The Payoff is Worth It!

           Teaching Read 180 to sixth, seventh, and eighth graders has taught me so much more than I’d expected.  These students are working hard to become grade level readers.  They want to succeed and have to work hard to do it.  Trying to meet their needs pushes me to provide engaging lessons that build background knowledge and give them time to practice essential skills.  Since I teach five classes, there’s added pressure to keep things fresh and new for me, too!

We follow a daily routine that doesn’t change much.  At this point, the students can run the class themselves—updating the time on task reports, logging onto Blackboard without help, and retaking quizzes when needed.  If you ask the students, we’re “always on the computer” or “always have to take a quiz.”  To spice things up, we’ll read debates and post blogs about controversial issues.  We’ve learned about school districts that have banned hugging in schools, districts that require school uniforms and districts in Texas that use RFID chips to track student attendance.  The goal is to read non-fiction texts; the challenge is to share your ideas on the topic in a clear and coherent way.  This can be a stretch for students who are used to taking quizzes and it provides a nice change of pace for everyone.

When we need a break from non-fiction articles, we’ll read plays for upcoming Hollywood hits.  Recently, we read Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, an adaptation of the movie (based on the novel by Rick Riordan).  Before reading the play aloud, we watched the movie trailer to get a sense of the characters’ names and personalities.  I like to have articles and plays that support the core curriculum (7^th graders learn about Greek mythology) and I try to find new reading passages that will draw of topics from previous years.  In Percy Jackson,” the action takes place in “the Sea of Monsters,” commonly known as the Bermuda Triangle.  Arianna, an 8^th grader, said, “I remember that from last year when we read about it.  That’s where planes go down and they don’t know why, right?”  This connection may have seemed small, but she was remembering one short article from eight months ago!  This casual connection made me aware of how well these students internalize the material we cover and revitalized my efforts to find interesting and compelling materials for class.

           I’ve seen the impact that daily readings can have for my Read 180 students, and I’ve used current articles in my Honors Language Arts class to supplement books we’re reading.  I wanted to share these materials with others. To that effect, I’ve started the “Walton Student Resources” page on Blackboard.  All students have access to this page, which houses a collection of articles for all subject areas.  Teachers are already sending students to the site to build skills or to provide a challenge.  As the year continues, we’ll add more in each content area.  Soon, we’ll have a wealth of materials for all levels in all classes.

As we hit the second nine weeks, it’s easy to become bogged down in the daily routine.  With teacher work days and then the holidays scheduled, it’s comforting to stick with the standard schedule when we can.  Familiar routines can quickly become monotonous, however, and that makes the day drag for our kids.  Taking time to find new materials, to present them in engaging ways, and to draw connections between my class and the other classes involves a lot of time and coordinating with others.  The payoff—I remember that!—is so worth it in the end!

Natalie M. Capps
Read 180 and Honors Language Arts 8