How to Raise a Reader Review Stephen Krashen
How to Raise a Reader
Want your kids to get avid readers? Here's how to share the honey.
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On a recent road trip to visit colleges, my 17-twelvemonth-old daughter and I listened raptly to Jake Gyllenhaal's powerful rendition of The Great Gatsby as nosotros drove down I-95. For her it was a grade assignment, merely for me information technology was heaven having an alibi to once over again share a story with my child. Information technology resurrected memories of snuggling with film books and listening to Charlottesville-based storyteller Jim Weiss, whose expressive vox nosotros so often invited into our home or car (via audiotapes) when my kids were younger. Equally an avid volume lover, I desperately wanted my children—now 23, 21 and 17—to discover the joys and benefits of reading.
Countless studies have underscored the advantages of becoming a lifelong reader. Reading can better a child's noesis skills and empathy (Emory Academy, 2013), and reading for a mere six minutes can reduce stress levels (Academy of Sussex, 2009). Enquiry also suggests that voracious readers tend to have higher salaries, vote more ofttimes and volunteer more than their non-literary counterparts.
Plus, there's no better mode to prepare your kid for the onslaught of standardized testing. Students with fine-tuned reading skills tin process written passages and instructions faster, which tends to boost their functioning on timed tests, says Landon Zee of Zee Tutoring in McLean.
"Reading is a primal skill that underlies most every aspect of every major exam," says Ben Paris, a former Kaplan Test Prep curriculum director with more than 20 years of feel as a individual Sabbatum/ACT tutor. "Reading gets measured in every part of the SAT and Human activity. The science section on the Deed is basically reading comprehension with graphs."
In the end, though, life is bigger than test scores, then are the joys associated with the written word. Reading fuels empowerment, curiosity and imagination. In Scholastic'southward nearly contempo annual "Kids and Family unit Reading Report," 75 percent of parents with kids betwixt the ages of vi and 17 said they wished their kids read more for fun. Hither'south how you can encourage that habit, honey reader.
1. Kickoff Young
Experts agree that it's never besides early to start reading aloud to your kids, and doing and then daily is good do. This kind of interaction helps foster a love for books and promotes a lasting bail betwixt parent and child.
"If you're reading to [young children], they're hearing all those great words you might non be saying to them otherwise," says Rachael Walker, a consultant for WETA's Reading Rockets, a national multimedia reading initiative. "It's a wonderful mode to stimulate their linguistic communication skills and to become to know your baby."
Michelle Picard, a Yard-12 English arts supervisor for Arlington Public Schools (APS), recommends books that "play with language and the alphabet through songs and rhymes," such as How Do Dinosaurs Say Proficient Night? past Jane Yolen and Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney. "The books and songs develop phonological sensation," she explains. Reading about the globe also vicariously expands kids' experiences, which, in turn, helps develop their comprehension skills.
Whatever you choose to read for story fourth dimension, take fun with it. "Kids are more engaged when you are airheaded or dramatic, changing your voice for different characters and reading with expression and enthusiasm," says Courtney Kissell, executive director of The Reading Connectedness, an Arlington-based nonprofit that promotes literacy in kids 12 and under. (The group's 250 volunteers work with more than than i,000 D.C.-area kids each year.) "You might even brand a mistake on purpose or skip their favorite page to see if they catch you. Interacting with kids around books invites them to ask questions. Information technology also prompts predictions and encourages them to think out loud about the story structure."
If the idyllic vision of a child sitting entranced in your lap is not your reality, no worries, says Jenny Carroll, youth services supervisor at the Mary Riley Styles Public Library in Falls Church. "Expect toddlers to get up and move effectually while you're reading. Even though they wait like they're not paying attention, they are. Not being able to sit all the same for a whole book is fine."
2. Avoid Criticism
In one case kids begin to decode books themselves, it's important for parents to resist the temptation to spring in and correct their children too chop-chop. "Endeavor not to interrupt when they're early readers. Let them brand mistakes," Carroll urges. "Give them that rubber space where they can have risks and see if they tin can figure information technology out."
