking for an authentic reason to read that went beyond enjoyment. My theory going into my year of research was that projects would be the vehicle to connect intrinsic motivation, purpose, and peer relationships to reading. I thought students could read a book and then do something with it. The problem was, I wasn’t sure what they should do. I tried to think of an authentic reason for a project designed around a book, and not just any book. It had to be one that was action packed and relatable to the students. As I started reading with this new class, I didn’t have a project in mind, I just knew I wanted the students to do something. Now looking back, I’m glad I didn’t have a plan. Exploring my questions and wonderings together allowed student voice to guide the answers.
Using Student Voice to Guide Structure Changes
In order to really get inside students heads during this new research cycle, I had each student keep a journal. This was less of a “reading response journal” and more of a holding spot to capture their thinking about the process of reading Unwind. Most days I would have a question on the board for students to answer before we started reading. These journals proved to be invaluable throughout my research. I discovered many hidden opinions that students wouldn’t express out loud to the whole class but would write about instead. This team had a particularly quiet group of girls and a very outspoken group of boys so journals allowed me to hear from everyone equally. Reading these journal responses became one of my favorite times of the day.
Journal Prompt:
Describe your hopes and fears about reading in general or about the book Unwind.
My first journal question asked students to explain their hopes and fears about reading in general or about the book Unwind. I hoped their responses might give me clues to their survey answers. I also wanted students to realize that their thoughts and feelings about the process were important to me.
A majority of students expressed hope in enjoying the book and feared they would be bored. Daniel stated, “I hope I will want to keep reading. I fear that if I do like it, it will be hard to take it away from me.” I was expecting students to answer in this fashion and felt confident that they would, in fact, enjoy the book and not be bored.
A few wrote about the structure of the class. One student wanted everyone to read how they wanted to, independently or in a group but others wanted me to continue reading aloud. Reading such polar opposite responses created a problem I knew I would have. Just like the first class, some students wanted to read in groups, some independently, and others with me. This caused a bit of a management nightmare last time. Groups were spread all over the school and students were all on different pages at different times. I decided to start the book together in a whole group but I felt empathy for the students who wanted to read ahead. I would have wanted to if I had been in their shoes.
Others wrote personal observations about their issues with reading. It felt like they were writing letters to me so that I could understand how they felt. Melanie wrote, “I hope this is a good book. I really hate reading. I’m so glad Mrs. Ahrens is reading to us. This book better not be confusing.”
Overall I saw that students wanted a good book that was suspenseful and held their attention. A number of students feared reading in general and a few students were concerned about how the book would be read. These journal entries told me much more about each student’s feelings than a multiple-choice survey. The journal became a daily routine for collecting student voice in an equitable way. All students could tell me how they felt and they knew no one would laugh at or disagree with their feelings. Throughout the rest of my research process, most changes I made to classroom structure or the final project design came from listening to student voice through journal responses.
Compromises allow enjoyment for all
As we began Unwind together, I could see their fears melt away. They appeared to love the book and sat mesmerized for over an hour at a time, begging me to keep reading. Every student had a book and most followed along as I read. Right away students asked me if they could read outside of the room independently but I was reluctant to let them. I had just started teaching this group and didn’t know individual students well yet. I didn’t know who would really read if left alone and who would not. Also, I wanted everyone on a level playing field to begin with. Those that hated reading needed a chance to get hooked by the book in a low stress environment with me reading out loud. Lastly, I wanted to see if discussions would look different in this class with all students on the same page. Would students naturally want to talk about it, discuss and debate or just want to read?
True to the initial survey, this normally talkative group didn’t want to talk about the book. Once in a while I’d pause to see what might happen. Sometimes a short whole-class conversation would start up or a few students sitting near each other would debate the events they just heard but most of the time, students just urged me to keep reading. Also mirroring the last class, students insisted on reading ahead and my heart wouldn’t let me stop them. Being obsessed with reading myself, I knew the feeling when you cannot put a book down.
I compromised by allowing students to read ahead, knowing they were going to anyway, but insisted that they stay in the room as I read aloud. I knew that this was not the best solution. I, personally, cannot read while someone else is reading aloud so I understood why they wanted to leave the room. As much as everyone wanted to just keep reading, sometimes we did stop to discuss and I wanted all of the students there to participate if they wanted to, even if they were far ahead of us. Those who were able to concentrate and block out my voice read ahead. Every day this number seemed to climb as more and more students were captivated by the story.
At the end of the first week of reading, I could tell students were enjoying the book but I wanted to hear how they felt about the structure. I was still attempting to read the book aloud to the whole class, although many students were now reading ahead. In their journals, I asked students to give me advice about the reading format. Out of the 42 responses, 15 students liked it how it was. 14 students wanted me to read more or faster. Eight students wanted to read independently and five wanted to read in small groups. I was surprised to receive some reading performance advice as well. Jamie wrote, “I don’t see anything (to give) reading advice on, but just something about your voice isn’t really soothing and reading material. Maybe try to make your voice more mellow.” I couldn’t change my voice but later I let other voices in.
The Hybrid Method: Helping students to get what they need
In response to the various needs and opinions, I presented a new option to the class. I would still read aloud but to a smaller group now. Those who wanted to could join me in a circle and those who wanted to read on their own could scatter around the room. My voice was quieter and less distracting now. Because students could read at their own pace, many finished the book early. Luckily I had stocked up on copies of the second book in the series, Unwholly (2012), and other books by Neal Shusterman.
With this structure change, I also noticed a change in the amount, length and purpose of discussions. When I read to the whole class I did not purposely stop and guide a discussion but sometimes students would call out a question or make a comment and cause a discussion to start. I let them go on as long as students continued to talk and started reading again when the crowd showed signs of frustration. Each time there was an underlying conflict between those that wanted to talk about the book, verbalize their feelings and get answers to their questions and those that just wanted to keep reading. In this new, hybrid model, I noticed that the group with me seemed more comfortable asking questions and discussing. They seemed to have chosen my group for a reason. They either wanted to discuss while reading or didn’t want to read the book on their own.
I also noticed that the management problems I had experienced in my last classroom during book groups did not happen with the hybrid method. Students were spread out in my room, not all over the school. All but one or two students chose the reading style that worked for them and were successful in finishing the book. A few students ended up having their choice taken away after continuously texting instead of reading. I had them join my group even though they wanted to sit with friends around the room.
Journal prompt:
How do you like the hybrid model?
Students seemed to like this format too. One student who read with me responded, “I liked doing it this way because I stay on task and it gives everyone a chance to do what they like but I want to break into even smaller reading groups so we can stay on task w/out distractions.” An independent reader, Eddie, felt that this format allowed him to better understand the book, “I like this format because I advanced more in the book and better. I understand the book better because when I read by myself I read faster and understanding it.”
In order to build positive feelings about reading, I decided to introduce what I call a “gateway book.” This is a book that is action packed and fun to read. The purpose of a gateway book is to help break down the walls built by students who dislike reading by creating a shared, enjoyable reading experience. I recommend reading this gateway book out loud to students in a whole group, at least to start with.
Reading out loud and discussing together can break down walls put up by students who have spent years struggling to read independently. Having a positive experience with a book and coming to common understandings about it by discussing it together as a whole class through a gateway book can change student’s feelings about reading. I knew reading together as a class would frustrate some students but I wasn’t sure how to solve that problem yet. Listening to the students would eventually help me find a solution.
After looking at the initial data, I knew I had to pick a great, action packed book that was sure to entice even the most reluctant reader. Unwind, the book I used for book groups in the previous research cycle seemed to be a good choice for this class as well. It was relatively new, published in 2007, and as I asked around, only one student on the team had already read it. She had actually heard about it from a student in my previous class and asked to borrow it. I also assumed that it would hold their attention because surveys from my last research cycle showed that only 1 out of the 26 students who read it didn’t like it. That student had marked an X in between “yes” and “no” when asked if she liked her book.
Unwind was definitely the right choice. This class proved to be very hard to calm down in normal circumstances but would be completely silent and still for hours at a time while I read the book Unwind to them. They begged for more and many read ahead. One sentence is all it took before they were completely silent and calm.
Looking for Purpose in Discussions and Assignments
Like the first class, this new group did not want to discuss the book with their peers. Even less students in this class, 31%, marked the choice, “talk to friends about the book” when asked “what would make reading in school more fun?” I expected this class to have higher numbers than the first class because they appeared to be more social. In fact they had almost identical feelings about talking and reading with friends. I had learned from the last research cycle that students ended up wanting to talk but only if it served their purpose. Either they needed their peers to understand the book better or to open up their minds to other opinions about the book. In order to build intrinsic motivation to read and discuss, the conversations shouldn’t be teacher generated.
With this class I planned to read aloud and if the class stopped me with a need to discuss something, I would let it naturally happen. Otherwise, I would just keep reading. My focus at this point was simply enjoyment. I hoped their guard would go down and that their feelings would change about reading. If they enjoyed the book maybe they would be willing to dig deeper into the messages contained within.
