• Boys are more likely than girls to be placed in special education programs.
• Boys are less likely than girls to go to university.
• Dropout rates are higher for boys than for girls.
Source: Me Read? No Way! A practical guide to improving boys’ literacy skills. Ontario Education. http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/brochure/meread/meread.pdf
Why? (Smith and Wilhelm, 2002, p. 10)
• Boys take longer to learn to read than girls do.
• Boys read less than girls.
• Boys tend to be better at information retrieval and work-related literacy tasks than girls are.
Disclaimer: Of course this is not true for all boys!
Boys like to read:
• books that reflect their image of themselves – what they aspire to be and to do;
• books that make them laugh and that appeal to their sense of mischief;
• fiction, but preferably fiction that focuses on action more than on emotions;
• books in series, such as the Harry Potter series, which seem to provide boys with a sense of comfort and familiarity;
• science fiction or fantasy (many boys are passionate about these genres);
• newspapers, magazines, comic books, baseball cards, and instruction
manuals – materials that are often not available in the classroom.
Interestingly, when they read these materials, many boys do not consider themselves to be reading at all, precisely because these materials are not valued at school.
(Moloney, 2002)
Give them what they want!
A great classroom library that appeals to both boys and girls includes:
-Allow students choice in their reading
-Allow students choice in their reading
• both fiction and non-fiction
• non-print resources, such as CD-ROMs
• texts representing a wide range of formats and genres
• popular as well as “traditional” materials
• lots of easy-to-read books, graphic novels to build fluency and to provide enjoyment
•Make sure students understand what they are reading, ask questions and re-read as required
• Activate prior knowledge and connect to the real world
• Have students ask questions about the text!
• Model strategies by thinking aloud as you read
• Draw inferences from a text and provide opportunities for students to talk about it!
• Create a mental picture of plot lines, main and supporting ideas in a text, or relationships between characters and events
Introduce Positive Male Role Models in Your Classroom
Boys are used to having female teachers for the most part, and it's usually mom who helps with homework and reading at home. So bring in some positive men in the classroom to show that reading is fun! Contact men in the community (local sports teams, firemen, policemen and even the dads of students in your class) and invite them into the classroom to participate in a read aloud!
Offer Choices and Make it Fun!
Role play: Students take on the roles of characters in a text.
Dramatic play: Students use a part from text for creating their own story or drama.
Newscast: Students produce a news broadcast based on characters and events
in a text.
Don't forget technology! Boys loves iPads and can use iMovie to act out a favourite scene, use Bitstrips to make a comic strip or Garage Band to make a song or rap!
Guys Read
“Guys Read” is the name of an innovative website (http://guysread.com/) developed by
author Jon Scieszka (2003, p. 17) to put young male readers in touch with appropriate reading materials and a community of like-minded readers.
Scieszka asks, “So how do we start motivating our boys to read? One obvious solution is to
get more men involved in teaching, more fathers actively reading with their boys, and adult men generally showing boys that reading is a male activity.”
Don't Forget About Parents!
Foster the involvement of parents as partners at home and in school.
➔ Encourage members of the community to get involved
at the school.
➔ Provide resources for parents, such as parent–child reading kits and information sessions on how to
support their children’s literacy learning.
➔ Create opportunities for two-way communication with parents.
Source: Me Read and How? Ontario teachers report on how to improve boys’ literacy skills
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/meread_andhow.pdf
Don't Forget About Parents!
Foster the involvement of parents as partners at home and in school.➔ Encourage members of the community to get involved
at the school.
➔ Provide resources for parents, such as parent–child reading kits and information sessions on how to
support their children’s literacy learning.
➔ Create opportunities for two-way communication with parents.
Source: Me Read and How? Ontario teachers report on how to improve boys’ literacy skills
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/meread_andhow.pdf
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