In order to get a good grade in English and to improve your general English language skills, it is imperative to read quality literature. Reading Harry Potter and Dan Brown for pleasure is fine, but it won't necessarily improve your language skills. The books I had chosen for the book club were meant to introduce you to various genres of fiction. However, I feel this is not proving to be the most successful strategy in terms of motivating students to read.
My question is this: in your opinion, what are some strategies we can use to encourage greater reading of quality literature among students? I'm thinking of switching to short stories instead of novels. Are there any other suggestions or alternatives?
38 comments:
Personally, I love to read, and this addiction is greater than any others. I would even stop studying to read the books I get from the library, and sometimes, I would even stay reading till I finished the book. Thus, in my opinion, I would recommend that everyone just read their own books, and would explain briefly to the class what is was about, what its point was, and, mainly, the opinions that you have on the specific book. The book has to be one of your own choice, and has to be finished within a week's time, and the discussion will take place in library lessons. I think this would be better, as everyone will be more comfortable reading their own material.
I agree with Mo on this! Everyone has their own tastes and they might not want - like me - to read some of the books you've chosen. No offense, sir, but some of the books...ehhhh. Besides, I'd get more books on my reading list that way, from suggestions by the others.
Yes, but as Mr. Roberts stated, and is true, not EVERYONE reads books that would necessarily enrich their vocabulary or sentence structure. I mean, some people read Meg Cabot and believe it's enough. She's funny, agreed. But there's not much quality literature involved.
Short stories are a great way to encourage people! Gradually, those who are not very keen on reading can work their way to novels. Yet getting them started with short stories to build interest is a good start!
People who ARE interesting in reading can still proceed with reading the novels you've picked, and also read the collection of short stories. :)
Well I'm not much of a reader... No, like seriously I rarely volunteer to read books without anyone telling me to.
All I can ever reccommend is to reccommend. One of the many reasons why i dont pursue an interest in books is because when you enter a bookshop or library it is extremely difficult to find books that interest you. And if you were to and ask someone who does read quite often how they find they're books its by following authors who they have previously read. So, if we're given an author who writes well to influence our writing and yet interests us I dont think there is much stopping anyone from reading.
Stuff like short stories (to me) are sheer pointlessness, brief narratives hardly contain a the high amount of quality found in longer novels. I.e: I totally disagree with what everyone else has said since they do have an interest in reading.
Short stories is a pretty good idea. But I feel that the main reason most students didn't enjoy reading the books given were because it was to be read on the computer or laptop. Most people found it extremely tiring to stare into a screen and read. On an average, most students can finish atleast around 20 pages in 3-5 minutes but it takes atleast 10-15 minutes to read the same text from a computer monitor. I know that it is difficult to hand out books in print to so many students every month but that's the only option for this.
I agree with all the statements above! I would also like to add that I LOVE reading. It is one of my favourite hobbies, but I do also think that we should choose a more enriched, literature wise, book to read.
I think that you, Mr. Roberts, should assign the class to taking a book per library lesson, finishing it by the next and have a brief discussion about the book. This way, the students won't have an excuse saying that the book wasn't interesting enough as they have chosen it themselves! :)
I love to read...but its true that reading on the laptop is tiresome..Short stories is a great idea to get everyone started..also if everyone chose their own books then be it a harry potter or Dan brown book ...it is getting students started that's important...when u start reading then the taste develops for other authors too!!!
Besides books that are contemparary to our times makes sense as we relate to them ...and they keep are interest till the last page...anyway that's what i think...
Rethinking, yep, Leah's got a fab point there. Reading on the computer annoys me to no end. I'm pretty sure if I read Lord of the Flies on paper I'd be much faster/interested in reading it. There's just so many other things on my desktop that distract me from the text D: And, Faiza, I see your point and raise you a standard Neiha-tastic "Oh, right!"
I still remember the example you gave us in class:
If someone is studying Music, they would be made to listen to every possible genre, a variety of different artists- from Beethoven, to Guns n' Roses, to Mariah Carey?
My point is, we can't be stuck in our comfort zone. We are in First Lang. for a reason, and if we can't cope with the books you enlist on our reading lists, then we should just leave to Second Lang.
Sure, maybe some people might appeal to the idea of short stories, but personally I would prefer reading whole Novels. So many some of the books may not be 'all that', but it broadens our knowledge of the English language, which is all that matters. Exposes us to many different scenarios in my opinion :)
Life as teenage boys stuck on an island, life as a countryside Vet, what next :P
I agree with ALL the statements made above. I personally LOVE reading. Sometimes i can be reading 2 books at a time. Mehvash is totally right. We as students cannot continue and stay in our comfort zones. We have to be able to explore and experience other things. If we continue reading the books that were so used to, then we aren't really learning something new now are we?
