Expanding+Literacy+to+Motivate+Young+Males

Authors: (Kelley, Phil, Rina) this is Dr. L: Add more APA referencing please

Student Resources:



Flocabulary (2012) [] //Paid subscription required but free trial available // This site contains a number of songs/raps about different subjects. For example, this is the link to the “Five Story Elements.” This particular rap talks about the five elements of a story (Characters, Setting, Plot, Conflict, and Theme) and what each element is all about. The song is filled with visual examples of each element and is also quite humorous. It gives teachers a way to catch their students’ attention and tune into a subject that may not be very engaging to them when it is presented in lecture format or from a textbook. It is also a great way for students to interact with learning in a modern way. (Kelley & Rina)



Free Online Novels. Unknown. (N.D.). [] The title pretty much says it all here. This site provides many novels that students can read online. It provides an exhaustive list of novels that can be searched by category or general area of interest. Of course, there is a section that lists graphic novels and comics with such an immense list, all students are sure to find something of interest. I do like that there are non-graphic novels students can read as well. This could be helpful for students to make the transition from graphic novels to more traditional literature. (Phil & Kelley)



Funbrain. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pearson Education, Inc. (2000 -2012). [] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This website offers young males with a place to go online where they provide a variety of activities that help with literacy acquisition and development. The website provides games, online books, and even comics. One of the games that I encourage my students to use is Grammar Gorillas. It is offered in 2 levels, the beginner focuses on nouns and verbs, and the advanced includes all parts of speech. Another favorite of mine is 2Bee or Nottoobee, which tests one’s abilities to place verbs correctly. The website is also a wonderful tool to use for students who have varying reading levels, as the online books range for readers K-8, and therefore are differentiated for each level. The interactive nature of this website offers is a novel way to engage and involve young boys in popular literature (even comics!) <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">(Rina & Phil)



<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Graphic Classics. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Eureka Productions. (N.D.) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[] //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Graphic novels available for purchase // <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This website provides a list of different graphic novels targeted to anyone age 12 and above that can be purchased. These are not ordinary graphic novels, but graphic versions of classic literature. The works of Edgar Allen Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Oscar Wilde and many more can be found here. I have used a few of these with current and past students with great success. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The site does list reviews and samples to help select the right novel(s). They also offer special deals and discounts for educators. <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Phil & Kelley)



<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Guys Read <span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This site is meant for connecting boys to materials they will actually enjoy reading. Author/editor Jon Scieszka provides a list of “Guys Read” suggested books as well as other sources. The site also discusses why boys are not always as motivated to read and some strategies teachers can implement to inspire their male students to read and write more. <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Kelley & Rina)



<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lewis, Mark. (2005). <span style="color: #003dc9; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This activity is one the would work great with ELL/ESL male students. The topics discussed, the inclusion of pop culture music, and the integration of both make it as if learning wasn’t even occurring! Music is a great academic engager or “hook” to use within lessons in the classroom. They can be used to study vocabulary, grammar, culture, phonics, rhyming scheme, and so forth. Generally songs will fall into a theme or topic as well, and that will open up doors for classroom discussions, debates, and personal experience as well (which can be used to motivate free-writes, etc.) <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Rina & Phil)



<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Marvel Create Your Own Comic. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Marvel Inc. (N.D.) [] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Can’t explain how fun this is! You have to try for yourself! <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here, students can create their own comic book or strip. There are numerous heroes, villains, backgrounds, objects that can be put into a host of different layouts you can choose from. Creating their own story, they can put the dialogue into their choice of ‘chat bubble’ and may also choose from a virtually limitless supply of sound effect graphics to include where necessary (think original Batman TV show fight scene). With such numerous and detailed graphics/pictures to chose from, students will be engaged and motivated to come up with their own stories. Each layout that can be used also serves as a graphic organizer. Writing comic stories will in turn assist students in organizing their writing. This is just one of the many benefits this site provides (besides fun). <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Phil & Kelley)



<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">National Association of Comics Art Educators. (N.D.) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[|http://www.teachingcomics.org] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This website is a wonderful tool for teachers who wish to use comics and graphic novels. It includes lesson plans, handouts, discussions on comics in the classroom, study guides, exercises and even syllabi. Still need a little help or guidance using comics? This site also lists many teachers who use comics and graphic novels in their classroom; complete with e-mail addresses so you can contact them directly. <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Phil & Kelley)



<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> OnlineClasses.org (2012) <span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> This site goes through the ways in which teachers can use graphic novels in the classroom to motivate even the most reluctant readers. The visual element of graphic novels allows students to explore characters, plot, even vocabulary, in a more understandable, engaging way. The site explains the ways in which teachers can incorporate graphic novels into their lesson plans by manipulating the way they teach literary elements and other reading strategies/skills. <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Kelley & Rina)



<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Eggs. (2012) <span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [|http://readingeggs] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[|.com/] //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Paid subscription required but free trial available // <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> This online program was designed to help encourage and engage young children in reading. Based off a core reading curriculum which places emphasis on phonics and sight words, this program offers students individual, one-on-one lessons, which they are able to complete at their own rate, which is key in differentiating literacy acquisition. The program is designed for ages 3-13, with 4 specific levels; ages 3-4, age 5, ages 6-7, and ages 7-13. The biggest drawback is that it is not a free resource :( The sight is a huge motivator due to its interactive animations, game-like instruction, and virtual reward system. It is also individualized in that every child chooses their own adventure to help guide them through the literacy lessons. <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Rina & Phil)



