What it is: Do you want your students to become deep thinkers? Read Me is an incredible set of engaging resources that will have your students thinking deeply about who they are and how learning and thinking is vital to their life. The resources have been designed to reach 11 to 14-year-old boys, to excite them about reading in and out of the classroom. I can tell you that as a girl, I am enjoying these resources just as much, I think that would be true of girls in the 11 to 14 age range as well. Read Me (by the National Schools Partnership) has created six modules that connect with students at their interest level and teach them how to be reflective, deep thinkers and learners.
This is me- covers an understanding of autobiographical texts in traditional (diary) and modern (blog) contexts. This is me includes teachers notes and presentations that will help students to explore autobiographical texts and self-expression through blogging.
Sport & me- asks students to explore sports websites and media texts by analyzing their structure and presentation. Students take on the role of a persuasive sports person and ultimately create their own report or website.
Love 4 me- helps students explore different types of love by using texts from a variety of time periods and genres (including images, short extracts, music, lyrics) as well as in Romeo and Juliet. Students engage with a range of texts that are thematically linked by love. The culminating activity here is for students to create their own chat show and to create a collage based on love. (I’m not sure if 11-14 year old boys would be into this topic…but this one will hook the girls for sure!)
Film + me- students use film trailers and titles to develop an understanding of how meaning is created through a combination of words, images, and sounds. After students have analyzed film trailers and titles, they are asked to present a novel as a trailer.
Graphics 4 me- this one is my favorite because it comes with an awesome graphic novel tool (learn about it here) Here students explore how graphic novels work and become familiar with the medium and its complexity. Students can create their own graphic novel online using this tool.
Music in me- students explore songs, their lyrics, and the impact they have on their audience. As a result, students understand how society is presented through music and the media and stereotypes and attitudes it can help to perpetuate.
How to integrate Read Me into your curriculum: There is so much learning that will happen as a result of these six modules, but at the heart of Read Me is a goal to excite kids about reading. Read Me has incredible ideas and resources for the language arts/literature/literacy classroom. Use these resources to connect your students with story, passion, and understanding of how language is used. There is something for every kid to connect with here. Each module contains teachers notes, resources, links, and tips. This is a truly incredible resource and collection for this age group. Read Me encourages students to understand, analyze, evaluate, apply, and create.
Tips: This site includes a graphic novel creator. I am writing about it separately because it deserves its own post. You can find it here.
Please leave a comment and share how you are using Read Me in your classroom!
This sounds very neat. It is so important to get kids doing more reflective thinking. It seems like we expect it of them without ever explicitly teaching them the skill, which takes a lot of practice to develop.
I agree Jason, so often we think that students naturally develop these critical thinking skills. That may be true for some students, but many never get the opportunity to really think deeply.
This is perfect for my Media Literacy class! Thank you!
Glad you can use it Paula!
As someone who is really into promoting reading, this is such an amazing resource. As we know, the ability to read well really enhances success in a number of areas in life, so a very important site.