I agree that reading on the laptop or computer is very annoying, and not many of us can afford to buy the books. This still has to be thought about :p lol .
Short stories on the other hand won't really be of any help. It doesn't give as much information as we can get in a book. To be honest i think its a waste of time. Why read short stories and not be satisfied with it?
But those are just MY opinions :)
whats next though Mr.Roberts?? x
Well, I think that we just didn't start with the best books. I mean, at least from our list. 'Lord of the Flies'... I really don't know what happened there. Perhaps the story was too dragged out and the descriptions too prolonged. Then, with 'It shouldn't happen to a vet', it was the exact opposite, so many people, animals and different situations were introduced that it just got irrelevant after a certain point. But the rest of the books on the list are interesting enough, so they shouldn't really be a problem.
I agree with Leah about the book vs computer issue, but it would be such a waste of paper if the school was to hand out so many books.
Personaly, I did find it difficult to read a book every month even though there was sufficient timing alloted I had never taken up such books before. I honestly didn't think we would have a choice so I stuck with the books. But if we were to have a choice, I would go with short stories. Even though everyoe here has said relevant things, I feel that short stories would be good.
Is it too much to ask for book with pictures in them ?
Seriously..... Every time I open a book it's always full of words ! A picture or as smart people say a "Illustration" would be really nice.
My first book was one with only a sentance per page and the rest was just a giant picuture (Cat in the Hat) and still remains to be one of the best books i've read.
Sigh.....
Lol Zaid!!. I agree books should be made a bit more interestig. If not some illustrations at least some colour. Getting back to the point, I really like the idea of borrowing a book from the libray, reading it within a week or two, and then duscussing at the next library session.
The only problem I see with this, is that it is going to be really time consuming. I mean imagine everyone in the class discusing the book they read. It would at least take 3 to 4 periods for everyone to finish.
I like the current way things are done, a book per month chosen by Mr. Roberts. Yes, I know that all of those books are quality literature, but we are teens. And prove me wrong, if it isnt interesting teens (or for that matter anyone) would barely or never read the book. No offence Mr.Roberts, but as Kris said the book seemed to beocome irrelevent after some time.
I am not saying that we should LIKE to books, but only if it were a bit more interesting. But, Brave New World seems like a good book)
Ooops, sorry about my spelling. Forgot to spell check. :D
Reading an ebook IS a bit frustrating :P Too many distractions on the computer that seem more sparkly and interesting than reading a pdf file.
Well, I'd prefer if we read it on paper instead, since we could sit back, relax and read things without the distractions such as MSN and facebook. Besides, sitting straight in front of my desk and reading from the harsh glare of the computer kills my back + my eyes lol.
I dont see why everyone's against short stories though. Roald Dahl, Anthony Horrowitz, and many others have written short stories, and in my opinion, they were NOT pointless at all and gave as much satisfaction as reading a 600-page novel. Though I have to say that only a few authors have the gift to manage to squish in awesomeness in a short story. >.<
I completely agree with Arizza, Neiha and especially Leah.......it’s so annoying to sit and read a book on the computer…so straining. Even I would prefer if we read it on paper instead.
P.S. reading short stories would be a extraordinary idea. Like Roald Dahl……he is my favorite author.
I personally LOVE reading and i didn't find the books so bad after all!!!it was was like Kris said 2 total extremes but it was interesting!!! I don't really like the library idea because books can only be taken for 1 week and then with exams, and homework it becomes difficult to complete the book. i wouldn't mind reading short stories aswel, I actually want to read Pets Cemetery soon!!! I guess I wasn't much help huh?? heheh but anything is fine with me!!
I think that the idea of introducing short stories would be a great idea, beacuse sitting in front of a computer screen for hours cannot be good for the eye's.
I argree with what Faiza said, start with short stories and later move onto novels.
Well sir, faiza's idea of starting with short stories and then moving onto novels is a really good idea, it gets really annoying sitting infront of the pc for hours, plus there are plentyy of distractions ;) but let's read pet cemetary first, i heard it's awesome :D
Well.. I think you recommending books is a good idea, sir. Most of the books that i used to read before didn't actually help me in improving my skills but i think it would be better if you chose books with more interesting stories.
Short stories are also a good idea. As i said as long as the story is captivating i wouldn't mind reading it! :)
I loveee to read!! If I could just read every book in the world I wouldn't mind. However yes we all have different tastes and interests and thus we should be allowed to choose books we like and will read. Then again, I think Mr Roberts should still give the one book per month a chance because when we do it like that, we are actually studing some books that we wouldn't actually pick up when we enter a bookshop, like for e.g the james herriot book, if I saw it in a bookshop, it wouldn't interest me a lot and thus I would have never read it but due to Mr. Roberts ensuring we read a book a month which he chooses we learn much more.
all i read was the first few lines of the first comment, and i completely agree with mo.
harry potter books are actaully a great way to help in descriptive writing and probably narrative too, so i think we should be able to read our own books.
it not only creates awareness about different books but it also motivates us if we get to choose what we want to read.