As well, don't assume that picture books are a crutch. Kate Graham, APS coordinator of early childhood programs, says parents sometimes view looking at pictures as "cheating" when in fact it's the reverse. Doing a "moving picture walk" through a book before reading can empower a kid, she says, by giving him or her a meliorate sense of the story's topic and direction. In children'south books, words and pictures are complementary, and strong readers learn to interpret both.
Criticism is also implied when well-pregnant parents worry that their children are "backside" and subsequently overload their kids with skill and practice books. "Reading with a parent should exist blithesome," says Picard of APS. "Discussing a book should exist a natural and authentic exchange, non a quiz."
Another option? Bring in the dogs. Library programs that allow immature readers to read aloud to dogs have proliferated across the land, primarily because dogs are friendly, nonjudgmental listeners. One such program, Paws to Read, has been available in Arlington public libraries for the past five years.
Having dogs equally an audience can give struggling or reluctant readers "the liberty to try and to feel like they're being successful without existence corrected every moment," says Rachel Harlan, youth services supervisor for the Arlington Public Library. In a 2010 University of California, Davis, study, tertiary-graders who read out loud to dogs once a week for fifteen minutes were able to increase their fluency by 12 to 30 percent over a 10-week period. Roughly 75 pct of parents whose children participated in the study reported that their kids felt more relaxed and confident about reading as a result, and were more than inclined to pick up a book for fun.
Parents tin can also instill confidence in their kids by giving praise for all kinds of reading, not just books. "Whether it's a paper, magazine, recipe, Pokémon cartoon or road sign, all of those things are reading," Kissell points out.
Sophie, half dozen, reads to Humphrey at an Arlington Central Library Paws to Read workshop. Photo past Stacy Zarin-Goldberg
iii. Don't Carelessness Story Fourth dimension
Parents oftentimes cease reading out loud once their kids beginning reading on their own. While more than half of children 5 and under (54 percent) are read to at habitation nearly every twenty-four hour period, that number drops to only 17 percent of kids between the ages of nine and xi, co-ordinate to Scholastic's latest "Kids and Family Reading Report." That's a missed opportunity. The aforementioned study plant 40 percent of six- to eleven-twelvemonth-olds maxim they missed the quality time and 83 per centum of all kids surveyed saying they either loved or liked being read to "a lot."
Not only does reading aloud reinforce literary fourth dimension as a family ritual, it can likewise expose kids to books and ideas that may be above their reading level, but not above their comprehension level.
Finding it hard to schedule such time in betwixt work, carpool, repast prep and other obligations? Similar benefits tin exist derived from audiobooks, which you can listen to while multitasking.
Gulf Co-operative resident Sharon Witiw recalls the fourth dimension her four children (now xiii, xviii, 19 and 21) listened attentively to an heady fantasy hazard most a flying boat during an eight-hour family road trip. When they arrived at their holiday destination, they sat in the automobile and listened for an actress xv minutes, she says, "because nosotros were all so engrossed."
"When you hear a story being told, there'due south an expression that comes with it and the intonation that makes the story more vivid," Witiw says. "And then [the kids] plow and are able to use those tools to bring the story to life in their own reading."
4. Brand Books Accessible
It goes without saying that kids are more probable to read when they accept books within reach. "Both my sister-in-police force and my mom gave my children libraries as baby gifts," says Theresa Wells Stifel, a resident of Westwood Park in Falls Church. Though her kids are at present 18 and twenty, Wells Stifel remembers too using books as rewards in lieu of sweets when they were small. If the family hit a yard sale, the kids were allowed one toy each, but they could buy as many books every bit they wanted.
Merely having books on hand can lead to impromptu reading, notes Donalyn Miller, an award-winning elementary school teacher in Texas and author of The Book Whisperer. Every bit an educator, Miller encouraged her students to carry books with them in school and read during the "wasted" moments when they were standing in line or waiting for an assembly. Those minutes somewhen added up to entire books.
Parents can adopt a similar mantra past keeping reading materials in the car (which can come up in handy during route trips, commutes or traffic jams) or in a goodie bag for the doctor's function waiting room. Some parents permit their kids to stay up a piddling afterward at night if they are using the actress time to read. If you tin can manage it, endeavor creating a home library or a special reading nook.
