Engaging Boys In Active Literacy

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

When it comes to reading, teen and preteen boys are the most difficult students. This book addresses the growing concern among middle and high school teachers about boys' lack of literacy growth and independent reading. The book makes the case that boys are in the greatest need of help with literacy instruction and stresses the importance of engaging boys in active literacy both in and out of school. Structured on the premise that adolescent males need to be exposed to literary images they can identify with and look up to, the book presents 10 positive male archetypes that engage boys and capture their unique male imaginations. It defines several such archetypes and shares instructional vignettes in which teachers across the curriculum develop innovative strategies and activities using young adult books with these archetypes. The book also shows teachers how to work with adults in the community to positively influence boys' literacy behavior and create conditions that encourage them to read. An appendix offers a booklist of 300 titles to help teachers identify appropriate archetypal literature. Contains an over 300-item list of references and literature cited. (NKA)

It's no secret that boys in the United States are at great risk of failing at school, due in large part to their disinterest in traditional literacy texts. ... The second edition of [book title] centers on finding entry points for boys who are otherwise disinterested in reading, then engaging them with books that contain positive male archetypes such as the Pilgrim, Patriarch, King, Healer, Prophet, and Lover.

The authors explore the physical, social, and cognitive roots of engaging young male readers; offers strategies to inspire them in the classroom, at home, and in the wider community.

Lessons from Chevys -- Developing competence and providing control -- Teaching so it matters -- Making literacy visible and social -- A look at writing : getting to the heart of the matter -- Present possibilities.

Michael Gurian's blockbuster bestseller The Wonder of Boys is the bible for mothers, fathers, and educators on how to understand and raise boys. It has sold over 400,000 copies, been translated into 17 languages, and sells over 25,000 every year, which is more than any other book on boys in history. To follow up on this first book, which launched the boy's movement, he has now written this revolutionary new book which confronts what he and a lot of other parents and teachers in this country truly believe to be a "boy's crisis". Here are the facts: Boys today are simply not learning as well as girls Boys receive 70% of the Ds and Fs given all students Boys cause 90% of classroom discipline problems 80% of all high school dropouts are boys Millions of American boys are on Ritalin and other mind-bending control drugs Only 40% of college students are boys And three out of four learning disabled students are boys So what can we do? Gurian has the answer in this enormously fascinating and practical book which shows parents and teachers how to help boys overcome their current classroom obstacles by helping to create the proper learning environment, understand how to help boys work with their unique natural gifts, nurture and expand every bit of their potential, and enabling them to succeed in life the way they ought to. Gurian presents a whole new way of solving the problem based on the success of his program in schools across the country, the latest research and application of neuro-biological research on how boys' brains actually work and how they can learn very well if they're properly taught. Anyone who cares about the future of our boys must read this book.