Motivating Young Readers

EDZU 9502 (3 credits / 45 hours)

Location: Online
Instructor: Patricia Calise

Start Date: 10/11/2023
End Date: 11/14/2023

Course Syllabus

How do we motivate our students to read? Keeping kids interested and motivated to read is sometimes a challenge. Teachers need to find effective ways to motivate our students not only in the classroom but outside of the classroom. One way is to involve parents. Parents as reading partners is one way to create motivating students. Researchers have identified a number of factors important to reading motivation including self-concept and value of reading, choice; time spent talking about books, types of text available, and the use of incentives (Gambrell 2009). In this course you will explore effective ways to motivate all students to read including struggling readers, reluctant readers, and boys. Motivating Young Readers is for teachers K-8.

Teachers enrolled in this course will...

Know

• what is motivation?
• identify factors that contribute to a decline in reading motivation
• recognize effective reading motivation strategies to incorporate into a classroom
• know why student engagement is critical to academic achievement
• how to generate high levels of attention and engagement as a result of careful planning
• research-based strategies to engage all students

Understand

• why students become unmotivated readers and writers?
• how to create a literacy rich environment that will make reading more interesting and fun
• how to identify the needs of all learners

and Be Able To

• Execute specific strategies to engage students throughout their learning
• Access students’ engagement
• Identify effective resources to “hook” struggling and reluctant readers
• Create engaging lessons incorporating both fiction and informational text
• Provide effective ways to motivate today’s readers with practical research strategies