One of my students today, eager to feel some concrete progress in her education, kept bringing me incredibly hard books to check out. I had her try the five finger rule to show her that her choices were far above her grade level. She was indignant and upset. Any alternative I showed her she said was far too easy. After about ten minutes of negotiation, I found one that was slightly too hard for her, but not impossible for her to read. The real issue is, two of her friends are advanced readers and she felt insecure that she wasn't on their level, even though she was close. She felt frustrated and insecure.
This is a common problem in my library, and indeed, all the classrooms and home as well. When an adult says "It's not a race" children simply don't believe it. When they notice they are behind, they are embarassed. They then start to check out books above their level, and without progress, eventually start refusing to read at all. We only enjoy activities where we feel some success and progress, so frustrated readers often turn their backs on books.
There are a couple strategies I use to prevent reading insecurity. I take a look at nonfiction books if they have particular interests, like animals. With their exciting pictures and valuable information, nonfiction books are great for reluctant readers. If a student is passionate about cheetahs, he won't worry about the book's grade level being low. Graphic novels have quite a lot of text in them, and students of all levels enjoy them, so lower readers don't feel inadequate checking them out.
The trick is to be kind and discreet, and letting students know that they aren't alone in their struggle to read. They needn't be ashamed- just keep working to get better every day. And most students truly want to do that.
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