As I peer across my Fourth grade class room the book choices of the students are dramatically different. Boys are deep into their Bones, Diary of the Wimpy Kid, Sharks vs. Killer Whales to name a few. What is familiar is the genres of books boys enjoy. In general boys prefer books with more action, gore and non fiction books that relate to their lives. As educators when we are assessing their writing and reading abilities it usually based on materials that were given to us by our district. Thomas Newkirk points out in his book Holding on to Good Ideas in the Time of Bad Ones it is crucial educators allow boys to read and write what interests them. When educators stifle the students creativity, learning becomes frustrating and they lose interest. Perhaps their writing prompt asking them to describe their favorite after school activity is about playing Mortal Combat 3 with their friends, it is our job as educators to grade the writing not the topic.
I am going to explore different educational resources through technology to find out what educators can do to keep boys thriving in Reading and Writing.
