Ideas from YouthBuild Peers: Immersive Reading Experience

“We work with young people who typically don’t love to read,” Julie explained. I hoped to engage them early on and have them ‘buy in’ to the story before we even cracked open the book.”

What does this look like in action? Participants’ first assignment was to create an outline and write an essay to give Julie an idea of their writing skills. Julie posed the question, “If we were able to have magic in our world, would you want it?  Why or why not?” Participants completed this assignment as an introduction to the world of Harry Potter. Read more about Julie’s activities and reading process to see if they’re right for your YouthBuild participants!

When participants arrived the Monday after handing in their essays, a newly decorated classroom awaited them. Julie had replaced the photos on the walls with the leading teachers/heads of houses at Hogwarts so she could point them out and give participants something to picture. Then, each participant received an owl with an “official” Hogwarts acceptance letter and a list of school supplies.

Their first activity was taking the “Sorting Hat Quiz” online to sort them each into a Hogwarts house, allowing participants to practice their computer skills.Once sorted, each house began with 100 house points and could gain or lose points with the following two guidelines: 

1. Points were added when participants accomplished goals (permit, license, etc.) or bonuses (cleanup, helping others, etc.).
2. Points were removed based on participants’ gaps in attendance or missed assignments. 

Then, the reading began!  Every day, everyone read one chapter together aloud.  Participants could “pass” when it was their turn, but only after they had read at least once that day.

“No participant has opted to pass yet, which I consider an accomplishment all on its own,” Julie added. 

The group summarized each chapter together to recap and ensure everyone understood the critical pieces. Julie also periodically paused the reading to highlight pivotal points of the story.

Julie assigned chapter reports throughout the reading, but not for every chapter. She usually assigned chapter reports to participants if the group didn’t make it through a complete chapter during the day or if a participant missed a day.  For each report, participants detailed important information, summarized the main points, and gave their opinion on the chapter.

In Julie’s experience, every participant was engaged, and many told her they enjoyed the process. At the end of the unit, Julie rewarded the group with a viewing of the movie. However, the reward also included an assignment, of course! Participants wrote a final essay comparing the book and the movie. 

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