Fostering a love of literacy

In my middle school reading class, Devon introduced himself and asked about the class’s subject. When I said, “Reading and writing,” he promptly said he wasn’t interested, vowing not to participate in any classwork.

Since then, true to his word, Devon has attended class sporadically and barely spoken during those rare appearances. Despite my efforts to motivate him, nothing seemed to work until we started reading “Touching Spirit Bear” by Ben Mikaelsen. Suddenly, Devon’s attendance improved significantly. When I asked him the reason he was coming to school more regularly, he said he needed to know what happened next in the story. That is the power of a great book; it sparks an interest in even the most reluctant readers. That spark is all I need to set students like Devon on the path to becoming better readers.