Action research conducted as part of a MAT program. The research centers on overcoming aliteracy in middle school students using book talks, modeling, and the careful curation of a classroom library.

1. An Action Research Plan
Alison Daniels
University of Maryland University College
Author‟s Note:
This presentation was prepared for EDTP 650, section 9040, taught by Dr. Fazio.

2. Contents
 Introduction
 Literature Review
 Methods
 Analysis
 Reflection
“Teens today are reading almost in spite of school.”~ Alan Sitomer,
California Teacher of the Year

3. Introduction

4. Aliteracy
 In 1987 Bernice Cullinan, former emeritus professor of reading at NYU and director of the
Critical Reading Project, coined the term aliterate.
 The questions that face teachers are why has there been a rise in aliteracy and how do we fight
a disease without a definitive cause.
 The answer to why aliteracy has sharply risen over the last 30 years lacks a single answer.
 It could be that ELA teachers, most of whom are lovers of the classics, are willfully ignorant of
the possibility that the Western Canon is not beloved by all. For some neither Gatsby nor
Expectations are all that Great. Approaching every student as though they are future English
scholars is a mistake. Teachers should foster an environment, through modeling, books talks,
and library curation, that encourages outside reading.
 It could be that ELA teachers inundate students with poem, short stories, and novels they find
irrelevant to their lives. Professor Donald R. Gallo of Cleveland State University addressed his
own years as an aliterate student by stating, “Why was I supposed to care about a Puritan
woman who got pregnant from having sex with a minister.” Of course, ELA teachers should
strive to help students find the connections between themselves and Hester Prynne, but they
should also strive to give students opportunities to self-select.
 It could be that ELA teachers rarely give students the opportunity to explore their own reading
identity. We rarely give them a choice. We rarely let them have the power. Power and choice
are how we fight a disease without a definitive cause.

5. Research Environment
 The research was conducted at a Howard County, MD Middle
School.
 The ethnicity distribution mainly reflects the overall population of
the county.
 13% Asian
 18% Black/African- American
 9% Hispanic
 52% White
 7% of two or more races
 1% Other
 The socioeconomics of the area is lower than the countywide
statistics.

7. Participants
 126 students over five 7th grade ELA classrooms were surveyed.
 48 of the students surveyed are on grade level.
 78 of the students surveyed are gifted and talented (G/T).
 1 student has an Individualized Education Program (IEP)
 44 of the students are male.
 82 of the students are female.
 74% of the GT students are female.
 52% of the on grade students are female.

8. Initial Survey Results
 127 students over five 7th grade ELA classrooms were
surveyed.
 50 of the students surveyed are on grade level.
 77 of the students surveyed are gifted and talented (G/T).
 33% of students indicated they loved reading.
 50% of students indicated they did not like reading,
although the reasons varied.
 17% of students indicated they liked reading, but only a
particular series.

9. Purpose
This study seeks to explore the
impact modeling, curation and
book talks have on aliterate
students.

10. Research Questions
 What impact will teacher modeling have on aliteracy in the
secondary ELA classroom when student interests and
curiosities are considered in the curation of selections?
(Make yourself and your classroom a resource)
 What impact will book talks have on aliteracy in the
secondary ELA classroom when student interests and
curiosities guide presentation selection?

11. Importance of Study
This study will help me determine the effectiveness of
introducing contemporary middle grade and young adult
literature into the middle school classroom using book
talks, modeling, and careful curation.

13. Definition of Terms
 Aliterate ~ A person who can read, but chooses not to read.
 Book talk ~ An oral presentation designed to convince or interest someone in
reading a particular book.
 Curation ~ The act of organizing, maintaining, and presenting a collection of
works, in this case books.
 Modeling ~ The teacher provides a clear example of a skill, strategy, or
behavior.
 Reluctant and Non-readers ~ Individuals who show little or no interest in
reading.
 Middle Grade Literature ~ “works in a wide variety of genres and forms,
including multimedia formats, with topics relevant to the interests and needs
of young people in” late elementary, middle, and early high school (ALAN
Review Mission Statement, n.d.).
 Young Adult Literature (YAL) ~ “works in a wide variety of genres and
forms, including multimedia formats, with topics relevant to the interests and
needs of young people in middle and high school” (ALAN Mission Statement,
n.d.).

