Reeling in Those Struggling Readers

• Along with compelling fiction for

struggling readers, Orca also produces a growing body of resource material to help students connect with text and teachers and librarians connect with students.

• Teachers’ guides, readers’ theater, a middle-school language arts program tied to curriculum and much more.

Orca Soundings are teen novels for reluctant readers. These short, high-interest novels have compelling characters and linear plots, and are written by bestselling authors.

Many titles available in Spanish and all available electronically.

This is the 10th year for Orca Soundings and they continue to be popular with 85 titles and 1.3 million copies in readers hands.

• Orca Currents are short, high-interest novels with contemporary themes for middle school readers. These stories have compelling characters and linear plots, all by bestselling authors.

• Reading levels from 2.0 to 4.5

• Perfect for reluctant teen readers, Orca Sports stories combine mystery and adventure with sports themes, including a variety of team and individual sports. Exciting plots and easy-to-read language.

• Reading levels from 2.0 to 4.5

• Seven linked novels from well-known authors.

• Perfect to catch those struggling boy readers, this series of linked novels provide a great opportunity to have them read similar novels in differing styles. Great for lit circles and more.

• www.SevenTheSeries.com

• Designed for adults struggling with literacy issues, the Rapid Reads series is also very popular in high schools.

• Mature themes, compelling content and readable stories.

• Reading levels from 2.0 to 6.0.

• Discussion guides available at www.rapid-reads.com

Sidestreets

• SideStreets are edgy, fast-paced novels that combine real-world themes and believable characters to make for short, engaging books—sure to engage the most reluctant reader.

• Reading levels from grade 2.0 to grade 6.0.

Resource Guides• Comprehensive teachers’ guide available on

CD, as a bound book, or free as digital downloads from orcabook.com.

• Teacher-created and designed to take the guesswork out of reaching those struggling readers.

• Includes information on how to use the books in the classroom, facts about reading levels, curriculum connections and themes.

ReachingReluctantReaders.com

• A dedicated website of resource material to help reach reluctant readers.

• Nearly 50 percent of North Americans struggle with literacy to some extent. At Reaching Reluctant Readers, you can find books and build a reading program to encourage literacy in your classroom or library.

• A balanced reading program, information on reading levels, research-based theory behind literacy instruction, running lit circles and class projects.

• A constantly changing and growing resource.

• Middle School Language Arts program.

• Teacher-created.

• Eight issues per year.

• Directly tied to language arts curriculum including common core standards.

• Visit www.text2reader.com for more information and a free trial.

• Orca digitizes all new titles and the complete

backlist is available electronically.

• We also offer site licenses and annual subscriptions for collections and series of books at both the school/library building level and the district level.

• Individual ebooks available through all e-tailers.

• For information on digital subscriptions please contact melanie@orcabook.com.

ORCA audio• Book Buddy Go Reader – a new, single-

purpose MP3 player.

• Popular hi/low stories, with unabridged, word-for-word audio.

• Hear and read is successful with striving readers.

• Thirteen Orca Go Readers available now.

Now you know about the books…

But how do we reach those readers, reel them in and keep them reading?

In the registration process we asked for questions and over the years we have heard many more.

First a couple basic questions and then some selected questions that were submitted. If I use your question I

will be sending you $100 in free books.

• Q. What is the best way to shelve titles that appeal to reluctant readers?

• A. : Shelve like books together and make it easy for those students who are already having trouble finding what they want in the library. Make sure that the books don’t look like remedial reading. Many students ask for the thinnest book in the library. Why not shelve all the short, high-interest books on one shelf or spinner? Call them “skinny reads” or “quick books.” Both struggling readers and good readers will go to this shelf. If the struggling readers see everyone wants the same books it will take away some stigma.

• Q. How do you get hard-to-reach boys into the library?

• A. : Set up a shelf with a banner “Books for kids who hate to read” – this will attract many non-readers. Also, book talking the books can help, readers theater, posters and compelling promotional material.

• Set up a display with “What everyone else is reading – or will be soon!”

• Q. Are graphic novels a good way to catch non-readers? Christine Jaros (Frontier College)

• A. : Definitely! Many struggling readers, especially boys, are used to reading comics and graphic novels and do not see any stigma or difficulty attached to it – as long as the content is compelling enough.

FAQ

• Q: How can we use these resources to operate literature circles on themes so that every student doesn't have to read the same book? (Clair D. Burnaby North Secondary)

• A: Great question. Since struggling readers like to self-select books, setting up a lit circle by theme with a group of different books on a similar theme but at varied reading levels is a great idea. At Orca we provide themes for all books so one can easily customize a list with different books but a unifying theme. Many publishers will provide this option as well. Many themes will work – alienation, relationships etc. See our site for details on running lit circles.

FAQ

• Q : I work in a prison library where readers keep their low reading level hidden, to avoid harassment and manipulation by other inmates. What can I do to provide material that addresses those needs without exposing the perceived weakness? (Brandy B. Pleasant Valley State Prison)

• A. : Another great question. Provide mature-looking books with appealing covers that are written at a lower level. An Orca title that has been very successful in custody is Barrio Kings – partly because of subject matter that speaks to the population and also because of a very strong and compelling cover.

FAQ

• Thanks for all the questions that were submitted. There are many more good questions that we have not had the time to answer here but we will put them all together and post them on www.ReachingReluctantReaders.com after the webinar.

• Feel free to send question to hilowquestions@orcabook.com if you have a query we have not answered in the webinar.

• Brandy Buenafe from Pleasant Valley State Prison Library, Claire D at Burnaby North Secondary School and Christine Jaros from Frontier College have all won $100 in free books. See? Pays to ask questions!

Thanks for participating in today’s webinar!

And to give you some books to hook those readers, we have 5 sets of Seven (the series)

to give away.

Email andrew@orcabook.com

for a chance to win.