“Blessing” books is the term I’ve adopted to describe the practice of getting kids excited about books by telling something about them. It’s when you hold up a book and say, “I was just looking through my books and came upon this one (showing Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing). I got so excited when I saw it because it’s an old favorite. My third grade teacher read it to me when I was a kid and I remember being disappointed every time she closed the book because I loved it so much. It’s about a boy named Peter who has a pesky, yet very funny, little brother. If you like to laugh out loud when you read, you will LOVE this book. What’s great about it, too, is Judy Blume went on to write more of these books so if you read this and like it, you can read Superfudge, Fudge-A-Mania, and Double Fudge. Let me read you this one little part to give you a flavor of what it’s like…”
Twice this week alone teachers have shared stories with me about how the time they took to bless a book affected their students’ book choices. One teacher told how the kids watched vigilantly as she placed the just blessed book back in the library. She told how they scrambled to be the first to read it. Another teacher told me about blessing an easy book which inspired a struggling reader to put away her hard book in exchange for an easier one knowing that in this classroom, it is okay to read titles that appear a bit simple.
In order to make good book choices, kids need to know what’s out there. We can’t expect children to try new genres or authors or series if nobody ever tells them they exist. Blessing books is a quick and easy thing to do and the impact on young readers is immeasurable. The two minutes it takes to talk up a book may be just the push a child needs to read for ten or twenty minutes…or, if we’re lucky, influence their reading for days and months to come.
To contact us with any questions, please visit www.literacy-builders.com.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Book Choice – Too Much Too Soon?
If you work with children in grades 2-6, book choice is a hot topic. Teachers at these grade levels spend a lot of time helping children make selections that are just right and teaching strategies for making informed choices. However, we sometimes need to question if we push too hard too soon.
I recently had the experience of facilitating a teacher training course on Reading Workshop. One of our activities was to explore a range of adult titles and decide which ones we would be interested in reading and which ones we would pass on. One of the teachers in the course picked up one book and said, “Nope, I’m not reading this one. The print is too small.” She picked up another book and said, “Gosh, I would never get through this. It’s way too long.” As a sophisticated adult reader, nobody questioned her motives. Her reasons for not reading these titles were perfectly acceptable to each person in the room.
Fast forward a few days to independent reading time at home with my third grade son. He is a capable reader whose first choice of pastimes is not reading. He always gets the “do I have to?” look on his face as I kick into high gear as the reading teacher mommy. I want nothing more than for him to be excited about books. So I gather those titles I know he’d love if he’d just read them (and the ones I know are perfect for his reading level): Magic Tree House, Junie B. Jones, Jigsaw Jones. He takes a Magic Tree House book from the pile and looks to the back of the book. “How many chapters is it?” he wonders out loud. Reluctantly, he begins to read. I peek in on him a few minutes later and he’s rolling around on the floor with a book in hand. He’s reading, but barely.
A few days later, he stops by my office and starts flipping through some titles I have lying around. Curious, I step back and observe and can’t believe what I see. He comes upon a Berenstain Bears title. He picks it up and he starts to read! He is so interested and engaged, he is reading as he walks out and when I say, “you can read that for reading homework tonight,” his eyes light up with disbelief and clearly, he is happy. More than that, he is eagerly reading.
As he leaves, I am left wondering what prompted this transformation and I realize that the book he chose for himself was colorful and short. He knew when he picked it up, he’d be able to finish it— his process was very much like that of my sophisticated adult reader friend. What’s more, that Berenstain Bears book was a level M—just right for him.
Looking back, I question why I didn’t offer my son shorter texts as an option for his independent reading. As I thought about it, I realized that it is not uncommon for us to want to push kids into reading chapter books when we know they are ready; however, the question begs, if we push too hard too soon is it at the risk of turning kids off to reading?
This was an important lesson for me both as a reading teacher and a parent. I know that my son won’t read Berenstain Bears forever, but, if that’s where he needs to be today, I need to respect that.
Please visit our web-site, www.literacy-builders.com, for more information.
I recently had the experience of facilitating a teacher training course on Reading Workshop. One of our activities was to explore a range of adult titles and decide which ones we would be interested in reading and which ones we would pass on. One of the teachers in the course picked up one book and said, “Nope, I’m not reading this one. The print is too small.” She picked up another book and said, “Gosh, I would never get through this. It’s way too long.” As a sophisticated adult reader, nobody questioned her motives. Her reasons for not reading these titles were perfectly acceptable to each person in the room.
Fast forward a few days to independent reading time at home with my third grade son. He is a capable reader whose first choice of pastimes is not reading. He always gets the “do I have to?” look on his face as I kick into high gear as the reading teacher mommy. I want nothing more than for him to be excited about books. So I gather those titles I know he’d love if he’d just read them (and the ones I know are perfect for his reading level): Magic Tree House, Junie B. Jones, Jigsaw Jones. He takes a Magic Tree House book from the pile and looks to the back of the book. “How many chapters is it?” he wonders out loud. Reluctantly, he begins to read. I peek in on him a few minutes later and he’s rolling around on the floor with a book in hand. He’s reading, but barely.
A few days later, he stops by my office and starts flipping through some titles I have lying around. Curious, I step back and observe and can’t believe what I see. He comes upon a Berenstain Bears title. He picks it up and he starts to read! He is so interested and engaged, he is reading as he walks out and when I say, “you can read that for reading homework tonight,” his eyes light up with disbelief and clearly, he is happy. More than that, he is eagerly reading.
