Empowering students through reading and writing

¶ … teacher influence the reading-writing program at his/Her school?

An enthusiastic teacher with a strong voice who is excellent at classroom structure can create students' interest in stories -- even before a reading lesson begins. First, there is no substitute for a good relationship with your students. Let them know you genuinely care about them that you're not just up there because you're getting paid to be up there. This sounds very basic and fundamental, but by empowering them, they know you're listening and that you care. "If kids like you, they'll perform for you," according to teacher Charlene Christopher in Norfolk, Virginia (nea.org). "I'm respectful to my students, and in turn, they know that if they're disrespectful, I'll call them it," said teacher Jim McNeil in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. "Also, I use a lot of humor -- that works for me" (nea.org).

What is one strategy or activity that you could use to strengthen the reading-writing connection with students? (In this activity the children are in 2nd or 3rd grade in a public school. They need to be reading and writing as a regular activity if they're not already.)

Hand out half a blank piece of scratch paper to every student in the classroom. Ask them to write two or three complete, carefully crafted sentences on that half piece of paper that introduces a funny event or story they are familiar with -- that leads up to the humorous part but doesn't give it away. It should be something that happened to their family, with their friends, to their uncle -- an event or incident that caused laughter but was not mean spirited. The last sentence of each student's half sheet should end something like, "Guess what happened," or "you won't believe how this turned out," or something along those lines.

The teacher gives students 8 to 10 minutes (or more, depending in the level of progress in the class) and collects the half-sheets of paper. The teacher explains that the funniest story that gets told (the class will vote on this) will receive a gift certificate at the local book store. Incentives are controversial in some teachers' minds but they can be effective (in this case it should always be for books, not for a pizza or junk food). Before the teacher shuffles the stack of half sheets and pulls one out, he/she hands out another half sheet of paper and asks students to number from 1 to 20 (or if there are fewer students than 20, that number should be entered). As the teacher reads the half-sheets, the teacher numbers each of the first 20 that are read, and after each teaser is read, the students (they can work in pairs if that is appropriate in the class) judge the interest in that teaser on a scale of 1-to-10 on their half-sheets. Number 1, not very funny; number 10, it seems like it will be very funny.

The teacher reads each without giving the name of the student who wrote it, giving students time to evaluate each teaser. After students turn in their scoring of the teasers, while the teacher is recording the scores, the students are given a two-page handout -- a classic humorous story -- and are asked to read it and answer the questions at the end in complete sentences. The next day in class the teacher writes the numbers of what the class has decided are potentially the most humorous stories on the board. This gives a day for the class to think about what might be the funniest story and to talk about it. Drama and anticipation can work well in stimulating interest in reading and writing. Students are engaged, empowered, and their imaginations are stimulated. After the teacher reads the sentences in each of the top five voted funniest, each student who wrote one of the 5 funny beginning raises a hand, stands and tells the story.