Document Type
Honors Project
First Advisor
Dr. Alice Trupe
Degree Award Date
Fall 2015
Keywords
Young Adult Literature, engaged classroom, literacy education, educational methods
Disciplines
Curriculum and Instruction | Education | Educational Methods | Language and Literacy Education
Abstract
As a future teacher, my aspiration is to establish an active and engaged classroom. Many of my education classes in college have addressed how a teacher can quiet a distracted class, but I wish to take that a step farther and create an engaged class. I wish to have students that are excited and talkative, while being focused on the material. Specifically, as an English teacher, I wish to share my passion for reading with my students. As Penny Kittle, a well respected educator and author, says, "I believe the only real and lasting interest in reading comes from engagement". In a search to find ways to create that lasting interest, I have gathered strategies from books written by veteran teachers; these teachers have used these strategies in their classroom, and they have witnessed their students' reading engagement rise as a result. Their research shows that students experience an increase in their enjoyment of reading and in their reading competency when strategies that are designed to give students agency and confidence in their reading are executed by a teacher who is personally invested in forming a connection with their students.
Recommended Citation
Leigh, Kathleen, "Engaging Struggling Readers with Young Adult Literature" (2015). Honors Projects. 29.
https://digitalcommons.bridgewater.edu/honors_projects/29