Sharing the gift of literacy: how to get your students hooked on books.

Sharing the gift of literacy: how to get your students hooked on books. After her article in the September issue of Techniques waspublished, Dauna Easley heard from a number of teachers who thanked herfor the advice it provided. One part of the story that drew particularinterest was the section on reading orally to students, and she wasfrequently asked about the books she used for her classroom reading.This article offers some of her suggestions. Recently, a new bookstore opened close to my home. I was excitedabout this event, as browsing in a bookstore is a favorite activity ofmine. The grand opening was well advertised, and I decided to attend. Iwas only a few steps inside the front door when I ran into Donovan andMionna, a couple of my former students. "Speak of the devil," said Donovan. "Man, this is freaky freak��y?adj. freak��i��er, freak��i��est1. Strange or unusual; freakish.2. Slang Frightening.freak ," added Mionna. "Were your earsringing? Did you know that we were just talking about you?" "Who are you calling a devil?" I joked in return."And what were you saying about me? Don't tell me the truth ifit's going to hurt my feelings," I added. (I've been ateacher long enough to have learned some survival skills.) "This is truly weird!" replied Donovan. "We werejust wandering around this bookstore seeing all these books that youread to us." Then they rattled rat��tle?1?v. rat��tled, rat��tling, rat��tlesv.intr.1. a. To make or emit a quick succession of short percussive sounds.b. off several titles that they had seen displayedon the shelves. Donovan continued, "I was just saying how strange it is that Iactually know what is in all these books. We even said,'Where's Mrs. Easley? She is bound to be heresomewhere.'" Ahhhh yes, it was a gratifying grat��i��fy?tr.v. grat��i��fied, grat��i��fy��ing, grat��i��fies1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father.See Synonyms at please.2. moment for me. Donovan and Mionnawere not members of my Teacher Academy class. They were culinary artsstudents that I had taught in a required class called Continuous QualityImprovement. Donovan and Mionna might most kindly be described asreluctant readers. They confessed they were at the bookstore opening tosample the free food. And yet they rattled off several titles of booksabout which they were completely familiar. Every once in a while, as a teacher--if you are really lucky--youget a brief glimpse at the difference you have made in a student'slife. This was one of those moments. I savored the experience with a biggrin as I drove home. A teacher making a difference--that's what I work toward everyday. It's what I try to teach as I instruct a Teacher Academyprogram for Butler Tech in a satellite program at Lakota West HighSchool Lakota West High School is a high school in the Lakota School District which comprises both West Chester Township and Liberty Township in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio.From what once was a unified Lakota High School came both Lakota West and Lakota East. in the Cincinnati area. A teacher who made a difference in my life was a sixth gradeteacher in Mason, Ohio Mason is a city in southwestern Warren County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, Mason's population was 22,016. It was the fastest-growing and most populous city in the county. Until February 1997, it was part of Deerfield Township. , named French Smith. It was Mr. Smith who taughtme the power of reading aloud every day to a group of students. This isa technique that most early elementary teachers use daily but somehow issorely sore��ly?adv.1. Painfully; grievously.2. Extremely; greatly: Their skills were sorely needed. overlooked in our secondary and postsecondary settings. I willnever forget the excitement within our class as Mr. Smith orally readRobinson Crusoe to us one chapter at a time following lunch every day.Each day we would beg him to read more. We were spellbound by thisunfolding tale. It brought us together as a class ... made us a family.Thank you, Mr. Smith! It is a lesson I have never forgotten. The Power of the Spoken Word I read orally to my secondary students every day. It doesn'ttake a lot of time. I usually only read for a few minutes. But I believeit is one of the most powerful things I do as a teacher. I know it is.I'm hoping I can encourage you to do the same. What do I read orally to my Teacher Academy students? I read tothem from great books about teaching, of course. I read from SharonDraper's Teaching from the Heart, Roland Barth's Learning byHeart and Improving Schools from Within, Chicken Soup chicken soupChicken broth Folk medicine Jewish penicillin A fowl broth with a long tradition as a home remedy for URIs, which may be a nasal decongestant, inhibit growth of pneumococci in vitro, and stimulate immune responsiveness in WBCs Mainstream medicine A for theTeacher's Soul, compiled by Canfield can��field?n. GamesA form of solitaire.