Well..to be honest, I don't have much of a problem with the 2 books you've assigned us to read so far. Except for the fact that I couldn't find the vet book in any store, and was forced to read the pdf file, which doesn't allow me to absorb much information into my brain. :P
Short stories would be a good idea, and we could build that idea into reading proper novels and actually learning to complete it entirely without boring ourselves to death :)
But, to some extent, I do think that being in first language requires you to already be capable of the ability to read whatever book whatsoever, and if you can't well, you obviously don't belong there.
As much as I love to read, I find it very hard to read a book that I am not very interested in. Personally I find short stories more appealing because they don't drag on too much, I hate things that go into too much detail, thats why i did not care for that king kong movie too much, it was three whole hours! D:
with shorter stories I tend pick out more vocabulary and remain interested.
Of course thats just my opinion. :P
I agree, reading from the computer is distracting and uncomfortable.
"It shouldn't happen to a vet" was not the best of books to choose. What about the people who are not into animals :p Then again, not everyone can be pleased.
Mo Nour idea sounds reasonable. Choosing a book and having a discussion.
personally i dont prefer reading much.. reading anything of any sort.. words on pages just dont attract me at all.. i do read books "occassionally".. in my opinion short stories is a great idea cause i noe i'll be able to retain the info n vocab n gradually moving on to novels is a good idea :)
It is difficult and tiring to read from the laptop screen. I like the idea of reading short stories instead of novels. That sounds more interesting.
We shouldn't have to read a book to improve our english skills alone but to also enjoy the book and see if it manages to leave an impression on us.
I suggest we read what we want, and try and raise our level at the same time.
There could be a list of books with the same level of english for example; the only difference would be that the students can choose to read books from various genres.
I think short stories is a great idea to encourage us to reading, but the stories should have a good story line and pace not like the ‘Lord Of Flies’ which had a slow pace and was generally a sad story and with ‘It Shouldn’t Happen To A Vet’ is just a book which is filled with anecdote after anecdote and due to this the reader might loss interest.
Instead of giving the pdf version of the book the book should be printed on paper as it is easier to read from it and easier access to it. The printed book can also have the meanings of difficult words at the bottom of each page. Using this method of printing on papers is not eco-friendly, but if they can be printed back to back and the printed books can be returned to the teacher and he can re-use them for next year.
Plus with Mr. Roberts being so strict with the book club meetings students have to read the book at any cost or else……the polar bear can strike.:P
(P.S- No offence Mr. Roberts :D)
Well Mr. Roberts, if you choose to continue picking out books then I agree they should be short stories... but if you give us the option to choose then we should read an appropriate book of our choice and then give a summary and short analysis of it in class.
As first language students, you should trust that we'll choose a book with a suitable level of english.
Oh yes and reading from the computer is a pain in the ***
eye :)
Haha
Well, I think that some novels given by Mr. Roberts might not appeal to the tastes of some. So they might be a bore, and might require constant effort to keep reading. In that case, the idea of introducing short stories might prove helpful. For instance, I thought that 'It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet' was one big bore. I am sorry, but thats the truth.
What interests someone might not be the best literature to read. So quality literature found in short stories will be a great idea. Since the stories will be short, even if the reader doesnt like them, he wouldnt have to worry about reading through it for a long time.
I'm totally for the idea!
And by the way, I agree with Myra. Mr. Roberts, you should trust us with that.
And reading on the computer is a pain!! -_-
When I was in high school and college I had prescribed texts I had to read. "Heart of Darkness" and "The Secret Agent" by Joseph Conrad were two of the hundreds of books I was forced to read. I hated it.
As I grew up, I realised what an extraordinarily accomplished writer Conrad is and realised what a tragedy it was I didn't pay closer attention to the books as a student. "Heart of Darkness" - a book I once hated as a student - is today probably my all-time favourite novel. I can read it over and over again - it fills me with awe at the power a writer can have.
I once played a black and white film version of "To Kill a Mocking Bird" for my students. They found it boring. Seven years later one of my students went on to enroll in a famous film college in Canada. He didn't have to, but he came back to Dubai and made it a point to tell me how wrong he was at the time and that he realised what a powerful film "To Kill a Mockingbird" is.
So moral of the story is - one may be too naive to appreciate the books that are chosen for the book club or prescribed for the syllabus. But they are chosen for a reason.
I think that shorter stories would be far more effective. We could probably also cover more than 9 in the year as they are shorter than the current books, therefore giving us more exposure to the type of language and style an author uses.
I Love reading, hate writing though XP.
Must read: A quiver full of arrows - Jeffery Archer
(short stories)
how about some non fiction for a change?
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