I’m searching for activities to entice my sophomores to actually read In Cold Blood. I wrongfully assumed that this creative nonfiction novel that outlined a murder case of four family members in Kansas with great detail into the actual murder scene and investigation of the killers would be enough enticement to actually read.
It is hard to do activities in class when all the kids aren’t reading. I’m trying to be creative in my lessons/activities throughout this unit to keep them engaged, including the non-readers, but I feel like I’m not reaching them. I need more time to prep, so that I can read outside resources to gain ideas and knowledge on this subject. Hopefully I’ll get something together for our next novel, which is at the end of the year. Some things I’ve already brought in include the actual newspaper articles reporting the murder printed in 1959, portraits of the family who was murdered, discussion questions, group work to answer reading comprehension questions, and a weekly reading check quiz. Maybe enough will fail this week’s reading check quiz that they will care about getting caught up, although I doubt it, and that is not the type of motivation I am looking for. I want them to read just because it is a really good book and they care about reading it!