14. To Read of Not to Read:
A Question of National Consequence
By National Endowment for the Arts, 2007
Percentage of Students Reading for Fun
pp = percentage points
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics

15. Literature Review

16. The Look of Classic Young Adult Literature
By Alan Brown and Joan Mitchell
 In the Winter 2014 issue of the ALAN Review Professors Alan
Brown and Joan Mitchell (2014) of Wake Forest University
consider the current scholarly discussions on the need for YAL in
the English curriculum. They find there is a “sense of urgency” in
the need to incorporate the likes of John Green, Chris Crutcher,
Laurie Halse Anderson, Stephen Chbosky, and Lauren Myracle
into the classroom and “that failing to introduce students to YAL
may have dire consequences for their future reading habits” (p. 6).
They gathered nine teacher educators to describe the impact of
young adult authors on secondary students. The article presents
the argument that including these authors in the curriculum and
the classroom communicate to students that their lives, their
reality, and their interests matter. The author goes further and
declares that young adult literature has proven itself to be
literature of quality and has earned its place in the classroom.

17. Text Complexity and “Comparable Literary
Merit” in Young Adult Literature
By sj Miller
Miller‟s (2014) primary concerns rests with the lack of respect granted to
student responses on the AP Test which make mention of young adult
literature. She believes the failure of the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS) to make mention of young adult literature on their list of
Exemplar Texts is the reason. Miller states that despite research making a
strong case for the inclusion of YAL in the classroom it has been almost
entirely excluded from the CCSS list of “Exemplar Texts” (Miller, 2014).
Mark Zusak‟s Book Thief, which is found in both the fiction and young
adult sections of bookstores, is the lone exception. As a result, YAL finds
itself mainly relegated to book groups, literature circle, and independent
reading. Miller encourages classroom teachers to free themselves from the
notion that venerated, or classic, texts are superior. She compares the
exclusion of young adult literature from the CCSS and curriculums to the
same normative values that suppress diversity. Miller‟s main concern is
that teachers, classrooms, and schools focus on the needs of students. The
needs of students based on current research is they “greatly benefit from
reading YAL in an outside of the classroom” (p. 50). These reasons are
why she believes teachers cannot simply accept the current ideas of what
constitutes literary merit.

18. What Johnny Likes to Read
By Jo Worthy, Megan Moorman, & Margo Turner
According to What Johnny Likes to Read is Hard to Find in School
by Worthy, Moorman, & Turner (1999) there is a growing gap
between what students want to or would read and what
teachers and school present to them. They suggest that engaging
student interests encourages reading as a habit and prompts
students to tackle more difficult and rigorous texts. The article
authors further assert that teachers must provide students
ample opportunity to read what they wish. In their view it is not
enough to promote the books; teachers must integrate YAL into
the curriculum and make it an active part of classroom
instruction. Here the key to habitual reading and self-selected
rigor rests with teachers and school systems acknowledging the
value and worth in popular middle grade and young adult
fiction.

19. Study Links Drop in Test Scores to a
Decline in Time Spent Reading
By Motoko Rich
Rich (2007) addresses two issues in his article. The first is that despite
the runaway success of some novels statistics show that Americans are
reading less. The second issue is that with these declining reading
rates test scores in middle and high school students have begun to
drop. The article uses data compiled by the Education and Labor
Department and analyzed by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The data shows that elementary reading rates have held steady and
this is reflected in their test scores. However, the decline begins at the
middle school level and continues to drop into college. This trend
reflects the decline in reading rates among those same groups. The
article includes a dissenting position, which proclaims that there is no
current reading crisis. While another offered opinions declares the
studies by the government have discounted the Internet reading, but
also cautions that solutions to the issues uncovered in the analysis are
not simple.

