OTT 249: Makerspace Magic: Transforming Reluctant Readers into Confident Explorers

Ever watched a reluctant reader disconnect from a book before they've even given it a chance? There's a powerful solution hiding in your classroom supply closet.

Today we're diving into the transformative world of hands-on learning for literacy, especially for those students who struggle to see themselves as readers. When we shift from asking children to recall information to inviting them to solve story problems through making and building, something magical happens. Their focus moves from what they can't do to what they can create.

Take a book like "After the Fall" - instead of traditional comprehension questions, ask students what they would build to help Humpty Dumpty. Maybe it's a softer landing zone or a specialized climbing tool. This approach gives them time to sketch, question, build, test, and revise - all while engaging deeply with the story. The beauty is that it works with any book you already have in your classroom library.

Another game-changing strategy is announcing a makerspace extension before you begin reading. When students know there's a hands-on challenge coming after the story, they stay engaged through the entire book. With "The Three Little Pigs," they might design a better wolf-proof house, or after "Diary of a Worm," create a communication device for a creature with no hands. These projects don't require fancy supplies - just everyday materials like cardboard, tape, or Play-Doh.

Reluctant readers often thrive on movement and creativity. By providing projects that validate their ideas and contributions, we help them see that reading isn't about being right - it's about being engaged. If your students don't feel like readers yet, let them build their way into books. Download the free "After the Fall" challenge from the link below and watch how hands-on activities can reframe how students see themselves as readers and thinkers.

🎁 Bonus! Download my STEM Story Connection Focusing on Grit in After the Fall 
👉 https://www.trinadeboreeteachingandlearning.com/grit
For the Love of Reading
https://www.trinadeboreeteachingandlearning.com/for-the-love-of-reading

Chapters

• 0:58 Introduction to One Tired Teacher
• 1:22 Problem-Based Approach for Reluctant Readers
• 4:20 Read Aloud and Build Strategy
• 6:02 Simple Open-Ended Projects
• 7:34 Final Thoughts and Resources
• 8:35 Workshop Invitation and Closing

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:58

you, you Welcome to One Tired Teacher and even though she may need a nap, this teacher is ready to wake up and speak her truth about the trials and treasures of teaching here. She is wide awake. Wait, she's not asleep right now, is she? She is awake, right, okay, from Trina Devery, teaching and Learning your host, trina Devery.

Speaker 2: 1:22

Hey, so today you're going to learn about why hands-on learning works especially well for reluctant readers, how to use story-based projects to deepen comprehension, and examples of easy makerspace ideas that you can try this year in your classroom. Now I realize that we are well into summer and you might not even be thinking about what you're going to do in your classroom. Now I realize that we are well into summer and you might not even be thinking about what you're going to do in your classroom. And if you're not doing that or you know, if you're not, that's okay. Then you can just sit back and just maybe listen to this in the background and I and maybe like let it plant some seeds. If you are like, hey, no, I am that teacher that is planning right now, I am like getting focused, I am working ahead and then I'm going to take a break before the year starts, Then, all right, this episode is for you. So let's jump in with idea number one.

Speaker 2: 2:17

Let's start with the problem in the story Now. Often kids struggle, especially kids that are reluctant to read. They don't see themselves in books, and so they often feel behind or left out before you've even begun, which nobody wants to feel like. They're not included or they can't see their own selves in the story. So let's take a little bit of a shift here and let's have kids be part of the solution and let's have them, instead of having them like recall information or read information, invite them to solve information, all right. So first you're gonna choose a book, and it can be any book, but let's take an example of After the Fall, which is one I have shared before. This is in this case. We can do things like we can ask what would you build for this character? Maybe they would come up with a softer landing zone, maybe they would have a climbing tool, you know, maybe they would think. You just never know what kids are going to think because they let their imagination soar and often the older they get, the more limited their thinking becomes. It's like we've bashed out creativity and we don't wanna do that, because we're we're going to need creativity in our lifetime, all right. So we're going to give them a time to sketch, we're going to give them a time to ask questions, to think about it, to build it, to test it, to revise it, and that changes the experience for kids, especially kids that are reluctant to reading. So let's talk about why this works. It really shifts the focus on what they can't do to what they can do and what they can create. It also helps kids feel capable and curious and confident. It's not the part of reading that makes them feel the hard, like it doesn't feel like it's hard. It's the part that they get to do and they get to feel successful around reading and books. It builds story connection before decoding even begins.