Riverwood resident Mary Thomasson—whose three children are now 23, twenty and thirteen—was always a fan of the "accidental" discovery. Though she never forced books on her kids, she made a bespeak of putting relevant titles in their paths (say, sitting on the coffee table) so that they might stumble upon them. "They all started out loving to read, but it was tough to continue them interested as they became preteens and other things competed for their time," she says. "So whenever they gravitated to sure topics, I would buy a few books on those subjects and leave them lying around in conspicuous places."
For example, when her oldest began request questions about wilderness survival, she left Gary Paulsen novels such as Hatchet and Woodsong out for him to discover. That son now has a career he loves in wilderness conservation.
Books (and magazines and websites) are also a great tool for involving the entire family in vacation planning. If you're going to Spain, check out a few fine art books on Picasso or Gaudi to deepen your kids' appreciation for the paintings and architecture they are likely to run across immediate. Heading to Hawaii? Try downloading an e-volume about volcanoes, Pearl Harbor or aviator Charles Lindbergh (whose grave is on Maui) to read on the airplane.
Arlington eight-twelvemonth-old Sam Mulchandani has a special reading fort in his bedroom.
5. Permit Kids Choose
Experts stress that what a child reads is far less important than the fact that he or she is reading—whether the chosen subject field is a comic strip or a Dostoyevsky novel. Zero volition bulldoze a child away from reading faster than a derogatory comment about rereading a book likewise often or reading one that'due south "as well easy."
Graham, the early childhood plan coordinator for APS, urges parents to permit their kids read a book as many times as they want. "Reading a book over and over once again is building fluency," she says. "Children dear repetition and they love to feel in command of what they're reading."
Even tweens and teens may follow this blueprint. "Kids in center school and loftier school often render to the same books over and over over again," observes Miller, who is now a Reading Ambassador for Scholastic. "Something in that location is comforting for them and they need that. They shouldn't exist criticized because they feel condolement and enjoyment."
The same dominion extends to graphic novels, which many parents deride equally not "real" reading. "Some parents might think that sure choices, like graphic novels, are too lowbrow," says The Reading Connection's Kissell, "but a lot of language happens regardless. The circuitous thoughts and vocabulary are there. The passion for reading starts with reading what interests you. Our summer reading programme was focused on superheroes because Marvel Comics are so hot right now." (As Pulitzer Prize-winning comic book artist Fine art Spiegelman, creator of Maus, in one case said, "Comics are a gateway drug to literacy.")
Kids who self-select books that match their personal interests volition frequently try to read at a college level, adds Carroll, the youth services supervisor at Mary Riley Styles Public Library.
Stephen Krashen, a professor emeritus at UCLA and author of The Ability of Reading, offers a similar perspective on the importance of choice. "Costless voluntary reading, in my opinion, is the source of most of our vocabulary, our ability to write well, to spell and much of our knowledge of the world," he said during a 2012 talk at the University of Georgia. "If y'all read a lot, your knowledge of the conventions of writing—your cognition of vocabulary and grammar—is subconsciously absorbed."
Kids who are allowed to choose books based on their interests are more likely to become hooked. Courtesy of APS
half-dozen. Cultivate Conversations
Children learn by imitation, particularly by watching those they adore most—their parents, teachers and friends. And that includes developing literary habits.
"Kids read more when they see other people reading," says Miller. So talk nearly books and paper stories at the dinner table. Explain how reading is important in your task. Encourage your kids to connect with their peers by request for (and offering) book suggestions.
Locally, the Arlington Public Library's Teen Advisory Lath (TAB) runs teen book groups in diverse library branches (see sidebar on page 62 for more resources). Online, teens can gravitate to the teen section of Goodreads, readergirlz, or Guys Read to notice author interviews, volume recommendations and agreeing readers. And when it comes to fostering a love for the written word, Twitter is your friend. Many authors answer tweets, which tin can be exciting for fans.
Book clubs tin can also fuel that interest and expand a young reader's horizons. When my girl was in fourth grade, we formed a mother-daughter book grouping with a few friends and tackled titles ranging from Niggling Women to The Hunger Games series. To broaden our appreciation of some of the subjects we read nearly, we planned outings—such every bit a theater product of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Fourth dimension and a trip into D.C. to see the Vermeer painting "A Lady Writing" at the National Gallery of Fine art. Through these field trips, our girls were able to draw literary connections to other art forms.