I was also looking for an authentic reason to read that went beyond enjoyment. My theory going into my year of research was that projects would be the vehicle to connect intrinsic motivation, purpose, and peer relationships to reading. I thought students could read a book and then do something with it. The problem was, I wasn’t sure what they should do. I tried to think of an authentic reason for a project designed around a book, and not just any book. It had to be one that was action packed and relatable to the students. As I started reading with this new class, I didn’t have a project in mind, I just knew I wanted the students to do something. Now looking back, I’m glad I didn’t have a plan. Exploring my questions and wonderings together allowed student voice to guide the answers.
Using Student Voice to Guide Structure Changes
In order to really get inside students heads during this new research cycle, I had each student keep a journal. This was less of a “reading response journal” and more of a holding spot to capture their thinking about the process of reading Unwind. Most days I would have a question on the board for students to answer before we started reading. These journals proved to be invaluable throughout my research. I discovered many hidden opinions that students wouldn’t express out loud to the whole class but would write about instead. This team had a particularly quiet group of girls and a very outspoken group of boys so journals allowed me to hear from everyone equally. Reading these journal responses became one of my favorite times of the day.
Journal Prompt:
Describe your hopes and fears about reading in general or about the book Unwind.
My first journal question asked students to explain their hopes and fears about reading in general or about the book Unwind. I hoped their responses might give me clues to their survey answers. I also wanted students to realize that their thoughts and feelings about the process were important to me.
A majority of students expressed hope in enjoying the book and feared they would be bored. Daniel stated, “I hope I will want to keep reading. I fear that if I do like it, it will be hard to take it away from me.” I was expecting students to answer in this fashion and felt confident that they would, in fact, enjoy the book and not be bored.
A few wrote about the structure of the class. One student wanted everyone to read how they wanted to, independently or in a group but others wanted me to continue reading aloud. Reading such polar opposite responses created a problem I knew I would have. Just like the first class, some students wanted to read in groups, some independently, and others with me. This caused a bit of a management nightmare last time. Groups were spread all over the school and students were all on different pages at different times. I decided to start the book together in a whole group but I felt empathy for the students who wanted to read ahead. I would have wanted to if I had been in their shoes.
Others wrote personal observations about their issues with reading. It felt like they were writing letters to me so that I could understand how they felt. Melanie wrote, “I hope this is a good book. I really hate reading. I’m so glad Mrs. Ahrens is reading to us. This book better not be confusing.”
Overall I saw that students wanted a good book that was suspenseful and held their attention. A number of students feared reading in general and a few students were concerned about how the book would be read. These journal entries told me much more about each student’s feelings than a multiple-choice survey. The journal became a daily routine for collecting student voice in an equitable way. All students could tell me how they felt and they knew no one would laugh at or disagree with their feelings. Throughout the rest of my research process, most changes I made to classroom structure or the final project design came from listening to student voice through journal responses.
Compromises allow enjoyment for all
As we began Unwind together, I could see their fears melt away. They appeared to love the book and sat mesmerized for over an hour at a time, begging me to keep reading. Every student had a book and most followed along as I read. Right away students asked me if they could read outside of the room independently but I was reluctant to let them. I had just started teaching this group and didn’t know individual students well yet. I didn’t know who would really read if left alone and who would not. Also, I wanted everyone on a level playing field to begin with. Those that hated reading needed a chance to get hooked by the book in a low stress environment with me reading out loud. Lastly, I wanted to see if discussions would look different in this class with all students on the same page. Would students naturally want to talk about it, discuss and debate or just want to read?
True to the initial survey, this normally talkative group didn’t want to talk about the book. Once in a while I’d pause to see what might happen. Sometimes a short whole-class conversation would start up or a few students sitting near each other would debate the events they just heard but most of the time, students just urged me to keep reading. Also mirroring the last class, students insisted on reading ahead and my heart wouldn’t let me stop them. Being obsessed with reading myself, I knew the feeling when you cannot put a book down.
I compromised by allowing students to read ahead, knowing they were going to anyway, but insisted that they stay in the room as I read aloud. I knew that this was not the best solution. I, personally, cannot read while someone else is reading aloud so I understood why they wanted to leave the room. As much as everyone wanted to just keep reading, sometimes we did stop to discuss and I wanted all of the students there to participate if they wanted to, even if they were far ahead of us. Those who were able to concentrate and block out my voice read ahead. Every day this number seemed to climb as more and more students were captivated by the story.
