{"id":2131,"date":"2019-06-30T10:00:15","date_gmt":"2019-06-30T15:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/?p=2131"},"modified":"2023-09-30T12:05:24","modified_gmt":"2023-09-30T16:05:24","slug":"are-reading-worksheets-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/are-reading-worksheets-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Reading Worksheets Dead?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Reading comprehension worksheets. The bane of every novel study.<\/strong> You probably did them as a student, and you may even assign them now as a teacher. We all dreaded them. The drill-and-kill. After all, nothing ruins the flow of a great novel like having to write down an obvious and inane fact (in a complete sentence, please!) while you’re in a good reading flow. We all know there are better forms of assessment. There are better ways of engaging readers. (There is, perhaps, no better way of disengaging<\/em> readers!). So, is it time to ditch the reading worksheets? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, maybe. (I know–a terrible answer!) In this post I hope to answer the question, “Should I assign reading worksheets?” and provide a list of times when you should, and times when you should find an alternative.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Are<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When Should I NOT Assign Reading Worksheets?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I know I have been guilty of this myself: using reading questions just because I feel like I should. Growing up in American public education, I think it feels unnatural to assign any reading without some kind of activity paired with it. We feel that unease as educators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can students actually learn if they’re not writing something down? Will they even do the reading if I don’t have a way to force them to do it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are valid concerns. We definitely can’t teach students or move forward with our curriculum if they haven’t done the reading. But there are other ways of encouraging students to read. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When deciding if you should use reading questions, think about your overall motivation.<\/strong> Why are you assigning them? The end goal should support students learning a skill–not just holding them accountable for doing their homework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So first, be honest with yourself. Why are you assigning reading questions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some reasons NOT to assign reading worksheets:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n