So the other night my husband was watching TV while I played a million games of solitaire. He was completely enthralled in the movie……..a kung-fu movie with English subtitles. That’s right, he couldn’t even understand the words but he was spellbound with all the chop-chopping and high kicks. I watched for maybe a few seconds but found that I was only reading the subtitles, not actually watching the movie. That’s when it hit me. What a great way to get kids to read!! A reluctant reader would be highly likely to READ the subtitles if they were in English.
I have been teaching sixth graders for fifteen years and there are few things that they love more than kung fu. I even use it to help them memorize information (we just do little made-up movements) and they absolutely loooove it. Both boys and girls, that is!! When you have something that is perfect for both genders, you’ve gotta use it in every way that you can. There is some built-in violence in that genre but with a little digging you could probably find one that isn’t too gory.
So if you have a reluctant reader at home and you’d like to build a little fluency in the reading department, pop a bowl of popcorn and watch a good martial arts movie. The sillier the better, so you can laugh about it and have some fun at the same time. If you try it, let me know how it works!
Great idea! I used to watch a lot of movies with subtitles, never once thought to have my son join me, of course, his reading is fine now at twenty-one, but this would have been a nice trick to give practice when he was in school. 🙂
Thanks for being a teacher! Fifteen years? It’s a wonder you’re still sane! I think you are absolutely right about the subtitles. I think you could even use some cartoons too!
This is a good activity for English Language Learners also.
This is a good way to get them to read. I love Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone.