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[CCBC-Net] Why are children reluctant to read?
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From: Robin Smith <smithr>
Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2006 13:41:10 -0500
Dear all, I think about this issue a lot. I ask parents to think about the seriousness of "aliteracy," having the skills of reading, but not reading. It's almost a luxurious problem, isn't it? In many parts of the world, literacy can be a luxury--being awash in books and libraries can seem like an impossible dream. Yet we have many children who can read, but choose not to. I don't have the answer, but I think a part of the problem is that reading (at least the way it is taught in some schools) is simply not fun. That's why so many of the suggested titles are humor titles. And that's why many of the books you have suggested I think of as "boy books."
Without settling into my speech mode on the soapbox, I will say a couple of things:
1. Reading aloud is an enormously important key to connecting children with books. (Thanks to the PEI teacher who posted earlier--I did a little e-mail cleaning and have lost your name.) Read aloud at home, read aloud in the classroom, read aloud.
2. Have choices available. Lots of books. Lots of kinds of books. Lots of lengths of books. Short books are great, but some reluctant readers really love the long, interesting books. (thinking of Harry Potter here) Do not neglect nonfiction.
3. If you are an adult, read in public. If you see a child reading, ask about the book. Listen to the answer. Make reading a social act of sharing.
So many of the titles already mentioned are wonderful books for any child. Here are the titles my second graders often pick when they are having trouble finding a book to read:
Stone Fox Captain Underpants Judy Moody Mike Thaler's Black Lagoon series (Teacher from the Black Lagoon, for example) Any book about tornadoes, hurricanes or disasters (Titanic, Amelia Earhart, sharks...) Any funny picture book Any book that makes anyone in the room cry Any book their classmate recommends Any book I have reas aloud Any book I make a signup for on the chalkboard. (After reading a new book aloud, there is usually a pleasant clamor for it. I make a list so they can pass it around to each other. Creates a nice buzz, you know.)
Thanks for an important discussion, Robin Smith Ensworth School Nashville, TN 37205
Received on Sun 06 Aug 2006 01:41:10 PM CDT
Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2006 13:41:10 -0500
Dear all, I think about this issue a lot. I ask parents to think about the seriousness of "aliteracy," having the skills of reading, but not reading. It's almost a luxurious problem, isn't it? In many parts of the world, literacy can be a luxury--being awash in books and libraries can seem like an impossible dream. Yet we have many children who can read, but choose not to. I don't have the answer, but I think a part of the problem is that reading (at least the way it is taught in some schools) is simply not fun. That's why so many of the suggested titles are humor titles. And that's why many of the books you have suggested I think of as "boy books."
Without settling into my speech mode on the soapbox, I will say a couple of things:
1. Reading aloud is an enormously important key to connecting children with books. (Thanks to the PEI teacher who posted earlier--I did a little e-mail cleaning and have lost your name.) Read aloud at home, read aloud in the classroom, read aloud.
2. Have choices available. Lots of books. Lots of kinds of books. Lots of lengths of books. Short books are great, but some reluctant readers really love the long, interesting books. (thinking of Harry Potter here) Do not neglect nonfiction.
3. If you are an adult, read in public. If you see a child reading, ask about the book. Listen to the answer. Make reading a social act of sharing.
So many of the titles already mentioned are wonderful books for any child. Here are the titles my second graders often pick when they are having trouble finding a book to read:
Stone Fox Captain Underpants Judy Moody Mike Thaler's Black Lagoon series (Teacher from the Black Lagoon, for example) Any book about tornadoes, hurricanes or disasters (Titanic, Amelia Earhart, sharks...) Any funny picture book Any book that makes anyone in the room cry Any book their classmate recommends Any book I have reas aloud Any book I make a signup for on the chalkboard. (After reading a new book aloud, there is usually a pleasant clamor for it. I make a list so they can pass it around to each other. Creates a nice buzz, you know.)
Thanks for an important discussion, Robin Smith Ensworth School Nashville, TN 37205
Received on Sun 06 Aug 2006 01:41:10 PM CDT
