From the Chalkface
Get Your Students to Read More
Annie Menard
Tokai University Shonan Campus

Summary: Since Japanese students are unaccustomed to reading
English books for pleasure, it is understandable that they are reluctantto try. I have found that using easy graded readers and giving extrinsic
rewards helps the students get past this initial hurdle. Setting high but
attainable goals for my students, not asking for book reports or otherlengthy reports, giving points and bonus points for books read andletting the students decide what books, where, when, and what levelthey’ll read helps open the students’ mind toward reading in English.
Students: I use this technique with university students of all levels
mostly in my speaking and writing classes, but it can be used in anyclass.
Materials: Graded readers at the appropriate level, at least 2-3
books available per student and as many titles as possible. The more
titles there are the more choices the students have. In this specific case,a minimum of at least 20 different titles is required.
Time required: One entire period to properly initiate the students tothe graded readers and determine their level, then between 5 and 10
minutes per class period thereafter.
Rationale: Motivation is the force that pushes people to achieve.
When intrinsic motivation is a bit low, extrinsic rewards (as in a 10%bonus) come to the rescue.
In my speaking and writing classes, I require my students to read
10 graded readers during the semester which counts toward 10% of65

Menardtheir final grade. I set that goal instead of letting the students decide
how many books they’ll read because I believe the more you read, thebetter you get at it. Very often in the beginning, students encounter
books they thought they’d enjoy but don’t, and if that happens morethan once, they are likely to give up reading altogether. On the other
hand, by being required to read 10, quitting after 2-3 books is not anoption which also means that they will surely encounter at least a few
books they really enjoy and also learn to make better choices in thefuture.
This method so far has proven quite effective and very few students
elect to read fewer than the 10 required. On the other hand, usually
4-5 students per class will continue reading after they have read the10 required. This is what prompted me to add a reading bonus toencourage students to read even more. The bonus consists of an extra
10% available at the rate of 1% per book for books 11 through 20 aslong as they have completed all the class’ other requirements. Yes, it isbribery, but it’s very fruitful as students read more books, faster, rightfrom the start.
To make the experience easier, every class period, I bring the books
to the classroom in a cart. I offer a wide variety of titles and genres andalways bring a few levels so the students can choose what they want
to read and at what level they want to read. If what I offer them is too
easy, they only need to tell me and the next class I will add more titles
from the next level up.

ProcedureFirst Class: In the first period the readers are used, explanations aregiven to the students such as: why we are using the graded readers,
how they will be used in my class (for pleasure not for homework ortests), the proper way to choose a book at the correct level, how toborrow the books and return them, how to fill out the library cards at66

Menard, OnCUE Journal, 2(1), pages 65-68

the back of the book, etc…
To help the students choose a book that is at the correct level forthem, I bring as many books as possible from 3-4 different levels to theclass and tell the students to choose a book from the lowest level andread it in class. For really advanced groups, I might start them at thesecond or third level from the bottom instead of the lowest one. Whenthey’re finished, I tell them that if they feel the book was too easy forthem, they can choose one from the next level up, read it, choose
one from the next level up if that one was too easy, and so on. If they
feel comfortable with books at the lowest level, there is absolutely noshame in it. It is important that the students choose the level themselves
as they are the only ones who know what feels comfortable for them.
It is very important to remind the students that this kind of reading isfor fluency rather than for vocabulary building, thus the books readshould be numerous, easy and enjoyable. Students tend to choose
books that are too difficult for them, out of habit, so these fundamental
rules might help guide them in this new kind of reading:•The books should be easy. No dictionaries are to be used, andthere should be no more than 2 unknown words per page. If
there are more, it means the book is too difficult.
•If the students don’t like a book, they should immediately stop
reading it and return it for another one as soon as possible.
Only during the first class will the students read books in theclassroom in order to determine their level.
Regular Classes: For the first 5-10 minutes of each class period, thestudents have time to return the books they have finished reading andchoose a new book. The reading is done on the student’s own time at
the student’s own pace.
For each book the students read, they have to complete 2 easytasks, the second of which is used for assessment. The first one is to fillout a rating sheet which is attached inside the front cover of the book.
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On that rating sheet, they give the book 1-5 stars, write their opinionof the book (usually 1 word), and write their name. This part is helpful
to students who are thinking of borrowing the book.
The second task is to fill-out 1 line on a book report summary. Thatsummary is mostly for research purposes and the last question is tocheck whether they have really read the book. Questions on the form
are: title, book level, how difficult/easy they felt the book was, and towrite 1 sentence about their favorite part of the book. It is purposely
quite short so as to not demotivate the students.
Assessment: Reading 10 graded readers and filling-out the summary
report counts for 10% of the students’ final grade and there is a 10%
bonus for books 11-20 as long as all other class requirements havebeen met.
Reflection: Since I introduced the 10% bonus, students are very
eager to start reading and they keep reading at a faster pace than they
had previously. This is the first semester with a bonus, but I can alreadysee a positive difference. My hope is to get the students to read enoughbooks during the semester to make them realize reading in English
can be fun, to get them hooked on reading and to have them go to themain library building and continue borrowing graded readers after thesemester is over. On a positive note, the main library reported to us
that last semester, out of all the books in the library, 22 of the 27 titles
borrowed the most often were graded readers.
Variations: Many activities can be done using the graded readers:reading circles, reports, discussions, however, I want my students toread without having to do anything except enjoy the story. The numberof required readings can be increased. I have required my intermediateclasses to read 20 mandatory books plus 20 bonus books and still
had incredibly good results. Feel free to experiment with your classaccording to their level. Just keep the number of readings reasonable.

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