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

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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

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:58):
you, you Welcome to One Tired Teacher and even
though she may need a nap, thisteacher is ready to wake up and
speak her truth about the trialsand treasures of teaching here.
She is wide awake.
Wait, she's not asleep rightnow, is she?
She is awake, right, okay, fromTrina Devery, teaching and
Learning your host, trina Devery.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Hey, so today you're going to learn about why
hands-on learning worksespecially well for reluctant
readers, how to use story-basedprojects to deepen comprehension
, and examples of easymakerspace ideas that you can
try this year in your classroom.
Now I realize that we are wellinto summer and you might not

(01:43):
even be thinking about whatyou're going to do in your
classroom.
Now I realize that we are wellinto summer and you might not
even be thinking about whatyou're going to do in your
classroom.
And if you're not doing that oryou know, if you're not, that's
okay.
Then you can just sit back andjust maybe listen to this in the
background and I and maybe likelet it plant some seeds.
If you are like, hey, no, I amthat teacher that is planning

(02:05):
right now, I am like gettingfocused, I am working ahead and
then I'm going to take a breakbefore the year starts, Then,
all right, this episode is foryou.
So let's jump in with ideanumber one.
Let's start with the problem inthe story Now.
Often kids struggle, especiallykids that are reluctant to read

(02:26):
.
They don't see themselves inbooks, and so they often feel
behind or left out before you'veeven begun, which nobody wants
to feel like.
They're not included or theycan't see their own selves in
the story.
So let's take a little bit of ashift here and let's have kids
be part of the solution andlet's have them, instead of

(02:48):
having them like recallinformation or read information,
invite them to solveinformation, all right.
So first you're gonna choose abook, and it can be any book,
but let's take an example ofAfter the Fall, which is one I
have shared before.
This is in this case.
We can do things like we canask what would you build for
this character?

(03:08):
Maybe they would come up with asofter landing zone, maybe they
would have a climbing tool, youknow, maybe they would think.
You just never know what kidsare going to think because they
let their imagination soar andoften the older they get, the
more limited their thinkingbecomes.
It's like we've bashed outcreativity and we don't wanna do

(03:30):
that, because we're we're goingto need creativity in our
lifetime, all right.
So we're going to give them atime to sketch, we're going to
give them a time to askquestions, to think about it, to
build it, to test it, to reviseit, and that changes the
experience for kids, especiallykids that are reluctant to
reading.
So let's talk about why thisworks.
It really shifts the focus onwhat they can't do to what they

(03:53):
can do and what they can create.
It also helps kids feel capableand curious and confident.
It's not the part of readingthat makes them feel the hard,
like it doesn't feel like it'shard.
It's the part that they get todo and they get to feel
successful around reading andbooks.
It builds story connectionbefore decoding even begins.

(04:17):
All right, let's talk about ideanumber two.
All right, idea number twowe're going to have them, we're
going to read aloud and thenwe're going to allow them to
build.
So the struggle is is thatoften kids they lose interests
halfway through the book or theyresist starting it all together
.
And we have to do somethingabout this, because we want them

(04:39):
to hear all the parts of thebook and not just all the
beginnings and middles andthat's it.
We want them to keep going.
So we need to shift oursolution to something like guess
what?
There's going to be amakerspace extension after we're
finished.
So we're going to read a storyand then they're going to have a
maker space challenge and youmight have them do things like
you know retelling or you knowasking and answering questions

(05:02):
or developing the character orwhatever, but there's going to
be a maker space.
So they have something to lookforward to, something where they
can feel successful.
So let's take the three littlepigs.
I really liked this version ofthe three little pigs.
You might have them, you know.
Think about how they can solvethe pig's problem.
Maybe they build a better house, maybe they you know they build
some kind of protection.

(05:23):
There's the world is theiroyster.
Another example might be fromthis book, diary of a Worm,
which is maybe they're going tobuild a better communication
device for the worm because hehas no hands.
How is he supposed to writewhen he has no hands?
So it's like looking atproblems and coming up with
solutions.
Now why does this work?
It works because it makesstories feel interactive.

(05:47):
It helps kids process meaningthrough doing, and reading
becomes a springboard, not astandalone task, and that's the
beauty of it.
All right.
Idea number three, and that iskeeping projects simple and
open-ended.
Now I wanted to really focus onthis open-ended part, because
the problem is we often feellike we need some kind of fancy

(06:10):
supplies or Pinterest perfectprojects, and we don't.
We don't need that.
We also feel like maybe we needsome kind of craft, and that's
not true either.
We want to keep theseopen-ended solutions so that it
becomes critical thinking andproblem solving.
And we already have thesematerials.
We have these materials in ourhouse, in our classroom.
We've already got them.

(06:31):
It doesn't have to be anythingcrazy.
We're going to use what we have.
We're going to let the childtake the lead.
We're going to providecardboard and tape or Play-Doh
or cotton balls or Q-tips or anyof those things.
You're going to ask them whatthey can build from the story.
That alone could be somethingthat you do.
We're going to let them design.
We're going to let them fail.

(06:51):
We're going to let them revise.
We're going to let them revise.
We're going to let them proudlyexplain their explanation, and
it gives them the opportunity tobe successful around books.
All right, so why does this work?
Reluctant readers thrive onmovement and creativity.

(07:11):
It's often how they think, andsometimes you don't get to see
that because it's like we'regoing to do it this one way and
everyone has to do it this oneway.
This is the opportunity toallow kids who think differently
to do it differently.
We're going to provide projectsthat validate ideas and
contributions, and it's notabout being right, it's about
being engaged.

(07:31):
So that's the important part,all right.
So let's talk about finalthoughts and trying this tonight
, trying this tonight or tryingthis when you get to your
classroom.
But if your child or studentsdon't feel like they are a
reader, let them build their wayinto books.
Hands-on activities can reframehow they see themselves as

(07:55):
readers and thinkers, andsomething that they feel like
they're not good at or they feellike they're bad at it can
become something they explore.
All right, so I have a freebiefor you and you can grab it down
below, and it's a challenge forafter the fall, and it comes
with lots of think sheets about,like working through, like
coming up with what is theproblem and and how can I solve

(08:18):
it and how do I illustrate it.
What does that look like?
And then even has a blueprintpage and then, you know, allows
them to just think throughthings but also do it.
So that's the exciting part.
If you want more tips like this,more strategies, more quick
things you can try ways to helpyour child or student love
reading.
Then I would love for you tojoin me inside this workshop for

(08:38):
the love of reading.
It's an hour workshop.
You get lots of little bonuses.
There's like a 30-day readingchallenge.
That's so simple that anyonecan fit it in their busy
schedule.
It's only $9.99.
If you're interested, it'sright down below in this video.
Grab that link and join me andif you love what you heard,
definitely give me a like and athumbs up and share this with a

(09:00):
friend and make sure tosubscribe and definitely come
back next week.
Until next time, sweet dreamsand sleep tight.