This week was standardized testing week at my school. I asked the kids to bring in homework or a
book to read if they finished the section before time was up. About mid-week I had finished with this
week’s class reading and decided to see what the boys were reading.
Here is the list:
Harry Potter and the Order
of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
Showcase Presents: Martian
Manhunter, Vol. 1 by Janck Miller and Joe Certa
I had a couple of boys who put their head down after
finishing a test. I encouraged them to
go to the bookshelf and pick out something to read. They chose the following:
Do Not Open: An
Encyclopedia of the World’s Best-kept Secrets by John Farndon
The White House: An
Illustrated History by Catherine O. Grace
I feel like they were right inline with what the readings
said the boys would read. We had adventure,
fantasy, history, a graphic novel, and a random fact book.
McKechnie, Lynne (2006). Becoming a Reader: Childhood Years. In Ross, Catherine Sheldrick, McKechnie, Lynne, and Rothbauer, Paulette M. (Eds). Reading Matters: What the Research Reveals About Reading, Libraries, and Community (p. 63-100) . Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Sullivan, M. (2004). Why Johnny Won't Read. School Library Journal, 50(8), 36-39.
Sullivan, M. (2004). Why Johnny Won't Read. School Library Journal, 50(8), 36-39.
This post is perfect timing. I will be asking folks who work with boys (6-teen) about what they see them reading, whether for efferent or aesthetic purposes. I love your blog thus far, you are covering an excellent range of topics and I appreciate your mix of personal, professional, and academic approaches to each topic. The bullying post was excellent. I look forward to reading it throughout the semester.
ReplyDeleteCeleste, again your posts are informative. I am doing a tween boy club at my library and like to put books on my display to attract boys to the club. Not only do I have an interactive activity for them to do but like to promote the books we have in our collection that might be of interest to them.
ReplyDeleteAnd some people say that boys don't read or that they only read one type of book. I am a bit fascinated by the choice of the Martian Manhunter book, as a lot of kids are put off by black and white pictures and even more are put off by stories from the '50s and '60s (and that is what a lot of Showcase titles are, although I am not sure in this case). I wonder if it was chosen because it was a collection of comic stories or because the student was familiar with the character from the Justice League cartoon series. Keep this series of books in mind for the future, as many of the titles can be found fairly cheap ($5-$7) if you look around. Jim
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