Motivate reluctant readers

• A. Student Interests
• B. Putting their names in stories
• C. Reading different types of literature, writing letters, listening to news broadcasts, public speakers
• D. Movement breaks

Answer: (B)

Putting a student’s own name into a story creates immediate personal relevance. When the text features their identity, reading becomes a concrete, meaningful activity rather than an abstract task. The student becomes curious about what happens to the character that shares their name, which strengthens attention, decoding, and fluency as they follow familiar patterns and anticipate outcomes. This small personalization lowers the barriers that can make reading feel tedious and helps build confidence through tangible engagement.

Other strategies that connect reading to interests or provide a mix of activities can help, but they often don’t reach the level of personal investment that seeing one’s name in print does. Personalization makes the reading experience feel like it belongs to the learner, which is especially powerful for reluctant readers.