Front and Center visited classrooms around Chicagoland to hear what gets teens excited about reading.

Amy Correa teaches sixth and seventh grade at Agassiz Elementary School in Chicago. She thinks the classics are important, but is worried that the new Common Core standards emphasize this type of literature too much. She says her students gobble up realistic fiction novels, and they can learn how to model behavior by reading stories about teens in tough situations. Listen to Correa’s classroom and hear more about how she gets kids excited about reading:

Mike Henry is a literacy coach and teacher at Reavis High School in Oak Lawn, Illinois. His approach to getting high school students excited about reading relies on student choice in reading materials. He says giving students options of realistic fiction gets them more engaged in reading. Listen to Henry’s classroom and hear more about how he gets reluctant readers to build up their reading stamina: