Reading for Life

Some of my students think reading is boring, but they love to read action stories and comics if they can act them out while reading. Podcasting allows them to practice reading high interest, age-appropriate but reduced complexity texts. The students can all be given a role in production, including non-readers who can help with sound effects and actions during the reading.
I plan on recording twenty short (two to ten minute) clips of students’ favorite picks, whether from our school library or their own comic book collections. The students can then read along with the class even during individual reading.
Podcasting themselves and peers not only motivates them but it gives them access to self-monitoring that has functional value in daily activities such as traveling, shopping, conversing, and socializing with peers.
The best part of this project is that the podcasts will speak for themselves. Although it may take a few practice trials before we become proficient at recording, once we employ this medium, the students and I will both have greater access to performance-based evaluations. In addition, parents and other educators would also have access, given proper permission and according to all parties’ rights of privacy, to a selection of valuable read along experiences.