[After Richard Albert Canfield (1855-1914), American gambler.]Noun 1. and Hansen, Don't Sweatthe Small Stuff Sweat the Small Stuff is a standup comedy special performed by Kevin James of King of Queens. It has been seen on Comedy Central and released on DVD. Kevin performs hilarious standup on various subjects based on annoyances of everyday life, hence the title. ." A Guide for Teachers, and my personal favorite,Teachers Touch Eternity by Dauna Easley. If I want to build sensitivity for working with students withspecial needs, I read Riding the Bus with My Sister Riding the Bus with My Sister is a memoir by Rachel Simon, published in 2002 by Houghton Mifflin about the time she spent with her mentally challenged sister Beth, whose lifestyle centers around riding buses in her home city. by Rachel Simon.When I am teaching an awareness of child abuse, I orally read A ChildCalled It by Dave Pelzer David James Pelzer (born December 29, 1960)[1] is an American author and advocate for children's rights. BackgroundDave Pelzer was born in Daly City, California to Stephen Joseph Pelzer (b Aug 6, 1923 San Francisco d Apr 24,1980 San Francisco)[2] . We cry together during that one. But do youknow what happens when I finish that book? I see the sequels to his bookstart popping up all over my classroom. Without ever assigning thereading, half of my class will be reading Dave Pelzer's The LostBoy and then A Man Named Dave A Man Named Dave, (ISBN 0-452-28190-3) the third installment of Dave Pelzer's life, tells the story of Dave Pelzer struggling to get money and survive in society and how he tries to overcome his memories of being abused as a child. . That's the secret and exciting power of oral reading. It turnsstudents on to reading and makes them want to read more. I also want my Teacher Academy students to read independently aboutteaching. I compiled a great reading list in a simple way. I e-mailedevery teacher in the huge district where I teach and asked the question,"What is the best book about teaching that you have everread?" The responses gave me my reading list of 35 books. My students begin with a summer reading assignment, and then theyread one book per quarter for the two years that I have them. I allowthem to choose the titles that most interest them from this list. When I read orally, however, I don't just choose to read aboutteaching. I carefully select readings that help them learn to livesuccessfully. The statistics tell me that my students may change jobs adozen or more times. They may even choose completely differentprofessions a few times during their working careers. I work hard toprepare them for that. When my juniors and seniors reach me, they have taken close to adozen years of English and math. They have had science since first gradeand years and years of social studies. But they have heard very littleabout goal setting, handling change, nurturing a dream, motivationalstrategies, leadership skills and handling tough times. I use my oralreading time to focus on just those skills. Just Right for Teens One of my favorite My Favorite is an independent synthpop band from Long Island, New York. They released two CDs: Love at Absolute Zero and Happiest Days of Our Lives. My Favorite broke up on September 14, 2005, when singer Andrea Vaughn left the band. series for oral reading is RichardCarlson's Don't Sweat the Small Stuff books. The chaptersinside the books are brief, just right for those few moments I have fororal reading, and Carlson, like many of the best-selling best��sell��eralso best seller ?n.A product, such as a book, that is among those sold in the largest numbers.best authors, haswritten one book specifically for the teen market. Though I mustconfess confessv. in criminal law, to voluntarily state that one is guilty of a criminal offense. This admission may be made to a law enforcement officer or in court either prior to or upon arrest, or after the person is charged with a specific crime. , I use excerpts from all of his books with my students. Let me describe some of my favorite segments from his Don'tSweat The Small Stuff for Teens. "Don't Burn Bridges"helps teens fight the urge to "tell someone off" to quicklyand temporarily vent their frustration. It succinctly suc��cinct?adj. suc��cinct��er, suc��cinct��est1. Characterized by clear, precise expression in few words; concise and terse: a succinct reply; a succinct style.2. describes howthose moments of anger may release a temporary pain but come back to cutoff opportunities in the future. Another chapter encourages teens to set a goal to read eight pagesa day. With statistics, he points out how this modest goal translatesinto the equivalent of several books a year and, sadly, places them headand shoulders above most of their peers. In another chapter he talksabout techniques for absorbing the speed bumps that occur duringeveryday living. We have the choice to tense up Verb 1. tense up - become tense, nervous, or uneasy; "He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room"tensechange state, turn - undergo a transformation or a change of position or action; "We turned from Socialism to Capitalism"; "The people turned and be rattled bylife's bumps, or we can relax a little, anticipate the bumps,absorb them and move on. Another personal favorite is Susan Jeffer's book Feel the Fearand Do It Anyway. This book beautifully cracks the myth that successfulpeople are successful because they have no fear. Everyone experiencesfear in a new situation, but people who ultimately triumph, simplyexperience the fear and keep on going. Her chapter titled "How isYour Whole Life?" describes an activity I do with my students everyyear. It fabulously illustrates the importance of living your life withbalance. In another chapter, she effectively describes how living withinyour comfort zone will keep you from realizing your full potential. The Right Words at the Right Time, compiled by Marlo Thomas Marlo Thomas (born Margaret Julia Thomas on November 21, 1937 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American actress, who first achieved fame on the TV series That Girl in the 1960s. , is acollection of the best advice people have ever been given. How valuableis that to have