Abstract of

First Person
Mr. Hobbs's Extraordinary Approach to Teaching Reading

Danny Brassell

Author Danny Brassell's seventh-grade reading teacher, Will Hobbs, positively affected his reading attitude with a simple, straightforward approach that motivated students to want to read for pleasure. The teacher

• Provided a huge variety of high-interest books in his classroom

• Led book discussions that encouraged students to talk about what they were reading

• Allowed students to choose books to read on their own while he read

• Discouraged book reports in favor of student oral reviews

• Developed a point system to reward students for the number of books they read

• Encouraged students to always try to read more by posting the names of the five top readers on the chalkboard

This reading teacher went on to become a best-selling children's book author whose stories inspire countless reluctant readers to pick up books for fun. The author credits this former reading teacher for providing him with the motivational approach he uses to get his students to read today.

Abstract from Brassell, D. (2006, October). Mr. Hobbs's Extraordinary Approach to Teaching Reading. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 50(2), 92–95. doi: 10.1598/JAAL.50.2.1