20. How Classics Create an Aliterate Society
By Donald R. Gallo
Here the cause of aliteracy is attributed to the ELA classroom
presenting students with characters and books that fail to engage and
lack relevancy to their lives. Gallo suggests the students failure to
connect to the presented material is a direct result of irrelevancy.
Western canonical characters, like Hester Prynne, support his
argument as he asks how they relate to the life of a teenager. A
student‟s inability to relate means they rely on the teacher to relay
meaning and importance. Here is the suggestion that in addition to
finding no pleasure in the reading of these texts the students also
derive no meaning. Gallo suggests secondary students are not
unwilling to engage these texts, but lack the maturity to properly
engage and in this way ELA and reading become equated with
negative experiences. These negative experiences squash the desire to
read and based on this literature breeds aliteracy. For Gallo, aliteracy
results because “the love of reading” is not an explicit curricular goal
(2001, p. 35). Ramsey picks up where Gallo ends and constructs a
different truth about aliteracy.

21. Hell‟s Bibliophiles:
The Fifth Way of Looking at an Aliterate
By John J. Ramsey
Ramsey challenges a view of aliterate students, which promotes the
idea that they are lazy or deviant. He believes the important questions
to as ask about aliterate students are why they dislike reading and are
they suffering because the texts they are assigned outmatch their skill
level. The texts students are given force them to struggle and
contributes to a sense of inadequacy. Here the blame for aliteracy is in
how students are taught to read or for what they are asked to mine
from the texts – plot, character, theme, etc. Ramsey suggests student
should be taught to “strip [texts] for ideas and values” not the rote
memorization of basic literary elements (2002, p. 54). Students are
aliterate not because they choose to be, but because they way they are
taught has fostered a bad attitude about books and reading. Bushman
considers the subject and like Gallo places the blame for aliteracy on
text selection.

22. Young Adult Literature in the Classroom or is It?
By John Bushman
Bushman‟s (1997) survey reveals that while some students enjoy
reading the classic canonical texts presented in class when given the
choice of self-selection contemporary works are a common, but not
homogenous choice. Armed with this knowledge he turns to another
revelation from his survey, which is the rapid decrease in outside
reading as the students age. Bushman (1997) believes since teachers
have not been explicitly tasked with “making young people lifelong
readers” they feel successful in their jobs if they manage to “pass
along a cultural/literacy heritage” which focuses on classic works of
literature (Bushman, 1997, p.6). As a result, student leave school as
alliterates, a term coined in 1987 by Bernice Cullinan, which denotes
those that can read, but choose not to read. Bushman‟s asserts it is
necessary to introduce students to texts they will read once their
formal education is over rather than just what teachers believe they
should read.

23. What the Literature Lacks
All of the articles successfully identify how classroom and
curricular choices foster aliteracy, but none of the authors seems
willing to place any blame on the students. Could it be that the
students have been wholly acted upon when it comes to
aliterate behavior? When students enjoy reading classrooms and
the systems of education along with the student is praised. Why
is the opposite not true. There seems little doubt that a growing
schism between what students are assigned to read and what
students want to read is growing. It is also true that the ELA
curriculum needs an infusions of the contemporary. However,
none of the literature addresses the possibility of choice. The
idea that some students really just do not want to read. Is this a
possibility?

24. Methods

25. Materials
 Reading Interest Inventory
 Selected works of Middle Grade and Young Adult
Literature
 Book Talks
 Book Talk Inventory
 Class Discussions
 Journal Prompts
 Monday Book Bunch

26. Procedures
Pilot Study
 9 weeks
 1 participant
 Data collected via inventories
and one-on-one discussions
 Conducted small scale literature
circle and two book talks
 Successfully paired student
books that matched his interests.
Current Study
 12 weeks
 127 participants
 Data collected via inventories,
class discussion, journal
prompts, and optional meetings
 Curated classroom library,
conducted regular book talks,
and established regular book
meetings
 Successful paired students with
books that matched their
interests, increased attendance at
book meetings, and a measured
change between initial and final
Reading Interest Inventory.

27. Step 1:
Build rapport with students.

29. Step 2:
Ascertain students reading habits and interests using the
Reading Interest Inventory.

31. Step 3:
Analyze collected data paying special attention to the
interests of reluctant and non readers and the mention of
popular series by students who indicate reading is a
favorite hobby.

32. In Their Own Words
“I don‟t like the books we read. There just aren‟t any good
books.”
“I don‟t like Tom Sawyer. That‟s what books are. That‟s why I
don‟t read.”
“I feel like I‟m always forced to read, so it‟s always boring. I
would like it if I picked out the book I want to read.
“I honestly don‟t like reading because I think it‟s boring and I
would rather do something else other than reading in my
spare time.”

33. In Their Own Words
 “I love to read. I think it is really fun and
interesting.”
 “I like to read, but I read so fast that I‟m done wit the
series and have to wait for a whole year for the next
one. I need more to read.”
 “I love it. I read constantly and quickly. It‟s so cool to
get immersed in a book. To become part of it. It‟s my
favorite thing to do.”
 “Reading is the best thing ever!”
 “If I could find a book that can hold my interest I
would read it, but not many books can.”

34. Step 4:
Using collected data to curate fiction and informational
selections for a classroom library and book talks.

36. Step 5:
Teacher models love of reading by keeping a small selection of
books on or near desk, shares likes and dislikes with students,
and encourages recommendations.

37. Teacher-to-Student
I make sure my desk and the area
around me is littered with books. The
students stop on their way into and
out of the classroom to see what‟s on
display. I change the stacks. I rotate
what‟s on top.

38. Student-to-Teacher
“Ms. Daniels, have you read The
Goddess Test series?”
“I haven‟t. Should I?”
“Oh my gosh, you have to read it. It‟s
so good!”

39. Reluctant Reader - Successful Pairing
“I don‟t like
Tom Sawyer.
That‟s what
books are.
That‟s why I
don‟t read.”

40. Step 6:
Conduct thematic book talks with students.

42. Step 7:
Allow students to “check-out” books from classroom library.

43. Reluctant Reader - Successful Pairing
“I‟m not
interested in
what you make
us read, so it
makes me not
interested in
reading.”

44. Step 8:
Create waiting lists for popular selections.

46. Step 9:
Hold class discussions on reading likes, dislikes, and interests.

47. What Don‟t You Like
“Everything.” ~ Male, On Grade Student, Age 12
“Tiny words. I have trouble picturing the images of oldy [sic] times in my head.” ~ Female,
On Grade Student, Age 13
“Every single thing.” ~ Male, G/T Student, Age 13
“When I‟m forced to read.” ~ Male, G/T Student, Age 13
“Sometimes the chapters are very long or I‟m forced to read a book in school that I don‟t like.”
~ Female, G/T Student, Age 13

48. Step 10:
Have students journal their thoughts on why independent
reading rates in middle school students are dropping.

49. Step 11:
Continue to ascertain student interests and curiosities to refine
classroom library and book talks.

50. Step 12:
Begin a regular (weekly, biweekly, monthly) lunch time book
groups for students to discuss their interests in books.

51. Teacher-to-Student
Student-to-Teacher
Student-to-Student

52. Step 13:
Have students fill out the Reading Interest Inventory for the
second time.

53. Reluctant Reader - Successful Pairing
“If I could find
a book that can
hold my
interest I would
read it, but not
many books
can.”

54. Step 14:
Compare initial statistics with new statistics.

55. Step 15:
Repeat all steps.

56. Analysis

57. Qualitative Data Collection
 Did the reluctant or non readers respond positively to the book talks?
 Over time did the reluctant or non readers show greater interest in
book talks (ie – did students request or ask when the next book talk
would be held)?
 Did the reluctant or non readers discover books that suited and/or
captured his or her interest?
 Did the reluctant or non readers self-select or request books from the
classroom library?
 Did the reluctant or non readers feel comfortable asking me for
recommendations or for help in discovering a book they would enjoy?
 Did the reluctant or non readers begin reading for pleasure?

58. Yes, to all qualitative data collection
questions.
Why?

59. Here’s Why
 I used the Reading Interest Inventory as a springboard for
selection and discussion.
 I presented the students with books that aligned with their initial
interests.
 I used the recommendations of students who enjoyed reading to
curate the classroom library and book talks.
 I created an atmosphere where students viewed me as a
independent reading resource .
 I developed a rapport with students where they felt comfortable
asking me for recommendations or confiding that they had trouble
finding books they enjoyed..

60. Book Bunch Meetings
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Meeting 1 Meeting 2 Meeting 3 Meeting 4 Meeting 5 Meeting 6 Meeting 7 Meeting 8
Participants
Meetings
Readers
Reluctant or Non Readers
Total Participants

61. Book Bunch Attendance
Readers
86%
Reluctant or
Non
Readers
14%
Meeting 1
Readers
Reluctant or Non
Readers

62. Book Bunch Attendance
Readers
57%
Reluctant or Non
Readers
43%
Meeting 8
Readers
Reluctant or Non Readers

63. Quantitative Data
Collection
 Did the number of reluctant or non readers, based on initial
self-identification, attending the weekly book bunch
increase?
 Did the number of students who indicated an interest in
reading increase between the first and final issuance of the
Reading Interest Inventory?

64. Book Talks and Reluctant Readers
 Media specialist Nancy Keane, creator and founder of
Booktalks – Quick and Simple, discussed the importance of
book talks with Sharon Cromwell (2007) in “‟Talking‟ Books
Create a Hook.”
 She explains that book talks are the equivalent of movie
trailers. They are fast enough to sustain student attention
and offer a cliffhanger ending to ignite interest.
 Book talks expose students to a large variety of books and
provide a level of personalization that is missed when
staring at library shelves or browsing ebook sites.

65. Yes, to both qualitative data collection questions.
Why?

66. Here’s Why
 Book Bunch flyers were given to all students.
 Book Bunch meeting dates were added to class website and
mentioned in class.
 Edmodo was used to create meeting reminders.
 Students were encouraged to bring a friend.
 Consistent use of book talks in the classroom.
 New titles were added to the class library based on students
interests, wait lists, and requests.
 Teacher mentioned personal reading habits likes, and dislikes.

67. Reading Interest Inventory Data
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Read/Love Reading Don't Read/Hate Reading Only read specific series or
subject
NumberofStudents
Description
Students - Initial Inventory
Students - Final Inventory

68. Reading Interest Inventory Data
Read/Love
Reading
33%
Don't
Read/Hate
Reading
50%
Only read
specific
series or
subject
17%
Students - Initial Inventory
Read/Love
Reading
Don't
Read/Hate
Reading
Only read
specific series
or subject
Read/Love
Reading
42%
Don't
Read/Hate
Reading
36%
Only read
specific
series or
subject
22%
Students - Final Inventory
Read/Love
Reading
Don't
Read/Hate
Reading
Only read
specific series
or subject

69. Reflection

70. I Suspect
 The English Language Arts curriculum needs and infusion of the contemporary
 English teachers need to teach a love of reading along with literary
analysis, grammar, and writing.
 Unfortunately, student control of book group reading selections has sharply declined as
this extracurricular activity is now used as an extension of Howard County‟s thematic
curriculum design. The reading lists, which include contemporary YAL, are preselected
and developed with limited student involvement then deployed at the county level.
Literature circles are too often relegated to an end of the year space filler and while the
selections can and sometimes do feature contemporary selections they still lack the
component of student choice. Independent reading stands alone as the last bastion of
true voice and choice for students in the classroom. However, recent studies by the
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) indicate independent reading rates for
secondary students is declining. Teachers may have little control over preselected book
club choices and find their classroom time limited by packed curriculums and the
number of days dedicated to standardized testing, but they can take steps to reach
readers, especially reluctant readers by connecting them with texts that interest them.

71. My ARP sought to tackle four
key issues:
 Teachers need to model their love of reading.
 Teachers need to introduce students to books they want to
read.
 Teachers need to make time to bring voice and choice back
into the classroom.
 Teachers should encourage the readers in their classroom to
share and model their love of reading.

72. References
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73. References
Literature Circle. (n.d.). Retrieved from
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Miller, sj. (2014). Text complexity and „comparable literary merit‟ in young adult literature.
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1RtwQWwpvAs/UDj_iplJUZI/AAAAAAAADBk/UetWNQbo5FU/s640/reading+survey.PNG
Rich, M. (2007). Study links drop in test scores to a decline in time spent reading. The New York Times.
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74. References
Sidekicked Cover. (2013). Retrieved from
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