Like Jesse, Nathan was also eager to read Ruby Sings the Blues again. Today, he asked me if he could read the book during independent reading, and I was more than happy to let him do so. I was excited that both boys have shown immense interest in this book because of various reasons - characterization, plot, and illustrations. In exhibit 16, it clearly shows that Nathan was able to read for a longer period of time now, as compared to two weeks ago. Even though he changed books every ten minutes or so, he still managed to be consistently reading independently without leaving his seat for thirty straight minutes. After he read Ruby Sings the Blues independently, he read Curious George with me. We talked a lot about Curious George's character, and he told me that he enjoys reading Curious George's books because of the fun characterization. Here is part of our conference transcription:
Me: Tell me what Curious George is doing here.
Nathan: He is trying to get him (his owner) a Christmas present!
Me: Right, but then he can't find him.
Nathan: Yeah, but I know Curious George will. He is such a good monkey. He always cares about others. And he is always happy.
Me: Is that why you like reading Curious George's books so much?
Nathan: Yeah. I love the books because they are so fun to read. Curious George has a kind heart, and that's sort of like me because I always care about my friends.
From this short transcription, I can be sure that choice and preference can surely elevate Nathan's motivation in reading. This is supported by Taylor and Lorimer (2003) in their article called Helping Boys Succeed. They refer to one of Muir's literature (2001), and agree that offering a diverse choice of reading materials to students that are related to their interests can immensely lead to motivation and result in achieving literacy skills. In this particular situation, the reading materials that Nathan was exposed to was a major factor that encouraged and motivated him in reading for a longer period of time.
2 comments:
This is a nice bit of data about Nathan. I noticed that you said both boys were excited to read Ruby independently. Did you ever ask them why?
Revised Entry
In response to Grace’s comment, I never asked them why they wanted to read the book independently. However, my implication is that both of them were drawn to the plot and character of the book that they wanted to have more personal interaction with the book. A similar experience is like when I hear a book talk or a book presentation, and if that book sounds appealing to my interest, I always want to get the book right away. I think the two boys were finding the book engaging, and therefore wanted to read it again so that they could re-read parts that they missed, or found interesting.
Post a Comment