Oral reading with a purpose but also for fun
By Elizabeth Alber
When I was first asked to start the Adult Education program at the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, the thing I knew for sure that I wanted to include was reading out loud to the students at the end of class every day. I have such great memories of my dad reading to my brother and me after supper and of my husband and I reading to our daughters and now our grandchildren, that I wanted to continue that with my students. It occurred to me though they are adults, that this might be something they missed in their childhood. I also suspected that after several hours of work, their brains would need a break and I could continue to teach them by reading out loud. They would see it as just a story but in reality it was a reading lesson.
A reading lesson? How? I wanted them to know how to read a story- use voices for each character, not a monotone voice reading individual syllables but a picture being drawn with words. It surprises me when my student will read something to me and it is a flat one-tone series of words. I always then re-read it to them using inflection and excitement. Even a math question should sound interesting. I get to point out vocabulary- often noting a word I didn’t know and had to look up its meaning. That tells them that they are not the only ones still learning. I get to point out context clues and ask- do you remember when he said this and now this is happening? Foreshadowing, metaphors, similes, irony, rising action, climax, falling action, protagonist, antagonist, author’s intent are not just words on a worksheet but become concepts fleshed out in real time. There is also the encouragement factor, by me showing enthusiasm for reading they could also become interested in reading a book of their own.
I choose books about real problems, big problems, huge adversity that the hero or heroes must overcome. Some of those obstacles are racism, depression, suicide, anger, resentment, horrible childhoods, hard jobs, economic disadvantages, absent parents or favoriteism by a parent/ guardian, and physical abuse or neglect. Being in jail, these themes resonate with my students. But it is more than just resonating that I want. I want them to recognize the problems and see how someone else overcame those issues. How it didn’t stop them but instead gave them the motivation to achieve greatness. How my students can also achieve if they are willing to not let those same circumstance stand in their way, Sometimes the message is subtle and I let them come to their own conclusions and sometimes I need to be direct and point it out, get in their face and tell them this is something they can also do, it will be hard, but worth it in the end.
When we are ready for a new book I give them a short commercial about each book and let them choose.
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline: Ninety year old Vivian is looking back on her life and experiences she has had. Seventeen year old Molly is in foster care and is angry and bitter that she has been assigned community service to help Vivian clean out her attic. She thinks Vivian’s life has been easy, after all, look at all her stuff. But as she opens boxes and Vivian tells stories she discovers that the old lady has had terrible things happen in her life, yet has chosen not to be bitter, to take each day as a blessing, to rise above and thrive in adversity. I do warn them that there is a section that makes me cry. Two pages where I’m a blubbering mess, but that is alright, they need to see how the story affects me.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: A black man is accused of raping a white women which he absolutely did not do, but it is 1933 in rural Alabama so he will be found guilty. That’s just what happened in 1933. But Atticus is his lawyer, and he teaches his two children and the whole town how to stand up for what is right, even when you are “beaten before you start”. The “N” word is used (historically accurate for the culture of the time it takes place and when it was written) so I do have a discussion about the word and how I change it. I also share how this book was fundamental in my home growing up. My parents were the ages of Jem and Scout in 1933. My grandfathers, being good southern gentlemen, would have been on the jury and found Tom guilty because that’s what you did in 1933. But my parents were different, they taught us differently. I talk about culture and how changes come slowly, but it does come. Any African American student has the right to veto this book, no questions asked. None have chosen to use that exception.
October Sky by Homer Hickam: Homer writes about his childhood in Coalwood, West Virginia in 1957. His dad is the coal mine superintendent but his mom hates the mine and wants better for her boy. This causes tension in the house. Homer sees Sputnik fly overhead and decides he wants to learn how to shoot off rockets. But he doesn’t know the math, the science, or the engineering to do it. Soon the whole town is invested in his project and helps him achieve his goals. Like the town of Coalwood coming together to achieve one person’s goal, I hope my students can see the value of people in their pod, but not in their class, helping them in big or small ways to achieve their goal of a HSE.
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown: This story follows Joe Rantz in his quest to row in the 8 men rowing team for the University of Washington at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Knowing ahead of time that they win Gold takes nothing away from the story because Joe and all the others should have failed a thousand times over. The story is like braiding hair, you take this piece about the making of the boat and add this piece about Joe and then this piece about the rise of Hitler and the construction of the Olympics in Berlin, weave in about the coaches ,the boat builder and the skill it takes to row a boat and you have a wonderful story. Your heart will pound as you are right there in the boat pulling with them as they go stroke for stroke in every race.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman: Ove is a grumpy curmudgeon who at first glance hates everyone and everything. But as you dig deeper you see some of the disappointments that have made him who he is. Heartbreak can destroy you if you let it and his new neighbors refuse to let it. He does try, unsuccessfully, to kill himself several times so this leads to some very serious conversations in class. We all carry our own baggage which others don’t always understand but with some sympathy and empathy we can help and be helped in ways we don’t always, at first, comprehend.
I have recently reached out to Melinda Grismer, President of the Indiana Literary Association (ILA) for a grant from the Spark Aid Fund to purchase 5 copies of A Man Called Ove. The process took less than ten minutes and netted me the books I needed. This is a resource available to all IAACE members.
Some of the comments I have heard over the years are: “Can you just read to us the whole time”. “I don’t remember anyone ever reading out loud to me before. “This sounds like a guy in my pod. I wonder what has happened in his life.” “She was so brave, I can’t believe she did that.” “Why do you always stop at the good part?” “Do we have to stop, can’t we keep reading a little longer?” “That father is horrible, I can’t believe the son turned out so good.” “Wait a minute, they are the same person? How ?” “I’ve never guessed what happened next before.” “Is there another book by this same author?” “Can I take this back in the pod and read ahead?”
Are there 1000 other books I could read? Absolutely, but these are the ones I have chosen. All of these books except OrphanTrain have a movie about the book, so once we complete the book we have received permission to watch and discuss the movie in class– a rare treat in our facility. Even those who graduate before we complete the book, can attend the movie, if they take the book back and finish reading it. Only graduates can read the book in the pods, I do not want my present students to read these books as homework. I want to sneak this learning in, keep it under their work radar, get them emotionally invested in the story so they don’t even realize how much I am teaching them. This is a fun activity as far as they are concerned, but for me, this is teaching at its best.