"[The moms] tried non to say too much and to let the girls bulldoze the discussions," says Arlington Forest resident Diane Corina, who joined our group with her older daughter (now 17) and then created another group for her younger daughter (at present xv). "Nosotros tried to make it a fun event and non another job or chore. People effectually here don't need another task with a lot of pressure."
In hindsight, Corina believes that the book-society experience had "a fairly strong impact" on both of her girls academically, even though that wasn't their reason for participating. "When yous become a practiced reader, information technology definitely builds your self-conviction through eye schoolhouse," she says. "My girls learned how to read books they may not find compelling—which is a skill you have to have in school. They weren't intimidated past big books or by discipline matter."
To quote the belatedly Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who later on in life became an editor for Viking Press and Doubleday: "There are many little ways to overstate your child's world. Love of books is the best of all."
Reading Resource
Arlington Public Schools'Traveling Trolley transforms a trolley into a roving summer lending library serving students at Ashlawn, Barcroft, Carlin Springs, Drew and Hoffman-Boston elementary schools during the month of July. Abingdon Unproblematic serves its students' summer reading needs in a similar mode with its Read & Curlicue Book Bus. www.apsva.us/early-childhood-prek/the-travelling-trolley; abingdon.apsva.us/post/abingdon-summer-book-bus/
The Arlington Public Library system offers Paws to Read programs (which crave preregistration) at about co-operative locations, too as a summer reading program and story time events. Parents can sign up for weekly Beanstack emails to receive historic period-appropriate reading suggestions from librarians. Teens tin find everything from book recommendations to opportunities to serve as reading buddies for younger students. library.arlingtonva.us
Dolley Madison Library in McLean offers a summer reading program (with a coupon book that includes gratuitous treats and activities like putt-putt golf) and story time for kids five and younger during the school yr. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/dm
Mary Riley Styles Public Library in Falls Church building offers seasonal reading programs for all ages, including both teen and middle schoolhouse volume groups that encounter at least six times a year. Information technology also offers toddler story time, Paws to Read, and a Mother Goose rhyme time (the latter requires preregistration). www.fallschurchva.gov/424/Library
I More Folio Books in Arlington hosts frequent young-adult author panels and organizes the annual NoVa Teen Book Festival, which features local and national YA authors. The bookstore's mother-daughter volume guild (geared toward girls 11-14 and their moms) meets half-dozen to eight times a year on Dominicus afternoons. The store also stages occasional "midnight" release parties for popular books. www.onemorepagebooks.com
The Reading Connection blog highlights book recommendations, research on reading and the brain, fun reading activities, writer interviews and more. trctraininghub.blogspot.com
Barnes & Noble Clarendon offers a children's story time, plus genre-specific special events (such every bit manga or comic books groups) twice a week. stores.barnesandnoble.com/shop/2068
Scholastic Reading Ambassador Donalyn Miller reviews books and writes about reading on her weblog. Her site as well includes links to online book groups. www.thebookwhisperer.com
Storyteller Jim Weiss retells stories that bridge all cultures and beliefs, from Aboriginal Arab republic of egypt to American Tall Tales. Some of his recordings are available for checkout at local libraries. www.jim
weiss.com
Pass It On
Desire to share your love of reading with kids who may not have like shooting fish in a barrel access to books? Donate the titles you've outgrown or no longer need. "Kids who grow up in poverty and have access to books are the ones who make information technology," says Stephen Krashen, a professor emeritus at UCLA and author of The Power of Reading.
=Many local organizations welcome used-book donations, including Arlington Public Schools' (APS) Welcome Center, the APS Child Detect Office, Arlington Pediatric Center and The Reading Connection.
Nationally, you can support pediatricians who "prescribe" reading aloud as a family unit activeness past donating to the nonprofit Reach Out and Read, which promotes early literacy by giving disadvantaged families the opportunity to borrow books. This attempt serves 4.five million children every year.
A quondam high school English instructor, mom of three and at present higher essay coach, Amy Brecount White snuggles upward with a expert book each nighttime.
Source: https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/how-to-raise-a-reader/
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