Reading in the FACS Classroom
The purpose of this section of the Fresh FACS website is to provide FACS professionals with ideas and inspiration for incorporating reading into the FACS curriculum. Because reading is an academic area where students appear to be losing ground, it is the responsibility of all teachers to do what they can to help overcome reading obstacles. I promise you that I am not recommending that the FACS curriculum be transformed into a reading program. What I am suggesting is that we intentionally seek opportunities to encourage students to find pleasure in reading while at the same time broadening their interest in FACS and how it applies in the real world.
Two reading programs created for the FACS classroom are available from Fresh FACS Publishing:
To learn more about these resources and the novels associated with them, click on the images above.
Here are some strategies for incorporating reading into the FACS curriculum:
Select a book that relates to your curriculum and assign students to read specific chapters in the same way you would make textbook assignments.
Give students the opportunity to read a specific book or one from a list of options as an enrichment or extra credit activity.
Work with your English, Reading or Language Arts department to request that they include FACS-friendly selections in their required reading lists. Students will embrace reading an additional book for your class more readily if they can also use it to meet a requirement in another class.
Work with your school or public library to create a comprehensive list of FACS-friendly book selections (See FACS Bookshelf for suggestions.) so that students may quickly identify books that relate to your curriculum.
Set aside a specific reading time in your classroom. Some suggestions might include:
the last ten minutes of a class period once or twice a week.
an entire class period one Friday each month.
class time during standardized testing or other activities that disrupt the regular school schedule.
the class period before a holiday or school break when students have difficulty concentrating and being productive.
Select a book related to your content area and read the book aloud to your students. If your district can afford it, purchase copies so that students can follow along. If the book is available in an audio version, that would be an excellent alternative. However, not all books are available in that format.
Check with your school librarian to see if the book(s) you are considering assigning are in the Accelerated Reader database. If students are required to accumulate AR points, this will be an additional incentive to complete your assigned reading.
Gradually build a library of books related to the FACS curriculum and make them accessible to your students.
A few words of caution:
Don’t overburden students by assigning them to read books that are too long or beyond their reading ability.
Assign no more than one book per grading period and make the assignment early in that time period so that students understand that they will have time to complete the assignment.
If the reading assignment is to be completed entirely outside of class time, remind students of your expectations often and post the completion date in a prominent location.
Select books that have a clear connection to your content area and ones that you believe your students will find interesting.
Remember that you want your students to discover that reading is a pleasure not a punishment, so make your selections with that premise in mind.
Require students to complete a written or oral book review, complete a test, or create some type of project that will document to you that the assignment has been successfully fulfilled.