Getting my children to read is not difficult. They are both avid readers and love going to the library. Getting them to read books for school (re: literature)--now that's a different story. My son admits that just having a book assigned takes all of the fun out of reading it even if its a book he would have enjoyed on his own.
Every year since we started homeschooling, my daughter has fought me when it comes to the study of literature. The first year (sixth grade) was very difficult as we adjusted to homeschooling. After all, it was a very big change from the private school she had attended. So, struggling with assigned books was just part of the larger struggle. All she had to do was read the book and discuss it with me. Those conversations were like pulling teeth! I finally made a rubric for expected behaviors during the conversation and gave her a grade based on her performance. During seventh and eighth grades, I tried to focus the conversations on different elements of literature: the plot, character development, symbolism, themes, etc. It was a nightmare, and we never finished all of the books on my list. In ninth grade (last year), we used Excellence in Literature: Reading and Writing Through the Classics an outstanding classical curriculum by Janice Campbell. I thought using a curriculum would help by removing me from the equation. My daughter would independently follow the instructions, do the research, read the books, and write the papers. I have never heard so much whining and complaining, and in the meantime, my daughter read only 8 books.
So, inspired by Donalyn Miller and her book The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Reader in Every Child, I decided to take a different approach this year. Donalyn questions the standard approach to teaching literature in which one book is read and studied over several weeks. She feels this discourages reading by tuning it into a mind-numbing chore. She suggests that children are encouraged to read when they are allowed to read widely and at their own pace from books of their own choosing. Genres, literary styles and devices, plot analysis, character development and themes are all covered in short classroom lessons, and then kids are free to read for the rest of the period. Donalyn asks whether it is better to have students study 8 to 9 texts in depth and destroy their love for reading or to have them read widely from a broad range of choices.
This year, my daughter is studying world literature. At the beginning of the year, I compiled a list of 88 books from 18 different countries. All of the books were on lists of books to be read before college or were award winners. I told my daughter that she had to read 23 of them, specifying how many she had to read from each country. She gets to choose which books she reads. When she finishes those books, she has to read 10 more of her own choosing. We still have brief lessons about literature--not about the specific books she is reading-- and she still has to write the occasional paper.
So far, my daughter has read 10 books, and we are only half way through the school year! She is excited about reading and for the most part, enjoys the books she chooses. Every once in a while, she comes across one that she does not like. She doesn't have to finish it. She can just choose another .And she does not shy from challenges. She took on Hugo's Les Miserables (well over 1000 pages and not easy reading) and rewarded herself by seeing the movie. Even if she does not read the required number of books, she's already read more books than she read last year or in any of the prior years, and she is becoming familiar with a wide range of literature. She's happy and I'm happy. Thank you Donalyn.
Follow Donalyn Miller:
her blog http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1970104.Donalyn_Miller/blog
on twitter @donalynbooks
her website: http://www.bookwhisperer.com/
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