From: Robin Smith <smithr_at_ensworth.com>
Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2011 11:34:51 -0600

Thanks for an interesting discussion.

Two things that help the kids in my classroom (and the adults in my life wh o do struggle with reading) are reading aloud and having lots of books on l ots of subjects.

When second graders find that picture books are a big part of my classroom, I see them take a deep breath of relief ("Ms. Smith will not make us read chapter books if we don't want to.")

Ending every day with half hour of reading is the one thing that moves kids to read books a little out of their comfort zone. I try to read fiction, n onfiction, poetry and even magazines aloud at the end of the day. (I read p icture books each morning.) Whatever I read becomes an instant hit, especia lly when I make it clear that I have lots of copies of the book in question . Second graders love to read what their friends are reading and that harne sses the social part of that age. If the book is "too hard" for them, they can still read the book because they already know it well.

Having a wide selection--everything from riddle books to books of science e xperiments to sparkling pink princess books and every thing in between--mea ns there is something for everyone to read...or just look at, if that's whe re the reader is at the moment.

Adults love books on tape and podcasts like The Moth or This American Life- -all of which can lead them to print. I notice that the folks I know who sa y they don't read often read magazines and newspapers online. It's not my f avorite way to read, but I love it when people find passions that are so gr eat that they cannot help but read more about it.

I don't like the label "reluctant reader" much. I just tell my kids when th ey say there are struggling with a book that seems too much for them that they are not quite there... yet. The word "yet" is a powerful one for a new reader. It is filled with the future.

Robin
Received on Sun 06 Feb 2011 11:34:51 AM CST