tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304900740955463233.post8294629195822713520..comments2024-03-18T15:05:43.381-07:00Comments on SKrashen: There is no "Percy Jackson" problemskrashenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02243115140886175946noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304900740955463233.post-14773234181946755342014-11-07T18:54:22.230-08:002014-11-07T18:54:22.230-08:00As a middle school special ed. teacher working in ...As a middle school special ed. teacher working in a poor school with a predominant ELD population I used the Lightning Thief and books like it to teach reading and language arts. First of all "light" reading is only light if you are a fluent English reader. What I liked about these books is that students wanted to read them., I could teach literary devices with them better than I could with the grade level anthology, and reading levels made large gains. <br /> I think this works because the more a person sees a word the more the context clues they acquire to infer meaning as well as they gain more opportunities to be fluent with the word. After all I think this is the way most fluent readers learn to read.<br /> I think it is a bit arrogant of a teacher to assume they know which words their students know and which they will struggle with. Hence using "light" reading enables me to address the vocabulary deficits that I don't know about. <br /> Only a good story from a good book will turn around a reluctant reader. I approach finding reading material for my class by asking, would I buy this book? Did Hollywood spend millions of dollars on this story to bring it to the movies? If I wouldn't buy it, Hollywood gave it a pass, why would my middle schoolers want to read it? I think they are more like me than they are different.<br /> Bring on Sea of Monsters!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09573481914762451975noreply@blogger.com