On Fire for Reading, Elizabeth Golden
2018 Mini-Grant Recipient
Reading instruction in 6th grade introduces children to “grown up” terms for analyzing literature. Students should leave the 6th grade being able to recognize and discuss plots in terms of exposition, inciting incident, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Practice in independent reading is imperative for improving overall comprehension.
Students used Kindle Fire tablets for independent reading both at home-based and in the classroom. They read such books as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Crossover, and Steph Curry. In addition, educational games and programs such as Moby Max and Grammaropolis were used to increase reading skills.
The electronic tablets were obtained to motivate students to read more books and to be excited enough to want to discuss the plot and characters of the stories with their families and friends, possibly even encouraging family members to read with them.
Classroom discussions enabled and empowered students to recognize and discuss the plot and the characters plus the climax of a story when they watch movies with their families or watch television shows in their living rooms. Overall, the project was designed to ignite an appreciation for reading by students and their families.
revised April, 2019