Motivation | Imagine This!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

An irresistible way to change lives with a book

We know books can shape lives in many ways. Here is one easy way to bring that power to your elementary classroom or home.

I learned this lesson my freshman year in high school. I attended a diverse Chicago high school. And I can tell you, there were plenty of students who wished they were anywhere but school.

But one thing the school had going for it was a gifted veteran English teacher who knew the power of books. And she gave us a gift some 35 years ago.

She had us read the gothic romance novel Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. (Not exactly the coolest book for a high school boy to read. The cover looked like a romance novel your mom would read at the beauty shop.) To my surprise, it was a great book. But I was in for a much bigger surprise a few days later. Read more »

Posted by Dave in ESL | 1 Comment »

Friday, July 30, 2010

How to bully-proof your struggling students

During the move to our new building, our office plant broke in half. I was heartbroken, but I put the broken half of the plant into a container of water with the hope that the plant would grow new roots. For the first few snowy months, nothing happened. No roots. Then, spring came and the weather started warming up. Seemingly overnight, my struggling plant was thriving, and all because the conditions were finally right. My plant had to be comfortable before he could really start to grow. So what does a plant have to do with bullying?

Like plants, students need the right conditions to really send out their roots and start growing. Unfortunately, many students hold back because they don’t feel comfortable in the classroom. One of the big reasons for this is bullying. Bullying can happen to any student, but English learners, struggling readers, and students with disabilities can be especially vulnerable because they may feel out of place or have low self-esteem. Luckily, you don’t have to wait for a weather change to banish bullies and strengthen your struggling student.

Read more »

Posted by Brenda in English Learners, ESL, Struggling Readers, Students with Disabilities | 7 Comments »

Thursday, July 1, 2010

3 ways to build a community for struggling readers

Sometimes all a struggling reader needs is a support group. But with all your students out of school, where can they get the support they need to keep reading?

It’s time to build a community.

Posted by Lisa in Struggling Readers | 2 Comments »

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

15 ways to motivate struggling students this summer

The progress your struggling readers have made this year can be far too easily undone in one summer spent in front of the television. A few days ago, we posted some ideas for helping parents successfully teach reading at home, adapted from a 2003 article by Linda Baker. What Baker’s research also noted, aside from the importance of teaching reading at home, is the importance of motivating struggling readers to read at home.

If students are motivated to read, they’re likely to keep reading and progressing on their own. But without the extrinsic motivators your classroom provides—things like recognition, grades, and competition—your readers might do significantly less reading (and make significantly less progress) over the summer break. Luckily, your students will have access to another powerful motivator: their parents.