Boys And Literacy

In recent years the issue of boys and literacy, namely that they are worse at it compared to girls, has become a key area of interest to all those concerned with the education of our children. This book highlights the key factors causing this divide and discusses the implementation of new strategies to overcome it, which have been the result of extensive qualitative research made by the author. Trisha Maynard reports case study findings of a primary school whose staff wanted to explore and improve boys' attitudes towards and attainment in literacy, and in particular their difficulties with writing. The book highlights issues concerning the reading and writing of stories, what teachers understand by 'good story writing' and the importance of teachers exploring boys' and girls' difficulties with literacy by themselves. It provides significant insight into boys' difficulties with writing as well as informing teachers how to find out about children's attainment.

Literacy and boys is currently a hot issue in education and the media. This new book by award winning authors Knowles and Smith explores the facts and research on the topic and furnishes annotations of current, relevant journal and magazine articles. It gives strategies for making changes in the classroom and the home to help improve the literacy of boys and includes suggestions based on current brain research. Chapters focusing on genres of particular interest to boys (horror, adventure, science fiction, war, fantasy, mysteries, etc.) include information, annotated journal articles, general discussion questions, at least ten book annotations, and a list of additional titles for each genre. All titles also include a reading level and one chapter features graphic novels. Helpful appendices furnish information about magazines and authors of particular interest to boys. Grades 4-8.

Provides strong research analysis alongside effective instructional approaches to increasing boys' literacy skills and motivation.

Current debates about boys and schooling in many Western nations are increasingly characterised by a sense of crisis as government reports, academic research and the day to day experiences of teachers combine to indicate that: * boys are consistently underperforming in literacy * boys are continuing to opt out of English and humanities * boys represent the majority of behaviour problems and counselling referrals * boys receive a disproportionate amount of special education support This book responds to the complexity of the current debates associated with boys, gender reform, literacy and schooling by offering a clear map of the current context, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the various competing solutions put forward, and outlining a range of practical classroom interventions designed for dealing with the boys/literacy crisis. The authors consider the ways in which particular views of masculinity, gender reform, literacy, technology and popular culture can either open up or close down new conceptualisations of what it means to be a boy and what it means to be literate.

Boys, Masculinities and Reading explores elementary students’ interpretations of their experiences of reading and the contextual influences that impact those experiences. While research continues to highlight the apparent systematic underperformance of boys in comparison to girls on national and international reading benchmarks, this text moves beyond broad generalizations to consider complexities inherent in notions of masculinity and associated tensions. Applying a socio-cultural perspective, Scholes highlights the voices of boys and girls by focusing on their reading experiences. Examining the perceived, generalized "crisis" of boys’ underperformance in reading and literacy, Scholes identifies the factors that shape perceptions of masculinity among different groups of boys across the globe.

Whitehots May 14/04.