Reading Matters
Each nine weeks my assistant principal,
Lindsay Hennarichs (you can follow her blog at http://lhennarichs.blogspot.com/),
and I review 3 grade levels of report cards.
We try, if the teachers leave us enough room, to write a comment and
give a “scholarly” stamp on each one for each student. So, I cannot tell you the number of times
that I read comments such as:
- Keep reading!
- Be sure and read every night for at least 20 minutes.
- Read with (child’s name) every night.
- Be sure to keep reading!
-AND-
Two different types of reading with different purposes, but both of interest to me. I am reading The Book Thief for enjoyment. The Digital Leadership helps me in my own professional growth.
Through reading,
children learn about people, places and events outside their Reading it truly the key to success for all children (and
adults)!
Why does reading matter?
1. Reading allows
children to access the world.
Through reading, children learn about people,
places and events outside their
own experience. They are exposed to ways of life, ideas and beliefs about the
own experience. They are exposed to ways of life, ideas and beliefs about the
world which may
be different from those which surround them.
developed language skills.
This is because children learn new words as they read but also because
children unconsciously absorb information as they read about
things like
how to structure sentences and how to use words and language
effectively.
3. Reading builds
knowledge.
This learning is important for its own sake however it also
builds a store of
read confidently and well.
4.
Reading
improves concentration.
Children that can sit still and quietly can focus on
the story. If they read
5.
Reading
builds community.
We, as humans, love to have a common interest with
those we live and work
around. How do we
know which TV shows to watch? Which movies to go to?
Don’t we ask those we are
around? Then, how exciting is it to
discuss those
shared experiences. It is
the same with books. Isn’t that how book
clubs, like
Oprah’s book clubs, became so popular? While books provide similar
experiences, it
also allows for language development through the shared
discussion. A win-win!
(No
link, but check out Oprah’s website.
Even off air, her book clubs are
alive
and thriving – building a world-wide
community of readers.)
6. Reading improves a child’s academic achievement.
Students don’t just
do better at subjects like reading, English and history. They
do better at all
subjects and they do better all the way through school.
Current
math assessments require students to read, and problem
solve. Reading
matters!
7.
Reading is entertaining.
It’s true! You can take a book
anywhere, even download a book on your phone,
and you’ll never be lonely or
bored. A book can take you to lands you
dream of traveling, let you make friends you never thought you would, and even
teach you
a thing or two. Books will
never be out of style!
Reading immerses us in someone else's thoughts and experiences
so that we effectively see the
world through the eyes of another person; hence, reading
can make children/adults
more empathetic. Daniel Goleman, an expert in
emotional intelligence
has found six positive
results from the use of
books
with children:
Less physical violence at
school
Fewer name-calling incidents.
Fewer put-downs in the class.
More incidents of active
listening between children.
Each year they have come to me with stories
of and examples of true empathy among the students.
9. Reading can be calming.
In an age of instant gratification and constant noise, it is necessary for us to have times of quiet. From TV to computers, we seem to be inundated with constant movement, flashing lights and noise. Actually, our brains do need rest. When reading, we usually find a quiet, controlled environment. As a matter of fact, I read every night to go to sleep – to calm down and unwind from my day.
10. Practice makes
perfect!
As a child reads more, they become better at reading. Why do they need
So, take some
time to read with or to your child today.
Let them see you read! You will
be giving them a gift – a legacy of success!
Regina, Are you familiar with the program "1,000 before K"? The Baxter County library in Mt. Home has just implemented this program to try to encourage parents to read 1000 books to their child before the child enters kindergarten. You can check it out at www.baxlib.org
ReplyDeleteJo Wilson