Working with these boys I found that their initial stages of engagement were influenced by the genre of contemporary realistic fiction offered to them,
Every student will be more or less engaged with certain stories. It is so important to efficiently lesson plan in order to fit the children needs and find a way of engaging the students even if the topic of study is not as exciting. Putting the children in working partners or groups in order to share ideas can help with this.
A factor often overlooked in all the discussion of literacy instruction for chil- dren has been using the social realities of children's lives as strategies to facilitate vision and develop a critical framework for personal,
it is important to use the social realities of children's lives in order to differentiate, facilitate and create a better and more efficient way of teaching.
he boys' responses revealed that the literature was either exactly like or similar to their lives as it prompted connections to their per- sonal experiences as well as experiences that were closely connected to their communities.
I like the idea that students can relate what they are learning to their own lives. This personal connection can help them focus more and be more excited to learn. When readers learn to make personal connections once, they will continue to do so in their future reading.
Other researchers have explored the social aspects of reader response (e.g., Huck, Hepler, & Hickman, 1997), and have suggested that groups of readers who work together to understand what they are reading while exploring their own responses will have a richer experience than when reading alone
I agree with this. I think students should have the opportunity to share and compare their findings with their peers. I have realized even as a college student I still learn a lot that way. When peers talk and share with each other about what they are learning, it is more likely it will stick with them and keep them better engaged.
This conversation concerned me, because fairy tales, such as Little Red Riding Hood or The Three Little Pigs, are often used to teach across the curriculum, not just to develop literary behav- iors.
I agree with this as I focused on these two stories when I was in elementary school. I think children should be opened to more stories that are not so common in the curriculum in order for better engagement.