How to Get Students to Read the Assignments...

   Last spring I listened to Mel Robbins' Let Them. That's part of why I finally had the guts to do this blog. However, she says in Let Them that you really can't force people to do things. I want to say, "Well, that's kind of what I do for a living." I have to make them read. However, if I don't give points for something (even in AP classes), they may not do their homework; they may just do that Advanced Calc instead, believing they can bluff through a Gatsby discussion better than one on derivatives. (Rachel Green did it with Wuthering Heights on Friends after getting a quick summary from Phoebe.) 

         To keep my assignments high on their to-do list, I give points. Of course,  with something like Gatsby, I try to win them with the encounter with Fitzgerald. We  read a couple chapters the first night for discussion. But next session, I usually give a quiz.  Maybe later they write a paragraph about what was introduced in Chapter 5 that has not been present in other chapters. I also like an open-book quiz that asks for a close analysis of passages and style.

         Like most English majors, I'm dedicated to kids knowing the text really well.  Again, if I just said, "Oh, I'll just assign it and if they don't read it...'let them,'" I fear over half of them might not "have time." If something feels optional, we put the deadlines "that matter" first.  I  gotta toss tmy hat in the ring with those. 

       Obviously, as a teacher, I am sure Mel would know that you can't always just "let them." She qualifies this with parenting, too. And bottom line, students may STILL choose to avoid the work even with all my carrots. Even if we can't actually just "make" people do something, I do try to convince them to. Essentially, we should be able to let the literature carry us (and it's truly our ace), but will they read all the assigned pages on time because they love my class. "Oh, what will happen to Addie Bundren's body?!"  I have a friend who believes almost all of her kids read online summaries. I don't think most of mine do (delusional?), but I have AP Lit and AP Lang, and my freshmen do most of the reading in class. I freaking read a lot of it ALOUD to 9th graders. So, there's that. 

       Maybe I'm cynical about kids' commitment to reading; some may think I'm kidding myself that I can make a difference. It's hard! It's certainly not a perfect science. (We're competing with biology assignments, too.) I just know it helps if I write and score the occasional quiz shooting questions they can't find in summaries. I want them to experience the best thing I offer them--the books.

That said, sometimes I just get pissy if they haven't read and let them know it is unacceptable. That makes us all feel bad or awkward.  But it can work--the next period, most will have done their reading.

*Ummmmm...I have not yet read The Good Earth that was assigned to me in a lit class in college. I've heard it's good.