at your fingertips "Fingertips" is a 1963 number-one hit single recorded live by "Little" Stevie Wonder for Motown's Tamla label. Wonder's first hit single, "Fingertips" was the first live, non-studio recording to reach number-one on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the United States. ? Scott Hamilton's mother told him that we are all given acertain number of minutes to live. The number of minutes you have is notimportant. It's what you do with those minutes that determines howproductive your life is. Jimmy Carter quoted his teacher in hisinaugural address. What a perfect oral reading for my Teacher Academystudents! Marlo Thomas herself was unnerved by how everyone in theentertainment industry compared her to her father, Danny Thomas. Herfather sent her a pair of horse blinders blind��er?n.1. blinders A pair of leather flaps attached to a horse's bridle to curtail side vision. Also called blinkers.2. Something that serves to obscure clear perception and discernment. on her opening night. He said,"I raised you to be a thoroughbred ThoroughbredLight breed of racing and jumping horse descended from three desert stallions brought to England between 1689 and 1724. Thoroughbreds have a delicate head, slim body, broad chest, and short back. Most are bay, chestnut, brown, black, or gray. . Don't look left or right;just run your own race." Jay Leno Jay Leno (born April 28, 1950) is an Emmy-winning American comedian, writer who is best known as the current host of NBC television's long-running variety and talk program The Tonight Show. BiographyLeno was born in New Rochelle, New York. first understood himself as a person when he read the oldclassic children's book Mike Mulligan mul��li��gan?n.A golf shot not tallied against the score, granted in informal play after a poor shot especially from the tee.[Probably from the name Mulligan.]Noun 1. and His Steam Shovel. Everyyear I read Mr. Leno's story to my students and then follow it withthe Mike Mulligan book. Who Moved My Cheese? is an easy-to-read story that points outmistakes we all make while trying to deal with change. Whale Done isanother simple book that shares the story of how trainers use nothingbut positive reinforcement positive reinforcement,n a technique used to encourage a desirable behavior. Also calledpositive feedback, in which the patient or subject receives encouraging and favorable communication from another person. to train the whales at Sea World. Theyconsistently ignore negative behavior and give a great deal of positiveattention to every behavior they want to reinforce. What a great skillfor a future teacher or for anyone who plans to work with otherseffectively! Fish! is another small book that reminds everyone of four importantprinciples to make the workplace a positive place to be. 1. Choose yourattitude. 2. Play. (Work doesn't have to be drudgery.) 3. Maketheir day. (Go out of your way to make your customers or co-workers orstudents feel special.) 4. Be There. (Really be in the moment to meetyour customers' needs.) The Present is another simple book that illustrates the skill offocusing on the current moment. Put aside yesterday's frustrationsand tomorrow's worry and focus on what you can do right now to moveyourself or your organization forward. It's a wonderful skill thatwill serve my students well throughout their lives, if they can masterit. Rachel Remen authored two beautiful books ripe with simple andprofound wisdoms presented in story form. Kitchen Table Wisdom and MyGrandfather's Blessings contain many heartfelt heart��felt?adj.Deeply or sincerely felt; earnest.heartfeltAdjectivesincerely and strongly felt: heartfelt thanksAdj. 1. excerpts that Ishare with my classes orally. In one story, Remen describes the power of the three-letter word"yet." She claims we should never finish a negative statementabout ourselves without the word "yet." "I'm not the weight I want to be ... yet." Yeah,that feels better. Zig Ziglar's See you at the Top and Success for Dummies bothare full of great short readings that will help your students moveforward with positive skills for achieving their goals in life. Teachers Touch Eternity, my own book, is full of wonderful advicefor teens. In it, I have completely described a "DreamFormula," which includes a guide to follow to move anyone throughthe steps to help them realize their dreams. The chapter titled "What A Loser" is a classic thatstrikes a chord chord, in geometrychord(kôrd), in geometry, straight line segment both end points of which lie on the circumference of a circle or other curve; it is a segment of a secant. A chord passing through the center of a circle is a diameter. with every teen who has ever faced a failure. And whohasn't? It magnificently illustrates the point that winners aresimply losers who refuse to quit trying. Other chapters that work wellwith teens are "Eat the Fish," "A Four Letter Word,""The Nine Boxes" and "Striving for Excellence." I also use Stephen Covey's book The Seven Habits of HighlySuccessful Teens to teach students how to live more effectively. Iespecially like talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to"lecture, speechrebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to them about the Circle of Influence and theCircle of Concern. Too many teens (and adults for that matter) fill upall of their time focusing on situations that they cannot change. Byexpending all of that energy in the wrong place, they waste valuabletime and emotions they could better be using on situations in which theycan be influential. I also love to focus on my students' ability to make positivechoices