Purpose Statement
An important study skill is homework completion, but
sometimes students will not even open their books to look at the reading
involved for homework assignments. By motivating the students in their work in
this way, they realize that the task is “not so bad” and is already begun.
After several successfully completed assignments, students begin to develop
this study skill independently.
Description of
Activity
In a reading class, naturally there is a lot of reading
homework expected of the students. Whatever the assignment, (poem, short story,
novel, or essay) I begin a dramatic reading of the assignment to the class. I
read sometimes up to half of the assignment outloud, pausing to ask students
for predictions and to clarify vocabulary. I stop reading at a critical point
of suspense that most always creates a groan in the classroom. Students have
told me emphatically that this motivates them to finish the story on their own.
Materials Needed
• 5-15 minutes of classroom time
Application
When I have not started the story with them, I have much higher numbers of students who have not completed the reading assignment. This lesson is not limited to fiction reading; non-fiction texts and textbooks are equally demystified when begun in class in this manner.
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and modified on 6/6/99 at 4:37:06 PM