Stacie Stewart September blog: Pleasure principle

Nancy Atwell's article really resonated with me.  One of the things I pride myself on is being able to match a student with a book that will fit his or her interests.  The fourth grade novel sets are very heavy on "boy friendly" novels.  Boys do not seem to enjoy reading a book as much when the main character is a girl.  They love western themes and adventure.  Girls don't seem to mind reading about the opposite gender as much as boys do, so they also like the books.

Individually, you have to know a lot about a student to know if they would enjoy the intriguing but short Encyclopedia Brown books or the thought-provoking but hilarious Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  Finding out what brings students pleasure is really getting to know them, and that takes time.  Even non-fiction topics  tend to follow a pattern with individual students, although they are not always divided along gender lines as much. 

Interest, pleasure, and comprehension seem to go hand in hand, as we see on STAR tests as well as with novel assessments.  In our fourth grade reading program, we require students to read a variety of genres, and teach them that the way you approach reading each type can vary.  With more success, students may even get more pleasure out of a genre they have not enjoyed previously.