Engaging reluctant readers since 2012!
It is often a challenge to find Hi-Lo books that offer appropriate and meaningful text for the High School grade level. What does it mean for a book to have “appropriate and meaningful text”? As a teacher, I encountered texts that drew plot lines around cliché themes for teens. Themes that seemed age appropriate, but…
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Teachers of reluctant readers face many challenges. One of those challenges may seem minor to some, but it is still very important. Namely, they want to provide struggling readers with material around which they can build meaningful discussions. Teachers seek out Hi-Lo books that build on previous knowledge. For reluctant readers, this means the stories…
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In my last blog, I shared that I was introduced to adolescent literature in college as part of a class. Up until that point in my life I struggled with reading because I learned to read and write in German first. But once I was in college, something began to change. The transformation began in…
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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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Hi-Lo Books offer a needed bridge in the reading process. In fact, Hi-Lo books help struggling readers! Hi-Lo books are not novels that should be dismissed as inferior literature. In fact, I believe that these very books offer the bridge needed for many readers to have a chance at accessing the literature available to them…
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