in their lives. At the beginning of class, I walk way to theleft side of the chalkboard and write, "Event." Then I slowly,s-l-o-w-l-y draw a line all the way from the left side of the board tothe far right of the board where I write, "Response." In themiddle of the board, I write, "time to choose." I orally read what Covey cov��ey?n. pl. cov��eys1. A family or small flock of birds, especially partridge or quail. See Synonyms at flock1.2. A small group, as of persons. says about our freedom to choose ourresponse to any given circumstance. My chalkboard looks like this. Event.... (time to choose).... Response I try to visually teach them that they always have the freedom tochoose their response, no matter what the circumstances. Too many teensemploy knee-jerk reactions. "Well, he said this, so I had to punchhim!" Not really. The choice was yours. Jay McGraw's Life Strategies for Teens is another favorite ofmy students. They especially love an activity I do about looking at lifethrough different lenses, which I found within the pages of that book.There is great section that humorously describes the many types ofstudents found in any given high school. The author wrote the book whenhe was 20 and has a way of relating to relating torelate prep → concernantrelating torelate prep → bez��glich +gen, mit Bezug auf +accteens that makes them want tolisten to his ideas. Teachers as Reading Role Models Recently, I was invited to speak at the International ReadingConference in Reno. While there, I purchased a book with a title thatjust jumped off the shelf at me. The title? Teachers as Readers. Bingo! That's it. I am a reader, and my students know it. Ishare my reading with them. I talk about the books that I read, and Iread orally to them every day. This oral reading builds a very specialcamaraderie ca��ma��ra��der��ie?n.Goodwill and lighthearted rapport between or among friends; comradeship.[French, from camarade, comrade, from Old French, roommate; see comrade. within my classroom. My students remember the books I share with them orally forever. This past spring, while I was teaching, Keir, a student of mine,was paying no attention to my lesson. Her head was in the book TheGuardian, by Nicholas Sparks--right there in my classroom. I didn'tadmonish her. I just found a moment when I could quietly walk up besideher. I said, "That's a good book, isn't it? Have you readSparks' other books?" Then I mentioned several titles, advising her which ones to readfirst. Each time she would start a new one, she would bring it to classto show me. We educators hear so much about literacy and its importance withinour schools. We hold meetings and go to conferences trying to unlock thesecret to dozens of different techniques and tools for getting ourstudents to read. I believe the best, and too often overlooked key toliteracy is within us--the teachers. Even as we conscientiously con��sci��en��tious?adj.1. Guided by or in accordance with the dictates of conscience; principled: a conscientious decision to speak out about injustice.2. teachour subject matter, we are first role models. We must be readers andshare our excitement for reading with our students. We must then take it one step further and read orally to them-yes,even the young adults. This puts everyone in the class on the same page.It's a shared experience that binds us together forever in a waythat nothing else does. The reality is that I won't be with my students forever. Theycome into my life for only a year or two. Reluctantly, I have to admitthat they may forget much of what I teach them within a few short years.But if I can "turn them on" to books and the joy of reading, Ihave improved their lives forever. By spreading the joy of reading,teachers can touch eternity. Great Books to Read Orally with Students Don't Sweat the Small Stuff series by Richard Carlson The Right Words at the Right Time by Marlo Thomas The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen Covey Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers Success for Dummies by Zig Ziglar Teachers Touch Eternity by Dauna Easley Life Strategies for Teens by Jay McGraw The Present by Spencer Johnson Spencer Johnson may refer to the following persons: Spencer Johnson (writer), author of Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson (American football player), NFL defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson Whale Done by Ken Blanchard Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Remen Fish! by Stephen Lundin, Harry Paul and John Christensen John Hansen Christensen (born April 29, 1948 in Christchurch) is a former field hockey player from New Zealand, who was a member of the national team that won the golden medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Write It Down and Make It Happen by Henriette Klauser Dauna Easley, author of Teachers Touch Eternity, teaches a teacheracademy program for Butler Tech at Lakota West High School In theCincinnati area. She Is also a popular speaker at state and nationalconferences and will be giving two presentations at this year'sACTE ACTE Association for Career and Technical Education (formerly American Vocational Association)ACTE Association of Corporate Travel ExecutivesACTE Approvals Committee for Terminal EquipmentACTE Anodal Closure Tetanus Convention in Las Vegas Las Vegas(läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. . She can be reached ateasley-d@prodigy An online information service that provides access to the Internet, e-mail and a variety of databases. Launched in 1988, Prodigy was the first consumer-oriented online service in the U.S. .net.