You+Can't+Use+a+Book+to+Make+a+Slapshot

 **__ Fast Facts __**

It is common knowledge that while girls tend to be readers, boys lean more towards science and maths. Here are some fast facts about what most people already know.  · // Male elementary and secondary student(s) do not do as well as girls in reading or writing //   · // Boys appear in special education and drop out statistics more often // · // Boys are less likely to become university students, or go on to post secondary education //   · // Males are more likely to have a reading disability and are twice as likely to have a learning disability //    · // Boys are more likely than girls to attend special schools // · // Boys are four times as likely to be identified as having a behavioural, emotional and social difficulty //

The following statistics are taken from “Boys’ Literacy Attainment: Research and Related Practice”, a Report prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Education, by the Centre for Literacy at Nipissing.

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So you are probably asking yourself, “If the statistics are so dismal, what can I possibly do to encourage boys to read in the classroom??” Well fear not, for I am here to help! The following is a list of boy friendly suggestions J
 * __ Activities: Help I Need Somebody?! __**
 * //1. Combine two things that we normally understand to be mutually exclusive activities reading and physical activity. (Booth, p.18 //****//) //** For instance in physical education, you could create a geocaching game where students are put into teams with a boy as the group “reader”. Each team would need to have their reader, read the clue out loud and as a team they would solve the clue before heading to the next “station” to recover their next clue.

“Even Hockey Players Read: Boys Literacy and Learning” by David Booth Reach out to your local athletic community, particularly to teams who may be interested in volunteering their time, (either for community service hours, to beef up their resume or just for the heck of it.) By having positive role models, who male students identify with in their classroom, students will connect more with the material and see a purpose in reading. Me Read? No Way!: A Practical Guide to Improving Boys’ Literacy Skills” by the Ontario Ministry of Education Get lots of reading material out to your male students. Make sure that not only is the material plentiful, but that there is a variety of topics and it is recent. There should also be a reading level or two below where you figure your students are, and one or two above. “To Be a Boy to Be a Reader: Engaging Teen and Preteen Boys In Active Literacy” by William G. Brozo Try to make the process of reading pleasurable. Perhaps during silent reading, once a week offer hot chocolate and cookies. Make your classroom into a café. Dim the lights and provide an alternative place to lounge.
 * //2. Enlist male mentors!!! (Ontario, p.30) //**
 * //3. Find relevant reading material. (Brozo, p.51 //****// ) //**
 * //4. Making reading relaxing. (Ontario, p.38) //**

“Me Read? No Way!: A Practical Guide to Improving Boys’ Literacy Skills” by the Ontario Ministry of Educatio



**__What Can You Hope for as a Teacher?__** · Boys who are excited and engaged in the subject material or books being read · You will have integrated a cross curricular approach to literacy, by incorporating physical education · Boys will have made a positive connection to influential male members of their community · Boys will hopefully initiate reading on their own once a interesting subject is discovered It is important that communities are aware of literacy in school. Most schools does not have the budget to provide adequate reading material for all students. Many people are still unaware that boys are doing significantly poorer than girls on the EQAO tests 3 and 6 as well as on the Ontario Secondary School Literacy test. “Raise a Reader” is an excellent organization because they spread the word that schools need donations so that they can get the material students need to help them become literate before they graduate.
 * __ There is hope: The “Raise a Reader” Organization __**

Raise a reader is an organization that increases awareness and raises money for children’s literacy programs. The premise behind Raise-a-Reader is simple: if children know how to read, it helps ensure their success as adults. The higher someone's literacy level, the more likely that person is to be employed and have a higher income. The following paragraph is taken from Canada.com: []
 * __ What is “Raise a Reader”? __**