At the end of the first week of reading, I could tell students were enjoying the book but I wanted to hear how they felt about the structure. I was still attempting to read the book aloud to the whole class, although many students were now reading ahead. In their journals, I asked students to give me advice about the reading format. Out of the 42 responses, 15 students liked it how it was. 14 students wanted me to read more or faster. Eight students wanted to read independently and five wanted to read in small groups. I was surprised to receive some reading performance advice as well. Jamie wrote, “I don’t see anything (to give) reading advice on, but just something about your voice isn’t really soothing and reading material. Maybe try to make your voice more mellow.” I couldn’t change my voice but later I let other voices in.
The Hybrid Method: Helping students to get what they need
In response to the various needs and opinions, I presented a new option to the class. I would still read aloud but to a smaller group now. Those who wanted to could join me in a circle and those who wanted to read on their own could scatter around the room. My voice was quieter and less distracting now. Because students could read at their own pace, many finished the book early. Luckily I had stocked up on copies of the second book in the series, Unwholly (2012), and other books by Neal Shusterman.
With this structure change, I also noticed a change in the amount, length and purpose of discussions. When I read to the whole class I did not purposely stop and guide a discussion but sometimes students would call out a question or make a comment and cause a discussion to start. I let them go on as long as students continued to talk and started reading again when the crowd showed signs of frustration. Each time there was an underlying conflict between those that wanted to talk about the book, verbalize their feelings and get answers to their questions and those that just wanted to keep reading. In this new, hybrid model, I noticed that the group with me seemed more comfortable asking questions and discussing. They seemed to have chosen my group for a reason. They either wanted to discuss while reading or didn’t want to read the book on their own.
I also noticed that the management problems I had experienced in my last classroom during book groups did not happen with the hybrid method. Students were spread out in my room, not all over the school. All but one or two students chose the reading style that worked for them and were successful in finishing the book. A few students ended up having their choice taken away after continuously texting instead of reading. I had them join my group even though they wanted to sit with friends around the room.
Journal prompt:
How do you like the hybrid model?
Students seemed to like this format too. One student who read with me responded, “I liked doing it this way because I stay on task and it gives everyone a chance to do what they like but I want to break into even smaller reading groups so we can stay on task w/out distractions.” An independent reader, Eddie, felt that this format allowed him to better understand the book, “I like this format because I advanced more in the book and better. I understand the book better because when I read by myself I read faster and understanding it.”
In a final reading survey given at the end of this reading cycle, I saw that only half of the students liked or loved this model. Most, 42% thought it was o.k. I hoped that more students would have liked this model but felt good that they were able to get the support or freedom they needed. The hybrid model seemed to be the compromise I needed for the last 5 years of teaching middle school. It may not be the “hear a pin drop” quiet model that Nancy Atwell recommends in her book, The Reading Zone (2007), but it does allow for more differentiation and student choice in reading style. All students can read in the style and pace they need. I worried again about the lack of discussion with this model but this worked for us because the best discussions came during the project phase after everyone finished the book.
Quieting my voice and letting students step up Two students in the class had an exceptionally hard time sitting still to listen to the story and not distracting others. One of these two boys thrives on attention and will get it one way or another. The other boy just seemed bored by reading in general. They both expressed positive feelings about the book Unwind on surveys and their journal but didn’t show it in action. I wondered what affect having them read to the small group would have. I worried that the group wouldn’t want to listen to a student read but that was not the case. |
This change was made at the tail end of reading Unwind but should have happened earlier. These two read more expressively then I did and the other students enjoyed hearing a new voice. A few other students read aloud at times but these two read most often. This slight adjustment allowed me to have a reading break but also gave me the freedom to check in with the independent readers. I did notice, however, that the group reading out loud could only handle me being out of the circle for about 10 minutes before they got off track. This was, after all, the group that wanted to discuss! They still needed my physical presence, if not my voice.
Structure Changes Lead to Increased Motivation to Read
Structure Changes Lead to Increased Motivation to Read
In a survey given halfway through the book, I saw that students were enjoying the book and that overall feelings about reading at school had increased. About the same amount of students indicated that they “loved” or “hated” reading, but the number of students who marked “it’s o.k.” decreased by 8 students and the “like it” group increased by four students.
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Journal prompt:
How did you feel about reading at school before starting Unwind?
Has your opinion changed? Explain.
Bonquish's comments especially intrigued me because he had marked that he felt “o.k.” about reading at school before we started Unwind. His new feelings are, “…so far I’m loving this book. I feel amazing when we read it. My overall thought about reading is glad to do it. I like reading stories that have a good conflict.”
Other student comments focused on autonomous reading and book choice. They enjoyed choosing their own pace and reading technique. These were the same themes I saw when I taught in the first 8th grade class and that Pink tells us lead to intrinsic motivation (2009).
How did you feel about reading at school before starting Unwind?
Has your opinion changed? Explain.