<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">ReadWriteThink.org. (2012). <span style="color: #003dc9; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This website is an extremely user-friendly resource which contains hundreds of creative and engaging activities and lesson ideas for teachers to use in their classrooms. Most links found on this website contain step-by-step directions, and even include printouts to use as resources. This particular activity encourages poetry, parts of speech, story-building, and sentence structure practice. Students would be motivated and engaged throughout because it is a “fill-in-the-black, build your own story” type of game. Students can first build their own stories using any of the available words, and then deconstruct the story making lists of different parts of speech - and placing them correctly. Partners or teams could make this an exciting competition! <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Rina & Phil)



<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Super Action Comic Maker <span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> This site, Super Action Comic Maker, allows students to create their own comics. Students can choose their own superheroes, villains, or other characters, and write in the speech bubbles to create a story. This is an example of a writing exercise that involves media and a topic that will most likely engage many boys in the classroom. It allows them to have the power and freedom to create their own story. Giving boys ownership over their work can help boost their motivation and give them a sense of purpose. <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Kelley & Rina)

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Professional Resources:



<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Brozo, William G. //To Be a Boy, To Be a Reader, Engaging Teen and Preteen Boys in Active Literacy// (2010). [|http://www.reading.org//General/Publications/Books/bk508.aspx?mode=redirect] // Available for purchase // <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In this piece of literature the goal is explicit. It is to get boys “hooked” on reading at an early age in the hopes that the habit will follow through the years. The book offers additional guides to help supply readers with literature that suggest positive values and “real-life” relatable contexts. In the move away from traditional texts, these authors suggest the inclusion of novel characters within books that present positive male archetypes. For example, Brozo references a lesson on teaching Shakespeare with Manga. He also included a study in the book where he gave the following findings, “ <span style="color: #1a1a18; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I//n addition to digital media, boys are also drawn to alternatively formatted text, such as graphic novels and comic books (Bitz, 2004; Hatfield, 2005; Jacobs, 2007). In the United States, Hughes-Hassell and Rodge (2007) report on the leisure reading habits of 1,340 students in grades 5 through 8 at an urban middle school in a large northeastern city. In their findings, 54% of male students ranked comics as the favorite leisure reading choice.//” (Brozo,139). Brozo’s goal throughout the book is to <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> provide strategies for increased intrinsic motivation and interest that will develop young males into lifelong readers. <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Rina & Phil)



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<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">CTV News Edmonton. (August 31, 2010). [] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This video is from a Canadian News program and makes a wonderful case for the usefulness in teaching literacy with comics. Being interviewed is Jay Bardyla, owner of a Canadian Comic store and Stacy Keeler, a high school teacher. A great argument is made to help show how comics can motivate students. They also discuss how comics have influenced Hollywood with many movies coming from comic books. Most of these movie adaptations of comics have been a big hit with young men (i.e. Batman, Thor and Spiderman just to name a few). <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Phil & Kelley)



<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">McFann, J. //Boys and Books//. Reading Today, 22(1), 20-21 (2004). <span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This article, “Boys and Books,” discusses not only the increasing problem of boys lagging behind in the literacy classroom, but also goes into discussing practical solutions to change this trend. For example, the article mentions how boys are more likely to read non-fiction texts as well as graphic novels and comic books which is something teachers should take into account when setting up their classroom libraries. <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Kelley & Rina)



<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Unknown. (9/2007). //Using Comics and Graphic Novels In The Classsroom.// The Council Chronicle. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">National Council of Teachers of English. <span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This article argues the strengths of teaching ELA with the use of comics and graphic novels aided by successful use of comics and graphic novels in Japan and Europe. Not only discussing the benefits, this article mentions some of the specific skills that can be taught. Helping students to visualize while they read, comics and graphic novels can also help with punctuation, outlining and paragraphing. Finally, there is also a few helpful links in this article should anyone want some more information or help in planning lessons. <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Phil & Kelley)



<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wilson, Gary. //Engaging Boys in Literacy: Oxford School Improvement.// Oxford University Press (2012). <span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is an interesting reflective and “try this” talk from Gary Wilson. He explains why boys can be a challenge to motivate in the literacy classroom in particular. He argues that the approach teachers have towards boys has to be different and their interests and preferences have to be taken into account. Wilson discusses how important it is to have writing activities that boys will connect with and ones that excite them. For example, for younger boys he suggests having them pretend to be detectives and go on a “mission.” He also comments on the importance of giving boys a role in the classroom so they can have a sense of power/ownership. For example, he suggests giving them a role in setting up the classroom library and making sure there are sections that will be of interest to them like comics, sports books, and nonfiction. <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Kelley & Rina)



<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Zambo, Debby, Brozo, William G. //Bright Beginnings for Boys, Engaging Young Boys in Active Literacy// (2009). [|http://www.reading.org/General/Publications/Books/bk683.asp] //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Available for purchase // <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This piece of literature aims to pull away from traditional works of literature in an effort to capture the attention and interest of young boys today. The issues that originate when boys are faced with traditional works of literature in school are identified. They then bring the problems with literacy for males to the surface by helping to shed light on the roots causes (physical, social, and cognitive) and offer proven strategies that are intended to be used collectively within the realm of school life and home life alike. The emphasis for success is the mutual goal of all parties involved, teacher, parent, community. <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Rina & Phil)