As he leaves, I am left wondering what prompted this transformation and I realize that the book he chose for himself was colorful and short. He knew when he picked it up, he’d be able to finish it— his process was very much like that of my sophisticated adult reader friend. What’s more, that Berenstain Bears book was a level M—just right for him.
Looking back, I question why I didn’t offer my son shorter texts as an option for his independent reading. As I thought about it, I realized that it is not uncommon for us to want to push kids into reading chapter books when we know they are ready; however, the question begs, if we push too hard too soon is it at the risk of turning kids off to reading?
This was an important lesson for me both as a reading teacher and a parent. I know that my son won’t read Berenstain Bears forever, but, if that’s where he needs to be today, I need to respect that.
Please visit our web-site, www.literacy-builders.com, for more information.
Monday, September 22, 2008
How Do I Make My Child Want to Read?
It’s September. Days at the beach and fun in the sun are long lost memories as school demands that your children turn their attention to projects, homework, and reading assignments. The daily agenda comes home and each day it says the same thing: Read. Depending on what grade your child is in, the amount of time may vary. For young readers it says, “Read for fifteen minutes.” For children in the intermediate grades the assignment might ask for twenty. And for children in middle school and beyond, the reading expectation far exceeds that, asking for minimally thirty minutes a day. For some children, this is the task that they embrace, but for others, it is a request to accomplish the impossible. It’s what causes parents to bargain and eventually, throw their hands up in frustration. When children scream, “I hate reading,” and “Reading is boring!” many parents give in to the temptation to let the nightly reading assignment slide. They think, “Oh, who’s going to know?” or “Why do it anyway?”
Increasing the amount of time that a child reads is an activity substantiated by research. There is strong evidence to support the relationship between the amount that a child reads and reading achievement. Studies have concluded that children who read the most, read the best, achieve the most, and stay in school the longest. Children who read the most have larger vocabularies, read with expression and understanding, and have the best command of grammar. In short, the more children read, the more proficient they become. The more proficient they become, the greater the academic advantage.
So the question becomes, what can be done to make children want to read? Kim Yaris, Executive Director of Literacy Builders, recognizes motivation as one of the biggest obstacles parents and teachers face when it comes to reading improvement. She points out that one of the biggest reasons kids are reluctant to read is because some aspect of reading is hard. She says, “Struggle is the greatest deterrent to reading practice. Children need a great deal of guidance choosing materials that are right for them. Eighty percent of their reading should be relatively easy. ‘High-success reading’ builds confidence and makes children eager to practice more.”
Other simple steps that parents can take to help motivate children to want to read more include:
· Reading aloud to your child: Reading aloud acts as an advertisement for books. It sends the message that reading is pleasurable while at the same time exposes children to new authors, series, and genres.
· Accepting children’s reading interests: Adults often impose their judgment on children’s book choices. They will say things like, “that’s too easy,” or “I can’t believe you don’t like that.” Just as adults have different reading preferences, so too do children. Just as adults are more inclined to read something they are interested in, so too are children.
· Informing children of what’s available to them: Adults learn about books that they are interested in through conversations with friends and colleagues or book reviews. When parents hear or read about a good children’s book or author, they should share this information with their children. They should look to their children’s teachers and librarians to make suggestions that their child might be interested in.
So, it’s September. Back to the books doesn’t have to mean nightly struggles to motivate your child to read. When parents and teachers work together to eliminate “hard” from the reading equation, reading becomes an enjoyable experience for all children.
Visit http://www.literacy-builders.com/ to find out how we can help.
Increasing the amount of time that a child reads is an activity substantiated by research. There is strong evidence to support the relationship between the amount that a child reads and reading achievement. Studies have concluded that children who read the most, read the best, achieve the most, and stay in school the longest. Children who read the most have larger vocabularies, read with expression and understanding, and have the best command of grammar. In short, the more children read, the more proficient they become. The more proficient they become, the greater the academic advantage.
So the question becomes, what can be done to make children want to read? Kim Yaris, Executive Director of Literacy Builders, recognizes motivation as one of the biggest obstacles parents and teachers face when it comes to reading improvement. She points out that one of the biggest reasons kids are reluctant to read is because some aspect of reading is hard. She says, “Struggle is the greatest deterrent to reading practice. Children need a great deal of guidance choosing materials that are right for them. Eighty percent of their reading should be relatively easy. ‘High-success reading’ builds confidence and makes children eager to practice more.”
Other simple steps that parents can take to help motivate children to want to read more include:
· Reading aloud to your child: Reading aloud acts as an advertisement for books. It sends the message that reading is pleasurable while at the same time exposes children to new authors, series, and genres.
· Accepting children’s reading interests: Adults often impose their judgment on children’s book choices. They will say things like, “that’s too easy,” or “I can’t believe you don’t like that.” Just as adults have different reading preferences, so too do children. Just as adults are more inclined to read something they are interested in, so too are children.
· Informing children of what’s available to them: Adults learn about books that they are interested in through conversations with friends and colleagues or book reviews. When parents hear or read about a good children’s book or author, they should share this information with their children. They should look to their children’s teachers and librarians to make suggestions that their child might be interested in.
So, it’s September. Back to the books doesn’t have to mean nightly struggles to motivate your child to read. When parents and teachers work together to eliminate “hard” from the reading equation, reading becomes an enjoyable experience for all children.
Visit http://www.literacy-builders.com/ to find out how we can help.
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