Bonquish's comments especially intrigued me because he had marked that he felt “o.k.” about reading at school before we started Unwind. His new feelings are, “…so far I’m loving this book. I feel amazing when we read it. My overall thought about reading is glad to do it. I like reading stories that have a good conflict.”
Other student comments focused on autonomous reading and book choice. They enjoyed choosing their own pace and reading technique. These were the same themes I saw when I taught in the first 8th grade class and that Pink tells us lead to intrinsic motivation (2009).
Journal prompt:
Specifically, why do you like or dislike the book Unwind? I wanted to hear more specifics about why they liked this particular book so that I could make well-informed choices next time I needed to pick a gateway book. Student’s answers to my next journal prompt showed that the majority of students (81%) liked the book. The plot was the most cited reason, by 58% of the students. Students were definitely engaged and motivated to read. We were ready for the next step of my research. How could I use the motivation we had just built to connect to an authentic purpose for reading? |
Students repeated the themes of book choice and autonomy when I asked if their feelings about reading had changed in the final reading survey and reflection. 14 students, 25%, liked reading more at the end of this research cycle. One student liked it less and the rest felt the same about reading.
Autonomy in reading Having choice in how the book is read and with who was very important to several students. Patricia liked having various options, “I didn’t like reading as a whole class because I am one of those people who likes to read alone and fast. I liked how we got to separate from the group and read alone or with the group, I liked having that option.” |
Another student, Melanie, explained how reading together allowed her to like reading more. “I’ve honestly never been a reading fan. But in the beginning of the year when I found out we were reading Unwind, I wasn’t excited because I thought we had to read individually. But we read it in a big group and I really liked it! I guess I just don’t like reading by myself.” Reading in a group and being able to discuss and ask questions was important to her, while the first student wanted to read alone. This shows the significance of offering different ways to read.
Book Choice
Finding the right first book to use with students is very important as it can either turn students on or off to reading. Samantha indicated that she liked the book’s action, “I liked Unwind from the beginning; it grabbed my attention from the start and pulled me in.” Harvey found the characters relatable, “When we read “Unwind” I could understand what the kids were dealing with. I will go on to read books that give me a strong connection with the characters in it to keep me interested in the book.” The plot and characters were also the most cited reason for liking the book in the journal entry above.
Starting the book together but offering flexibility
Several students reflected on how starting the book together as a whole group helped them get hooked. They also appreciated the flexibility of separating from the group, when ready, to read at their own pace. Kathryn wrote, “I think I found out that I would rather have the beginning be read as a group and then slowly start reading to myself, because for me the beginnings of books are always the hardest part for me to read and to get into the book. I enjoyed that.”
Lucas had a drastic change in feelings toward reading. In his initial reading survey he marked “hate it” to reading at home and “it’s o.k.” to reading at school. When asked how he felt about reading and himself as a reader, he answered, “I think reading is a complete waste of time.” In his final survey he marked that he loved reading at school. He talked about giving books a chance, “Sometimes if we are reading books for a class assignment (such as Unwind) it is easier for me because it helps me start the book and give it a ‘chance.’ After I start a book I usually get really into it and read ahead and everything because it interests me so much. This shows how starting a good book together, can hook even the most reluctant readers.
Book Choice
Finding the right first book to use with students is very important as it can either turn students on or off to reading. Samantha indicated that she liked the book’s action, “I liked Unwind from the beginning; it grabbed my attention from the start and pulled me in.” Harvey found the characters relatable, “When we read “Unwind” I could understand what the kids were dealing with. I will go on to read books that give me a strong connection with the characters in it to keep me interested in the book.” The plot and characters were also the most cited reason for liking the book in the journal entry above.
Starting the book together but offering flexibility
Several students reflected on how starting the book together as a whole group helped them get hooked. They also appreciated the flexibility of separating from the group, when ready, to read at their own pace. Kathryn wrote, “I think I found out that I would rather have the beginning be read as a group and then slowly start reading to myself, because for me the beginnings of books are always the hardest part for me to read and to get into the book. I enjoyed that.”
Lucas had a drastic change in feelings toward reading. In his initial reading survey he marked “hate it” to reading at home and “it’s o.k.” to reading at school. When asked how he felt about reading and himself as a reader, he answered, “I think reading is a complete waste of time.” In his final survey he marked that he loved reading at school. He talked about giving books a chance, “Sometimes if we are reading books for a class assignment (such as Unwind) it is easier for me because it helps me start the book and give it a ‘chance.’ After I start a book I usually get really into it and read ahead and everything because it interests me so much. This shows how starting a good book together, can hook even the most reluctant readers.