One of my last articles discussed some excuses that children give for not wanting to read. I then began giving some ideas on how teachers can address these excuses and hopefully alleviate them.
The next reason that students gave for not wanting to read was that they were always required to read material that they did not enjoy. Many teachers do require students to read certain books or passages. However make sure that you also have plenty of material that is available for your students to choose from. Keep reading material of all interest at hand. Magazines, books, comic books, and more can pull some students right back into reading.
Discuss the different types of material that you have available for the children. Offer suggestions for each student and direct them into choosing something of interest.
The next excuse given was that students did not want to begin a bad book that they had to finish. Many teachers require that the class complete a book or passage no matter how terrible they think it is. Discuss with your students that all material should be read at least half way through. Then at that time they may choose whether or not to finish what they started. However if they choose not to finish, they must choose something else.
In many cases I walk down the hallways and see children listening to books on tape. Many are nearly unconscious. Half way through they are not interested and are lost. If the majority of the class is giving this appearance then perhaps it is time to stop and try a different selection. If the children are truly interested in the book they will begin begging you to let it continue. However if you hear a sigh of relief when you say it is time to stop, then they were not benefiting from the reading anyway.