“My son is exceptional in school but dislikes very much the added homework of reading pages upon pages of [an assigned] book…It’s not purposeful and he will routinely say he hates reading.”
Frustration with reading, which may already be challenging, increases when boys don’t see the reason for what they are doing. Dr. Stephanie Moyers of Ties to Literacy, wrote here recently about the importance of connecting boys to their interest (Legos) as a way to engage him in reading and writing.
In School
Richard Whitmire in Why Boys Fail notes that teaching techniques have generally not been adjusted to the ways and pace in which boys learn. He reports that the boy who is 5 months behind in reading at the end of first grade has only a 1-in-5 chance of ever catching up! He also notes that low literacy achievement in first grade correlates to high aggressive behavior by third grade. Makes sense, as his frustration builds!
Visual learners
Einstein said, “Some thoughts do not come in any verbal formulation. I rarely think in words at all.”
Understanding that boys are visual learners is a crucial place to start. School is mostly auditory. Ouch. He’s already at a disadvantage.
Guiding him to access the picture part of his brain FIRST, then building the bridge to the more verbal parts of his brain will help him be able to plug into more sensory details, too. (What can you see, hear, feel on your skin, taste, smell?)
In Action…
I was teaching in a third grade class, and an 8 year old boy was having a conflict with his fellow students. As we talked about it, he saw the note pad on my lap and said impatiently, “Here, can I just draw it?” He drew the whole scenario: where he was, where they were, what the sequence of events was. Lots of arrows and stick figures later it became clear that what he thought had happened was actually impossible and so he had to reframe his thinking around the event. That led to apologies and new understanding. I don’t think he could have gotten there if all players had only been asked to “tell me how you feel.”
In Michael Gurian’s bookStrategies for Teaching Boys & Girls, he notes that “Students who organize ideas visually first, verbally second will often gain in outline and organization of papers (resulting in better grades), which in turn increases student confidence and ultimately motivation to learn. Many of these students will be boys.” (Note that girls who are highly verbal also benefit from developing their visual and spatial abilities).
“Why does this matter?” ”Why do I have to do this?”
Much like the boy who says he hates reading…because he’s asked to read things that don’t have relevance, boys especially want to know how what they are reading applies to real life. He will also be more likely to engage in reading and writing activities if he see how it applies to and expands his interests.
Choose his (or her) passion and plug in these ideas:
Write Books
1. You can write a book for him using one word, or retelling an event, or with repeated sentence patterns such as: Look! Here is a big shark. Look! Here is a little fish. Your child can help you write or illustrate the pages.
2. Let your child dictate a book to you. Be sure to include standard text features – page numbers, title, author, illustrator, copyright date.
3. Extend a favorite book. In Blueberries for Sal, imagine together what the bears do after Sal & her mom go home or what Sal & her mom do with the blueberries when they go home.
Word Fun
Word Hunts: Using newspapers and magazines, go on letter hunts (circle all the capital A’s); word hunts (circle all the and’s); parts-of-speech hunts (circle nouns, action words, etc.)
Speed Read: Make cards with words, letters, or sentences depending on his ability. Use a timer – how many cards can you read in one minute? Or how long does it take to read all the cards? (Extend the activity and make a visual bar graph to record progress: first time I read 30 words, next time I read 45 words. Progress is visual.)
Word Travel: Using any game board with dice, use the word cards you’ve made. Choose a card and use it in a sentence. Then roll dice & move forward. Maybe there is a prize at the end? Make it fun: What’s the silliest sentence you can make? Can you make a sentence that includes food?
Word Collage: Use magazines (or newspapers, or instruction manuals, or catalogs) to make a collage about his favorite animal, sport, or other interest. Use collaged words/phrases to describe or tell a story.
And more!
Grocery lists – illustrate it, shop and find each item, even do some math with it! Choose his favorite meal, look at recipes, list groceries needed, cost of ingredients, cook it together, serve it to the family. SO many skills can be incorporated into this activity depending on his age.
Secret codes and maps – boys especially love codes and maps! Have him make a code for you to solve. Make a code for him to solve. Make a treasure hunt map using the codes.
How-To’s – Sequencing is an important skill. He can draw the steps for making a peanut-butter and banana sandwich (or a peanut-butter and slug sandwich)…let his imagination go wild and help him figure out how he’d get the bananas (or the slugs!).
Alphabet magnets on the refrigerator keep words and letters visible. Make your own magnets with pictures and words of things that he likes.
Reading Aloud
Einstein also said, “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”
In addition to fairy tales, you may want to thumb through a catalog or instruction manual, comic book, or graphic novel together… it may not look like the ‘right way’ to read but your boy will be engaged and learning!
Let me know how it goes!
And look for the Boys Alive! Literacy Event coming up in September – interviews with experts from the front lines of research, the classroom, and home – coming together to foster his success in literacy!
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