Engaging reluctant readers since 2012!
It is important for Hi-Lo books to address racism and stereotyping. Although struggling readers may need books written on a lower reading level, they still need a challenge. I want to invite reluctant readers into the discussion. So why address racism and serotyping? Unfortunately, it happens every day. Through working with students with diverse backgrounds,…
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I believe that there is a need for Hi-Lo books to address depression and suicide. Struggling and reluctant readers need to read stories that challenge their perspectives and make them think. Low reading level does not mean the readers can’t tackle tough subjects. When I set out to write Ozzie, the first book in The…
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Teachers who work with struggling or reluctant readers need to teach how to abandon books. This is something I feel strongly about as a former teacher. However, I also draw from my own personal experience as a struggling reader. Growing up as a struggling reader, I thought that if I started a book, it meant…
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Not only did the characters come alive, but reluctant readers had access to details they might have missed while reading the text alone. Using read aloud as a teaching tool is NOT limited to only teachers reading aloud. I found, when I used novels with extensive dialogue, I could engage my students by assigning readers…
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I focus on activating curiosity as I develop the plot so that predicting and inferring are natural outcomes. It can be a challenge to help struggling readers predict and infer based on what they have read. As a teacher I realized that my reluctant readers avoided predicting or inferring if they did not care about…
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It is valuable when a Hi-Lo book series inspires journaling. As a teacher, journaling has always been a key tool for me to use to engage my students in writing. However, it was not always easy to find thought provoking starters that would inspire them to write meaningful entries. I remember when I presented my…
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Hi-Lo readers are the toughest audience because they will often give up on a book after the first page. If it doesn’t grab them, they are done! Hi-Lo readers want a good story, but don’t want or need all the extra fluff. They want a story that gets to the point, but still doesn’t fall…
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I focus on writing Hi-Lo Books for English Second Language Learners. Why is that? Although I was born in the USA, I grew up in Switzerland and learned to read and write in German first. It wasn’t until 3rd grade that I was introduced to reading and writing in English. By then, I was very…
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Reluctant readers are not stupid. In fact, they recognize “dumbed down” books. This is a highly offensive phrase used when discussing the structure of Hi-Lo books. It also shows a lack of understanding of the purpose and process of writing effective Hi-Lo books. Is it a surprise when reluctant readers don’t want to read those…
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Reading fluency plays a key role in reading comprehension. So how do we strengthen reading fluency? As a teacher of struggling readers, I learned that this did not mean that only those who could read fast were good readers. Speed was not the most important factor. In fact, I discovered a key habit that was…
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