Reading Matters Winter 2019

(Henry et al., 2012; Huang, Liang, & Chiu, 2013; Roy & Chi, 2003; Ziming & Huang, 2008), and the reading achievement gap narrows when boys and girls are tested on digital reading (Brozo et al., 2014). Indeed, digital media is rapidly becoming the norm for literacy practice, and schools must harness student interest in digital literacy to appeal to this technologically savvy generation. In a study out of the University of Florida, researchers created a program called Digital Booktalk in order to appeal to technologically minded students. The program involved the use of digital resources to create a book trailer, and findings of the study revealed participants’ attained a heightened value of reading and greater interest in books (Henry et al., 2012). Due to the fact that many schools have moved to a one- to-one program design, digital texts are more accessible than ever before. For this reason, we recommend that teachers always offer students the choice of reading classroom material from digital texts. While some students may prefer traditional printed text, EBooks offer several benefits that motivate and aid student reading, such as the ability to adjust font size, utilize the digital dictionary and thesaurus, take notes, and use the text-to-speech feature (Larson, 2010; Thoermer &Williams, 2012). These features of manipulation give students autonomy over their own learning which aids in student reading success (Larson, 2010). For students not yet reading independently, several websites offer interactive read-alouds that display picture book illustrations alongside the text. Storyline Online (www. storylineonline.net) is one such website sponsored by the Screen Actors Guild Association “featuring well-known actors and actresses…who read aloud children’s stories (Thoermer &Williams, 2012). Thoermer &Williams (2012) recommend using digital read-alouds for student activation of background knowledge, choral reading, and fluency/prosody practice. A final recommendation for incorporating digital texts into classroom curriculum is to engage students in self-created digital content. In particular, fanfiction is an excellent arena for students to explore the interaction of reading and writing. Websites, such as fanfiction.net, give students a platform to publish their own written stories while also encouraging writers to review each other’s work via instant messaging and discussion boards. While fanfiction may at first appear unsuitable for the classroom, Alvermann (2008) argues that “audience appeal” and the in-depth discussions that organically originate around student chosen reading and original writing “are the main factors in young people’s decisions to create” (p. 10). Video Games. Correspondingly, computer games are another area of digital literacy needed in the classroom in order to engage students in literate practices that are typically undervalued in school. To illustrate, students who may not classify themselves as “readers”within the traditional school definition are often willing to participate with the literate practices that video games afford. During most games, players encounter a great many written texts, including “notes, e-mail, diaries, and messages” (Gee, 2007, p. 96), along with the game’s backstory and instructions found in the manual. Players are also encouraged to read video game websites and magazines in order to learn new strategies of play

and to further their participation by writing reviews of the games themselves. According to Gee (2007), video game design is a model for school learning and ideal for engaging reluctant learners. While a plethora of educational video games are available to students, we recommend incorporating popular role-playing video games into classroom curriculum. For example, games focused on building new worlds, such as SimCity , Civilization III , and Second Life , provide students with the opportunity to participate in new identities through role-play in order to view their world from a different perspective. Specifically, Sqire (2005) researched the use of Civilization III in a large urban high school, he found the game allowed students to interact with historical events and consider “hypothetical historical scenarios, such as the conditions under which a Native American tribe might have successfully resisted European settlement or even colonized Europe” (p. 2). Beyond just playing video games, we recommend students participate in making their own. By using software to create games, students engage in informational writing (e.g., walkthroughs and instructions) and narrative writing (e.g., backstory and scripts) while also using interpretive writing to actually design the game (Alvermann, 2008; Burn, 2007). A good place for students to start is with interactive fiction—a digital version of choice-based narratives, such as the Choose Your Own Adventure book series. Easy to use authoring tools include, Inform (http://inform7. com/), Twine (http://twinery.org/), and Inklewriter (https:// www.inklestudios.com/inklewriter/education/) (Farber, 2015). Text Choice. Another vital change needed in all US classrooms is greater opportunity for student text choice. Often classroom lessons and activities center on an individual text read by the entire class. This is detrimental to boys’ reading engagement because teacher text selections often have greater appeal for females than for males due to a bias toward female protagonists and emotive based narratives (Boltz, 2007; Doiron, 2007; Harkrader & Moore, 1997; Simpson, 1996). Yet, simply selecting more boy-friendly texts to be read by the entire class is not sufficient and runs the risk of also isolating the female learners in the classroom. For instance, a case study by Watson and Kehler (2012) on a high school English class found that the implementation of a book about boats, which was considered boy-friendly, did not appeal to the majority of boys. The authors concluded, “choosing reading materials to address [student] interests and needs is complex” (p. 50). A one-size-fits-all reading curriculum will inevitably polarize students, appealing to a handful while disengaging the rest. In fact, Marinak and Gambrell (2010) found personal choice of texts is one of the greatest methods to enhance the intrinsic reading motivation of children. Thus, boys need agency in selecting books for themselves which connect to their personal interests and reflect their life experiences (Henry et al., 2012; Merisuo-Storm, 2006; Watson & Kehler, 2012). One of the most popular ways to incorporate student text choice into curriculum is through literature circles or book clubs. Emerging in the early 1980s, literature circles have become a widely accepted and adaptable practice in all grade levels and subjects (Daniels, 2002; 2006). In literature circles (or book clubs), groups are formed around a common student selected text with all reading schedules and discussions structured by each individual group

Reading Matters Choice Matters

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