Speaker 2: 4:17

All right, let's talk about idea number two. All right, idea number two we're going to have them, we're going to read aloud and then we're going to allow them to build. So the struggle is is that often kids they lose interests halfway through the book or they resist starting it all together. And we have to do something about this, because we want them to hear all the parts of the book and not just all the beginnings and middles and that's it. We want them to keep going. So we need to shift our solution to something like guess what? There's going to be a makerspace extension after we're finished. So we're going to read a story and then they're going to have a maker space challenge and you might have them do things like you know retelling or you know asking and answering questions or developing the character or whatever, but there's going to be a maker space. So they have something to look forward to, something where they can feel successful.

Speaker 2: 5:11

So let's take the three little pigs. I really liked this version of the three little pigs. You might have them, you know. Think about how they can solve the pig's problem. Maybe they build a better house, maybe they you know they build some kind of protection. There's the world is their oyster. Another example might be from this book, diary of a Worm, which is maybe they're going to build a better communication device for the worm because he has no hands. How is he supposed to write when he has no hands? So it's like looking at problems and coming up with solutions. Now why does this work? It works because it makes stories feel interactive. It helps kids process meaning through doing, and reading becomes a springboard, not a standalone task, and that's the beauty of it. All right.

Speaker 2: 5:57

Idea number three, and that is keeping projects simple and open-ended. Now I wanted to really focus on this open-ended part, because the problem is we often feel like we need some kind of fancy supplies or Pinterest perfect projects, and we don't. We don't need that. We also feel like maybe we need some kind of craft, and that's not true either. We want to keep these open-ended solutions so that it becomes critical thinking and problem solving. And we already have these materials. We have these materials in our house, in our classroom. We've already got them.

Speaker 2: 6:31

It doesn't have to be anything crazy. We're going to use what we have. We're going to let the child take the lead. We're going to provide cardboard and tape or Play-Doh or cotton balls or Q-tips or any of those things. You're going to ask them what they can build from the story. That alone could be something that you do. We're going to let them design. We're going to let them fail. We're going to let them revise. We're going to let them revise. We're going to let them proudly explain their explanation, and it gives them the opportunity to be successful around books.

Speaker 2: 7:01

All right, so why does this work? Reluctant readers thrive on movement and creativity. It's often how they think, and sometimes you don't get to see that because it's like we're going to do it this one way and everyone has to do it this one way. This is the opportunity to allow kids who think differently to do it differently. We're going to provide projects that validate ideas and contributions, and it's not about being right, it's about being engaged. So that's the important part, all right. So let's talk about final thoughts and trying this tonight, trying this tonight or trying this when you get to your classroom.

Speaker 2: 7:42

But if your child or students don't feel like they are a reader, let them build their way into books. Hands-on activities can reframe how they see themselves as readers and thinkers, and something that they feel like they're not good at or they feel like they're bad at it can become something they explore. All right, so I have a freebie for you and you can grab it down below, and it's a challenge for after the fall, and it comes with lots of think sheets about, like working through, like coming up with what is the problem and and how can I solve it and how do I illustrate it. What does that look like? And then even has a blueprint page and then, you know, allows them to just think through things but also do it. So that's the exciting part.

Speaker 2: 8:28

If you want more tips like this, more strategies, more quick things you can try ways to help your child or student love reading. Then I would love for you to join me inside this workshop for the love of reading. It's an hour workshop. You get lots of little bonuses. There's like a 30-day reading challenge. That's so simple that anyone can fit it in their busy schedule. It's only $9.99. If you're interested, it's right down below in this video. Grab that link and join me and if you love what you heard, definitely give me a like and a thumbs up and share this with a friend and make sure to subscribe and definitely come back next week. Until next time, sweet dreams and sleep tight.