Things You'll Need:
- College textbook in reading skills
- Old magazines
- Old newspapers
- Patience
- A sense of humor
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Step 1
Get them laughing. As I said in the introduction, the students arrive in class full of worry and fear. The sooner you dispel that fear the better. The common theory in teaching is to never let them see you smile for the first two weeks. That theory in this case will sink your ship before it even unties from the port.
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Step 2
Write it down. Have the students write on a piece of paper their biggest fear about this class and about reading. Then have them ball that piece of paper up and throw it across the room and into the waste-paper basket that you have placed on a desk at the front of the room.
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Step 3
Throw the fear away. They will be astonished at this suggestion but they will do it and they will laugh when they do it. You are now untied from the port and your ship is ready to sail.
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Step 4
Get rid of the fear. Take each piece of paper out of the trash can and write it on the board. They will see that the majority of them have the exact same fear about reading. Now go down the list one by one and tell them why they needn't fear that particular item. Cross it off the list.
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Step 5
Read. Get them reading right away and keep them reading. Bring to class every weird and interesting (to them) piece of writing that you can find. You will, of course, also have to use textbook material but sprinkle that with a huge dose of anything that will make them laugh or cry or connect with the material in some way.
