Motivation and Engagement in Literacy
Problem Solving Activity
Directions: Below are a series of scenarios about the practices of a group of literacy
teachers at a local middle school. The six teachers teach students who struggle with literacy and
whose academic lives are filled with failure. As a result, most of the students are disengaged with
their school work and unmotivated to read. In your groups, discuss one of the six scenarios
below. Using Clock Watchers and the short write ups about each of the 6 Cs, analyze the
scenario by identifying ways to strengthen the teachers’ practices so that students are learning in
a context more likely to motivate and engage them. Identify specific support from the text for
support from the text for your analysis.
Scenario
Mr. Touch E. Feely begins his literacy classes
every semester with name games and getto- know- each- other activities. He uses a
minimum of four class periods for these
community building processes. When the four
days end, he is certain that the students have
a safe environment to learn at the highest
levels. His principal uses him as an example of
creating the perfect caring classroom
community.
Motivation and Engagement Analysis
What would you suggest that Mr. Touch E.
Feely think about to enhance his instruction?
Support from the text for your solution:
At the start of the year, Ms. May B. Ursurprized
studies her students’ CSAP scores and
assesses her students’ reading levels on the
DRA and other assessments. During parent
teacher conferences and meetings with the
principal, she shares the data by showing
them the gorgeous charts that she has made.
At the end of the year, she again assesses
them and updates her charts. She passes the
charts on to their next teacher.
What are the underlying problems in this
scenario? How can the problems be
addressed?
Support from the text for your solution:
Ms. Ima Joiner believes group work engages
learners and emphasizes the need to
collaborate for successful learning. At the
start of the year, she looks at the data and
determines four groups: the advanced
readers, proficient readers, partially proficient,
and unsatisfactory readers. Of course, she
doesn’t let students know how she grouped
them. When she works with students during
guided reading or asks them to discuss their
reading, she knows that they are reading at
their level with peers sharing similar strengths
and needs.
What are the underlying problems in this
scenario? And how can the problems be
addressed?
Support from the text for your solution:
List five ways that Ms. Joiner could use
groups so that students become more
proficient readers.
Mr. Will U. Risk works with students who hate to
read and whose skills are pretty darned shaky.
He strongly believes in the importance of
choice of novels. On his bulletin board are the
covers of popular books and titles of winners
of Newbery novels. He’s certain that the
information on the bulletin board will motivate
all of his students to find a fun book to read.
Several times a month he takes his students to
the library and invites them to select a novel
for independent reading. When he notices
that students are having a difficult time
finding a book, he encourages them to see
what a buddy is reading and suggests that
they read the same book.
What are the underlying problems in this
scenario? How can the problems be
addressed?
Support from the text for your solution:
Ms. Ima Softie loves her struggling readers.
She knows that their academic careers have
been filled with disappointments and
struggles. Each year her goal for her class is to
make sure they feel darned good about
themselves as readers. Enough of the tension
that they’ve faced in the past! This year is
about success. As a result, she finds book for
them to read that they’ll love and that they
will be successful reading. Her room is filled
with easy books that won’t stress her kids out,
and when she sees kids struggling and about
to give up, she helps them out by easing up
on the work or giving them hints about the
right answers.
What are the underlying problems in this
scenario? How can the problems be
addressed?
Support from the text for your solution:
Ms. R. U. Happi loves celebrating her students’
work. At the end of each unit, she plans a
special day for students to show off their good
work and to cheer their efforts throughout the
unit. For instance, at the end of the poetry
unit, each student reads a favorite poem in a
What are the underlying problems in this
scenario? How can the problems be
addressed?
poetry slam, and at the end of the year, she
holds a high tea for students to just kick back
and enjoy themselves. “We save our
celebrations for those special days,” she
explained to one parent. “That way they
know that their hard work is worth the effort.”
Support from the text for your solution: