This document provides strategies for building a culture of reading to address the problem of alliteracy in middle school students. It suggests showing students that reading can be a pleasure by talking about your own reading, making book recommendations, creating a relaxing reading environment, and doing read alouds. Additional ideas include reading competitions and incentives, enlisting parents' help, and providing extra reading time and materials. The goal is to help students recognize reading as a rewarding activity rather than just an assignment.

1. Abolish Alliteracy:
Building a Culture of Reading
Beth Claycomb, M.S. Ed.
7th Grade Language Arts
Lewis-Palmer Middle School
Monument, Colorado

2. Pop Quiz!
Young people have an average of 5 hours of
leisure time to fill every day. How do you as an
adult feel young people should divide up the
following activities to fill that time?
1. Reading 2. Video games 3. Sports
4. Relaxing 5. TV 6. Socializing

3. What is Alliteracy?
• Sometimes spelled “aliteracy”
• Having the ability to read (no disability or lack
of education) but not wanting to
• Alliteracy is not being illiterate
• Alliteracy is its own issue
– Perhaps not the same as a reluctant reader, shy
reader, picky reader, etc. . .

4. Why Alliteracy?
• Alliteracy and the Middle School Student
– “The alliteracy rate in America is alarming.”
(Brassell, 2013)
– University of Oxford study (Taylor, 2011)
• My experiences
• Master’s Capstone

5. What does the research say?
• The value of reading (Kelley & Decker, 2009)
• Self-Efficacy = Motivation (Mucherah & Yoder,
2008)
• Self-selection of reading material (Pritcher et al.,
2007)
• Reading role models (Tilley, 2009)
• Reading for fun as “extremely important”
(Scholastic, 2014)
• Dedicated reading time (Kittle, 2009; Miller, 2014)
• The success of SSR

6. What do the bloggers say?
• Teachers, literacy experts, and bloggers report
that the love of reading is being “killed”

8. What do students say?

9. Pop Quiz Results

10. What are our expectations?
• A love of reading should be cultivated
• Teachers and parents recognize that the love
of reading can pave the way for a successful
future
• Reading for pleasure should be part of a
child’s extra-curricular day

11. Building a Culture around Books
or
How to Put the FUN into Reading
• Reading for pleasure should be . . . a pleasure
• How do we help students recognize reading
can be a pleasure?

12. Show off Your Reading Skills
• Talk about your own reading
• Post a “currently reading”
sign
– Change the title regularly
• Ask your students for
recommendations for your
next read
• Share where you find good
books to read
– Goodreads? Family or Friends?

13. Impress With Your Reading
Recommendations
• Teacher recommendations are powerful
• Book Talk Of The Day!!!!!
• Mention a book you read in middle school or
high school
– Double power if you have a copy of the book with
you
– Get a copy from the library
– Embrace the hype; start a waiting list

14. Book Recommendation Bulletin Boards

15. Connect & Engage with Students
• Talk with students about
what they’re reading for fun
• Carry your book with you
when you’re in the hallways
• Use conference bookmarks
to discuss books with
students on a deeper level or
if you’ve never read the
book
Created by Kristen Del Mul

16. Create a Zen Atmosphere
• During reading times think about adding:
• Flexible seating
• Dimming the lights
• Allowing snacks
• Reading with your students
– Show the art of real-world reading

17. Read Aloud Magic
• Read Jim Trelease’s book The Read-Aloud
Handbook
– “When you read aloud to anyone, it’s a commercial for
the pleasures of reading.”
• Add read aloud time to class time by:
– Borrow a book from a student who has one that looks
interesting
– Read an engaging short story, article, or blog post
– Read the first book in a series
• Use Audible or Librovox
• Lunch with Harry Potter

18. More Read Aloud Magic
• Make it a special occasion!
– All Night Reading, St. Ann’s School, Brooklyn, NY
• “Reading in the Streets” day
– Sara Lissa Paulson, Queens, NY
• Celebrate a book anniversary or author
birthday
– Laura Ingalls Wilder’s birthday, Feb. 7th
– Hunger Games, Sept. 14th

19. Finding the Time
• Help students find time to read
in their day
• Encourage students to carry
their book with them
– The Book-a-Roo (patent pending)
• Do they know that their phone is
also a book?
– Reading Apps
– Overdrive; Kindle
• Where do you find time to read?
– Reading in bits & pieces

20. Reading as a Sport
• Reading Competitions
• Reading Without Walls
Reading Challenge
– #readingwithoutwalls
• #bookaday
• Mrs. Claycomb’s Summer
Reading Program

21. Rewards? Incentives?
• Reading is the reward!
– Bonus reading if. . .
• It’s Friday the 13th
• The Broncos win
• There should have been a
snow day
• All 7 Red Reads
– I Am Malala
– Harry Potter Friday
• Book Light Wars
• Cupcake Lunch

22. Impact Outside of School
• Enlist the help of parents
– Remind parents of the power of pleasure reading
during parent night or conferences
– “Storytime with your Middle Schooler?”
• Suggest books
– Provide lists of books for parents to use for gift
giving
• Give books
– Copies of sequels of
class novels
– Use books as prizes
– All Hallows Reads

23. Additional Resources

24. Additional Resources
• Book Love by Penny Kittle
• The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller
• Igniting a Passion for Reading by Stephen Layne
• No More Reading for Junk by Marinak & Gambrell
• The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
• Readicide by Kelly Gallagher
• Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller
• “The Reading Makover” TedxVillageGate by
Danny Brassell
• Raising Kids Who Read by Daniel T. Willingham

25. Contact Info:
• Email
– bclaycomb@lewispalmer.org
• Twitter
– @bgclaycomb
• Pinterest
– pinterest.com/bethgclaycomb
• SlideShare
– Search “Beth Claycomb”