But What About the Boys?

But What about the Boys?

Even with all of our best efforts to create a reading program that teaches the strategies needed to become a great reader, there is still evidence to suggest that the boys are being left behind.  Assessment data shows that girls are outperforming boys in reading and writing (http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/brochure/meread/meread.pdf).  They are learning the same strategies as the girls, but are showing lower results.  So what’s the problem?  

So how do we get them interested?  Why aren’t they motivated to read?

ASK THEM!   

Boys need a purpose.  Boys need to understand why they are reading what they are reading.  They respond best when their lessons are structured, explicit and have clear goals.  Boys need to feel connected to what they are reading. 

Sounds simple enough right…WRONG!

There is so much more we need to do to get our boys interested in reading!

Give them what they want!

If there isn’t anything in the classroom that you want to read, how likely is that you will? Having books with boys as the main character is a good start, but there is so much more.  Find out what interests them, what they enjoy doing, what they want to be when they grow up.  It may not appeal to your love of reading, but boys seem to love books where the main characters get themselves into trouble or books with mildly inappropriate humour.  It makes them laugh and imagine what would happen to them if they were the main character in the book.  They also like to read texts which haven’t traditionally been part of a school literacy program such as instruction manuals, baseball cards and comics.  Boys do not simply dislike reading; they dislike what they are being told to read. We need to give them more choice over what they are reading and showing them that we value what they are reading.  

Get them talking!

Believe it or not, boys like to talk about what they are reading.  Providing them with opportunities to share what they are learning and connect it can be very rewarding for boys.  Get creative – have a boys’ book club.  Let them decide what they want to read and talk about.  Give them the opportunity to use technology to talk about what they read – emailing other students to tell them about what they have just read.  Start a classroom twitter page with interesting book reads.  In the classroom or the library provide a space where students can recommend books to others.  Invite male role models into the class to host a book talk. 

We will get our boys to love reading.  It’s not about getting them to conform to our current reading program, rather, it’s about finding out what the boys want and works for them.

Helpful Links:

Guys Read  -  www.guysread.com

 

This is a great website geared towards getting boys reading.  It recognizes that there is a gap between and that boys can sometimes get left behind.  Guysread.com offers book suggestions, and strategies to get boys motivated. 

Boys Read – www.boysread.org

The website’s mission is to transform boys into lifelong readers.  Offering tips and suggestions to get boys reading as well as book suggestions, this website has a wealth of information.

Boys and Reading - www.scoop.it/t/boys-and-reading

This blog offers many interesting tips and ideas to inspire boys to read.  There are links to many new resources to inspire the boys you teach.