![]() But I never let my students lose sight of what the true prize is an appreciation of reading will add more to their life than a hundred days at Six Flags ever could. Yes, my classes participate in the schoolwide incentive programs when they are offered after all, they would blaze past the requirements anyway. ![]() For students who read a lot, these programs are neither an incentive, nor a challenge. ![]() In her popular book, The Book Whisperer, Donalyn reflects on her journey to become a reading teacher and describes how she inspires and motivates her middle school students. Peterson Elementary in Forth Worth, Texas. Rewarding reading with prizes cheapens it, and undermines students’ chance to appreciate the experience of reading for the possibilities that it brings to their life. Donalyn Miller has worked with a variety of upper elementary and middle school students and currently teaches fifth grade at O.A. And most of all, reading is a communal act that connects you to other readers, comrades who have traveled to the same remarkable places that you have and been changed by them, too. From a book’s characters, we can learn how to conduct ourselves. Through reading, we can witness all that is noble, beautiful, or horrifying about other human beings. Reading is a way to find friends who have the same problems we do and who can give advice on solving those problems. Reading allows us to travel to destinations that we will never experience outside of the pages of a book. Reading is a university course in life it makes us smarter by increasing our vocabulary and background knowledge of countless topics. “I want my students to learn what life readers know: reading is its own reward. Miller’s new book, The Book Whisperer, is a breath of fresh air. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |