Engaging Adolescents in Reading

"A must-read for all middle and high school teachers interested in motivating and engaging their students to enhance their reading development and help them enjoy it at the same time."
―Lesley M. Morrow, Professor of Literacy
Rutgers University

"This rich compendium of information offers a solid plan of action for teachers who want to ensure that their students are highly motivated literacy learners."
―Linda B. Gambrell, Distinguished Professor of Education
Clemson University

Inspire learners′ passion for reading!

Every day, secondary school teachers face the challenge of engaging students in essential reading tasks. This accessible text links key instructional practices with current research on reading motivation, engagement, and classroom context to help reluctant learners become active readers.

Featuring contributions from content teachers working in collaboration with reading researcher John T. Guthrie, Engaging Adolescents in Reading offers examples that vividly illustrate how motivation looks from the teacher′s vantage point and how students can experience deep reading engagement. The writers discuss teaching frameworks, student activities, and textbooks, and demonstrate how to use classroom-tested motivational approaches. This insightful book shows educators how to:

• Infuse reading assignments with significance and meaning
• Present choices that encourage students to take charge of their learning
• Tap into adolescents′ social natures through group activities
• Build proficiency and confidence in struggling readers

With examples from the content areas, these strategies help teachers increase adolescents′ engagement with texts and boost their reading enjoyment.

John T. Guthrie is the Jean Mullan Professor of Literacy in the Department of Human Development at the University of Maryland, College Park. As Director of the Maryland Literacy Research Center, he studies motivations and strategies in reading at all school levels. Before coming to Maryland, he was Research Director for the International Reading Association. He began his career at Johns Hopkins University, where he founded the Kennedy School for children with reading disabilities. His works on reading engagement have been published in the Reading Research Quarterly, the Journal of Educational Psychology, and the Elementary School Journal. He is a recipient of the Oscar Causey Award for Outstanding Reading Research, a member of the International Reading Association Hall of Fame, and the 2004 recipient of the University of Maryland System Regents’ Award for research/scholarship/creative activity.