Since i had been handling slow, er challenged readers in my class, I was obliged to think of saner ways to help them read. My years of seminars/workshops and so on were not enough to quench my thirsts groping around for saner strategies. I was at the brink of giving up when some of my pupils could not even read single sight word which comprised seventy MyReadingManga-five percent of text. Imagine the feeling I had when some of them did not even have a slight idea of what we were doing, why there was need for comprehension and so on. One thing more, they would rather play or sketch or color an animal, manga character or whatever their hands could get–than read text presented them. I asked around on how to help these kids get the habit of reading, make sense of the text, enjoy the companion of a book, etc. Unfortunately, I did not find the answer. I was helpless, blaming myself why I decided to handle them sans any competence which i should have had in the first place.

Days passed by. Coercing them to read a story book or two did not help. I had even told them to bring their favorite books, but nothing happened. Nothing seemed to help. Then one day, I discovered something.

As i was walking down the street, I heard women playing bingo. Oh, wait a minute. These women had been playing this game and did not even become tired of playing. What might have been so special in playing bingo that made them so engrossed? Might be the pot money? Bonding moments? Or, they just wanted to kill time? A way of avoiding boredom?

Something popped in my mind. If i could use this game into my reading class would my pupils be able to read? Would they enjoy our reading session when there was a game portion like this bingo-like? Oh, I needed to find out.

When i had arrived home, I immediately got a pen, a paper and a ruler. I made a bingo card, then another, till I had twenty four pieces. Then, I wrote there sight words my pupils had difficulty recognizing. Right there and then, I had an innovation! I was able to adopt the bingo game into my reading class. Well, instead of using numbers like in bingo, I used sight words instead so as to cater the needs of my pupils’ reading problem. As for the name, I used Verbo which means dynamic, fun and meaningful.

After i started using such my pupils had fun time learning to read. Some volunteered to be the “caller” while the rest was busy playing with their classmates. As for “pantantos” seeds, pebbles, cut color papers were used. And from then on my class had been fun-filled when playing time came and reading motivation increased. You are probably thinking, “Yeah right, the last thing I want to do after a long night of homework is pick up a book and read some more. ” After all, you probably do enough reading for English class as it is. But, recently the teen literary market has taken off, evidencing an explosion in popularity of teen novels. It is pretty hard to go anywhere now without hearing a reference to the Twilight series.

In fact, a health rivalry has developed among the fans of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire novels and followers of the similarly fanciful Harry Potter series. Fantasy novels like the Twilight and Harry Potter series are just one option among many in terms of the subject matter out there. You may not have realized it, but Gossip Girl was a series of novels long before it was a hit Tv show. Actually, many of your favorite movies were based on books which were popular long before they were movies.

Some examples of teen novels which recently made the book to movie transition include: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (part of C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia), I love You, Beth Cooper, The Vampire’s Assistant, and Tim Burton’s latest, Alice in Wonderland.

All of these novels reflect trends in teen reading. Some of the most popular books right now aren’t the boring books from your parents’ generation you might be picturing. Because of the recent success of various teen serious, there are many options available beyond so-called classic literature.

Graphic or manga novels are a less traditional reading choice. First popularized in Japan, graphic novels have transitioned to the united states and are a sort of novel-comic book hybrid. Graphic novels contain both an exciting visual and written storyline.

As mentioned, many teen novels are series. These can be a fun choice because over time you get to know the characters and the story lines develop further from book to book. The first book will introduce you to the characters, and as the series continues you will learn more about their lives, the story line will build with time, creating excitement and suspense as you wait for the final outcome. A series can be as engaging as the daily drama at your high school or junior high.

The most important thing when choosing a book is to choose one that interests you. Whatever your interests are, it’s likely that there’s a book to match. You can find a book you like in a variety of ways. There are dozens of suggested reading list on numerous websites. Amazon. com offers a feature for each book it sells where customers can provide their own reviews about the book. This can be a great way to see what other “real” people thought about the book you’re considering.

Finally, there’s always the old fashioned way. Just head to your local library or bookstore and take a look around. Read the back of the book where the plot is described and see what strikes a chord. You may just find something you never thought you would.