Are you kidding?

So apparently, according to Improving Adolescent Literacy, just because a student is a "struggling reader" does not mean that he/she is not interested in the world around them? Wow. Don't get me wrong- I honestly get frustrated at times with my students who really struggle with reading and comprehension. However, it frustrates me to no end that the system often assumes that means they can do nothing. As was discussed in a class last semester, we often underestimate the complexity of reading. It is such a sophisticated task that we expect every adolescent to have absolutely mastered. With this being said, the moment they show a struggle in literacy, we label them and we assume they will not be able to explore anything in the world around them.
My students are absolutely enthralled with current events. So many of them never get access to any form of news except facebook and in the classroom. They never sit down with their families and watch the news. They never discuss the severity of things going on in the world around them. This is why I have started assigning those articles for my students to read. I had no idea that my students who struggle to read a short passage in English would be excited about reading about the health reform in Spanish!
This week in class, we participated in a Socratic Seminar discussing visual literacy. I would love to let my students choose an article of their choice, all concerning like matters (in Spanish of course), and then initiate a Socratic seminar where they are all held responsible for their participation. I want them to think more into what they are reading. I want them to be able to build off of what they read and then have form opinions and ideas. However, I am scared. I am scared the first time I try this we are going to stare at eachother for 30 minutes until I give up. I know it is ok for things not to go perfectly the first go around (or two), but I am just nervous about the idea. Any suggestions are WELCOME! :)

It takes a reader to make an author...

Over the last 3 weeks, my students have been assigned a project in which they were asked to write an original, creative children's story... in Spanish of course. Some of my students were overly excited about this project and some of them moaned and groaned from day one until the due date. I worked with them in class on these books and I gave ample time for the project to be completed. However, I soon noted that the time frame was not the hindrance for most of these students. It was the lack of creativity and story telling that disabled some of them. This story did not have to be a potential award winning book (although some were). Still though, some students had no concept of a story line. I realized after a couple of weeks of focusing on literacy that this was due to the fact that they never read. NEVER. How can I expect them to write a story if they never read any? That would be like expecting someone to write and compose a song who never listens to music. It makes no sense whatsoever. I have read them numerous children's books in Spanish that they were already familiar with: Cat in the hat, Green eggs and ham, Where the Wild Things are, Oh, the places you'll go, etc. But that little bit of reading does not do a bit of good if they never pick up a book themselves, in English OR Spanish!

They do read short stories written by myself and colleagues very often in my class. However, most level appropriate material in Spanish is.. to be blunt... boring. I don't enjoy the reading so why would they? I have started printing out articles and having them read them in class in groups. They are all articles that interest them in one way or another. For example, an article about the Falcons extending Mike Smith's contract (in Spanish), an article about Valentine's Day and how to celebrate if you are single (in Spanish), an article about soccer in Europe (in Spanish), an article about Lindsey Lohan (in Spanish), etc. I let them choose their articles and read them in a group and then they share the most important things they gathered to the class. To keep them accountable, I also ask them questions. I am working out the kinks in this system. And I would LOVE some advice and feedback about how to better this little "mini-book/article club" I have going in my classroom.

I struggle often with what kind of material to offer my students that is both in Spanish, level appropriate, and still interests them. But after pondering and reading all of our material, I have begun to think that maybe it doesn't have to be in Spanish to achieve the literacy I am dreaming for my kids. Maybe if I bring books that I read in highschool leisurely and sit them on my bookshelf so that they are available for them to check out, they will pick one up. So, I did just that. I have a group of girls in particular that very frequently asks me for books to read. I brought a huge pile of books last week and laid them on my desk, visible to all my students. It has already sparked questions and interest from many students. When they ask me why they are sitting there and "Oh my gosh, Mrs. Pope, do you have to read all of those for your masters??", I simply respond that they are my books I have read and would love for them to have an opportunity to read them as well. I have 3 books that have been borrowed from that pile in less than a week so far. They have absolutely nothing to do with Spanish. Or academics. But they are good, enjoyable books that will at least (getting back to where I started with this smorgasbord of a blog entry) give them a foundation next time I ask them to create a story. 

That Elephant

Upon simply reading the title of Chapter 1 of Readicide, I immediately began exploring what that "elephant" might be in my classroom. Before reading on, I contemplated what the obvious but often avoided truths are in my high school Spanish classroom. Not only does a lack of motivation to read exist among my students, but more generally a lack of motivation to learn at all. When I started teaching, I naively made the comment numerous times, "I will not let kids fail. I want everyone to do well and pass my class." This (now humorous) proclamation quickly slapped me in the face when I realized that all students were not passionate or driven to learn, especially Spanish. "I don't need to speak 'Mexican'. This is America!" Comments such as this greeted me upon my arrival. And this was precisely the elephant in my room. Not only did I have to battle literacy, but the simple truth that not all students even have the slightest urge to learn another language.

Luckily, I am not nearly as distracted by the elephant that Gallagher refers to in "Readicide". I do not have a test that I am mandated to prepare my students for. With that being said, I have more flexibility (limited by the standards of course) to search for activities and learning engagements that reach the students where they are and help build upon their prior knowledge. As far as the literacy is concerned, I more or less start from scratch with my students, as if they were toddlers learning a new language. Literacy to them is still word recognition and semantic rules. They are not yet to the point of comprehension, and certainly not fluency. This can work to my advantage and my disadvantage.

The advantage comes with the students' not realizing that they are reading in my class always. They are presented material in all different forms, written, verbal, pictures, etc. They are constantly "reading" this material to further their understanding, whether it is from words on a paper or not. This sometimes helps avoid the mental block students have with reading. However, the disadvantage comes with the limit in level of text I can provide for them. At times, I feel like my students never get the opportunity to really read. I have to constantly step back and realize that their ability to understand any text in a foreign language is a huge accomplishment and shows growth.