10 Tips for Teaching Reading Online
Use Shorter Selections
I know this is hotly debated, but using shorter selections simply makes more sense in today's world - especially when trying to hook students on reading. Consider the fact that articles, videos, even book chapters are getting shorter and more to the point. Those page-long descriptions classic authors loved so much are out of style and for good reason. Our brains have adapted to taking in information at much faster rate and our language has evolved to compensate for this. So why force students to slow down when they're ready for more?
This doesn't mean we can stop teaching the classics just yet, but it does mean we can excerpt, skip, and summarize as needed for modern brains.
Curate High-Interest Topics
If your school gives you the flexibility, start your online students with texts that relate to their lives. Sure, if you dive deep enough into the classics, there are definitely many relatable themes, but why not start by building fluency in finding and analyzing those themes with language, environments, and topics they already appreciate? Once you have them hooked, fluent, and confident in reading, it's time to introduce them to more complex pieces from other eras and genres.
Keep Read Aloud Time Brief
As entertaining as it is when you read to your students, the longer you read online, the more tempting it is for them to start opening other windows. They assume it will be easy to listen and play games at the same time, but when you call on them and they have no idea what's going, you're the one left frustrated. To keep them focused, keep it short, and get everyone actively engaging in the text throughout the reading.
Play Class Reading Games
When even short reading sessions are too much for your students, get them reengaged with class reading games. Reading games give them another reason to interact with the text, and the competition makes them pay closer attention to details. My favorite online reading game for the whole class is Literary Chairs. It's like musical chairs, but for reading, and it gets students identifying and analyzing literary devices.
Set Formative Checkpoints at Key Scenes
Another good trick for keeping students on track with the reading is to set checkpoints at key scenes. These, of course, serve as formative assessments for you, but if you use them right, they can also lead students towards comprehension.
For example, if your checkpoints are prompted by certain quotes with contextual questions attached, and those quotes are embedded in key scenes, your students will have to find and explore those points in the reading (if they want points for the assignment, that is). By the end of the book, even if they didn't close read everything, they will be able to summarize important events, and, based on your questioning, perhaps even be able to analyze key quotes.
Vary Your Approach to Reading Intensity
Ultimately, we'd like our students to dig deep with their analysis. However, if you don't want to burn them out, try to vary the level of intensity when it comes to thinking about the reading. Sometimes, it's fun to just enjoy the story. This can leave them wanting more. Other times, it's important to explore deeper meanings in order to understand the author's purpose. Continue doing all of this, just mix it up when reading online, so your students don't get stuck in a reading rut.
Use Pear Deck for Breakout Room Reading
You've probably experimented with breakout rooms and been frustrated with the lack of work that happens in those small groups. There are all kinds of excuses, but my favorite is "we forgot what we were supposed to do!" To prevent this and to keep an eye on each group's progress, I use Pear Deck for my slideshows. When in student-paced mode, each group can do the activities described on my slides at their own pace, and I can see which slide each group is on and what responses they have left. I can also see who hasn't responded to the reading they're supposed to be doing. It's a lifesaver during online lit circles!
Provide More Student Choices
Speaking of lit circles, offering student choices when it comes to reading is another great way to get students engaged. You can give them choices in terms of books, activities, assignments, and assessments, which is a great way to cater to a variety of learning styles and needs.
Offer Resources for Assigned Reading
If you're going to assign reading as homework, give your students lots of resources to support their independent thinking. You might offer links to translations, videos of key moments, or audiobook recordings. While some teachers see audiobooks as a lazy way to get through the book, I see it as an effective and efficient way to engage students with low fluency and entertain students with short attention spans. Besides, many of us teachers are "reading" audiobooks ourselves! You can always work on high level skills during class, but keep independent reading easy and accessible.
Review, Review, Review
Even after doing everything right, there will be students who struggled or who were simply not there (literally or figuratively) during class. I think absences are something that online teachers have to deal with more than anything. How are we supposed to teach to kids who only show up a few days here and there?
I try to get them caught up in quick bursts with regular reviews. Before we start a new chapter, I have students answer questions about what happened so far. This way, anyone new is ready to continue reading. As we read the next section, I connect events to past chapters. I also do a lot of activities at the end of the book in the form of review games and practice assignments.
Try these tips and let me know how they work for your students, and if you have a few tricks of your own, please share in the comments below!
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