What’s Your Genre?

How can we increase motivation in the students who “don’t like to read”? That is the million dollar question for teachers everywhere! My suggestion is to introduce them to as many genres as possible, so that one will eventually peak their interest. Reading in Action has recently posted a few articles about some genres that may interest the reluctant readers.

Steampunk (link): Steampunk is the hot new thing in many areanas! As this article explains, steampunk is a style of books, clothes, movies, etc. that are inspired by the original science fiction genre and the era in which steam power was the primary form of technology. This article provides an explanation of the new genre and has several suggestions about how to integrate it into a classroom (or at least introduce it to kids!). One of the best resources is a link to a book list for this genre. The book list is divided by grade level, but has books for students ranging in age from kindergarten through high school.

Horror (link): This article suggests that the horror genre appeals to students because of the fright factor. The article links to J.L. Benet’s page, which provides several options for teaching the horror genre, including genre related lesson and unit plans, lesson plans for specific texts, web quest links, articles about the genre, and reading lists of horror books. There is also a link to The Moonlit Road, a website filled with audio files of ghost stories. Even the most reluctant reader can listen to scary stories! And of course, you can’t mention the horror genre without mentioning Edgar Allen Poe (one of my personal favorites)! This article links to the Edgar Allen Poe Museum which could provide more information to students who are interested.