Fostering Diverse Reading Interests by MaryEllen Shu

1. Reading
Without Walls:
Fostering
Diverse Reading
Interests
Mary Ellen K. Shu
Library & Learning Resources Technician

2. ▪ The Reading Without Walls
(Yang, 2016) project challenges
students to read diverse books
▪ 53% of Casa de Oro students
grades 3-6 met the California
Standards for reading
▪ Casa de Oro students had
definite preferences for certain
types of books to the extent that
some students only read
particular genres or authors
▪ It was imperative that we
develop innovative and creative
reading programs to
complement classroom learning
2
15%
4%
55%
6%
8%
12%
CASA DE ORO STUDENT
POPULATION
2018-2019
African American Asian Pacific Islander
Hispanic Middle Eastern
Mixed White
Project Context

3. Project Context
3
▪ In a biannual reading survey conducted by Scholastic, in conjunction
with YouGov (2016), 89% of children ages 6-17 agreed that their
favorite books were the ones they had picked out for themselves
▪ Children need such books that can help them understand the
multicultural nature of the world (Bishop, 1990)
▪ When children have access to books that are primarily written by and
about white people, white children have a much easier time making
connections to themselves and their community (Gangi & Genfer, 2014)
▪ Diverse library materials allows children to develop an appreciation
for the culture of others (Naidoo, 2014)
▪ Children who do not see characters like themselves in books they
read believe they are not worthy of appearing in books (Boyd, 2013)

4. Aim of this Study
▪ To support students to build early
positive reading habits needed for
college and career readiness
▪ To find whether intentional planning
and activities would help strengthen
students’ reading interests and
broaden their attitudes toward new
and different readings
4

5. Research Design
5
▪ Over 100 new books were added to the school’s library collection
▪ All students, grades 3-6, completed a pre-project survey
▪ Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagen from San Diego State University spoke at
Casa de Oro about the Reading Without Walls project and read one
of her recently published books
▪ Students were encouraged to participate by reading a book about
someone who looked and lived differently from the student, a book
about a topic that the student knew little about, or a book of a
different genre
▪ After reading a qualifying book, students were asked to fill out a
simple book review with incentives offered
▪ Thirty students grades 3rd-5th and six 6th grade students were
randomly selected for an interview to elaborate on post-project
survey questions

6. Results & Analysis
6
▪ 33% of participating students initially reported in their pre-project
surveys that they did not like to read books outside of their preference
□ “I tried once [reading different kinds of books] and I didn’t like it.”
(5th grade girl)
▪ After participating, all 64 students reported that they would like to
continue reading different kinds of books
□ “It was fun reading something new. Now I know I can read other
types of books!” (3rd grade girl)
▪ Analysis of students’ genre choices was conducted using the 36
randomly-selected interviewees as a small sample size. The most
popular genres were:
□ Graphic novels (22 students)
□ Humor (21 students)
□ Scary books (18 students)

7. ▪ A total of 176 book reviews were written by students
▪ 29% were about diverse people (fictional or real) who lived and
looked differently from students
□ “I learned that people like Zaha [Hadid, architect] were treated
unfairly” (4th grade girl)
▪ 32% were about subjects that students knew little about
□ “I learned some Japanese words like konnichiwa!” (5th grade boy)
▪ 39% covered books of different genres than what students usually
read
□ “I found out that these books, biographies, are a type of book I love to
read” (4th grade girl)
7
Results & Analysis:
Book Reviews

8. Results & Analysis:
Conclusion
▪ By participating in the challenge, students opened their minds to
meeting an incredibly diverse group of people through reading
▪ The variety of new books helped to stimulate the interest of students
▪ The broad parameters of the Reading Without Walls challenge made
it relatively easy for motivated students to choose titles
▪ The activities and incentives enticed 41% of the 3rd-6th grade
students to experiment with diverse reading habits
▪ However, of 31 upper grade students who were designated as
English Language Learner students, only 11 participated
8

9. Reflection: Meeting the
Challenge
▪ How can we encourage the remaining 59% of the upper grade
student population to participate?
▪ How can we nurture and build on this interest in reading diverse
books so it becomes a habit?
▪ The library theme for this new year will be Reading Without Walls
▪ Special efforts will be made to engage those students who did not
participate last year as finding “right fit” books often takes more time
and effort
▪ Ultimate goals as educators are to instill in our children a lifelong love
for reading with the positive reading habits needed for active
citizenship, college, and careers and to help our children understand
and appreciate the multicultural nature of our community
9

10. Works Cited
▪ Bishop, R. S. (1990). Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors. Perspectives:
Choosing the Using Books for the Classroom.
▪ Bishop, R. S. (Ed.). (1994). Kaleidoscope: A multicultural booklist for grades K–8.
Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
▪ Boltz, R. H. (2007). What We Want: Boys and Girls Talk about Reading. School
Library Media Research.
▪ Boyd, F. B. (2013, January). The Common Core State Standards & Diversity:
Unpacking the Text Exemplars Presented in Appendix B. Retrieved August 2018,
from Reading Today: www.reading.org
▪ Common Core (n.d.). Common Core Anchor Standards. Retrieved from
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/CCRA/R/
▪ Davila, D. & Patrick, L. (2010, January). Asking the Experts: What Children Have to
Say about Their Reading Preferences. Language Arts, Volume 87, No. 3, pp. 199-
210.
10

11. Works Cited
▪ Ganji, J. M. & Benfer, N. (2014, September 16). How Common Core's recommended
books fail children of color. Retrieved September 2, 2018, from The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/09/16/how-common-
cores-recommended-books-fail-children-of-color/?utm_term=.a7a0f1fa44a6
▪ Naidoo, J. C. (2014, April 5). The Importance of Diversity in Library Programs and
Material Collections for Children. Retrieved August 10, 2018, from Association for
Library Service to Children: http://www.ala.org/alsc/publications-resources
▪ Library of Congress. (2017, April 7). Gene Luen Yang Launches "Reading Without
Walls" Project. https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-17-051/gene-luen-yang-national-
ambassador-for-young-peoples-literature-to-launch-reading-without-walls-
project-at-library-of-congress/2017-04-07
▪ Scholastic & YouGov. (2016). Kids & Family Reading Report, 6th Edition. Scholastic
Inc.
▪ Yang, G. L. (2016, May 13). The Reading Without Walls Challenge. Retrieved July
7, 2018, from Gene Luen Yang: Cartoonist and Teacher: http://geneyang.com/the-
reading-without-walls-challenge
11